Art in context

YOLNGU ART CONSERVATION IN CONTEXT Yirrkala, Northeast Arnhem Land

Front Cover image: Buku-Larrnggay art workers collect ochre with the Melbourne University Conservation students, during Masters elective CUMC90023 in July 2014

Contents 3 Vision 4 Situation 5 Background 7 Location 8 Program 9 Outcomes 11 Support

Image: Watjumi Munungurr and Areti Roubous

Vision

Our overarching goal is to make strategic contributions to contemporary conservation practices by providing a unique learning platform for cross cultural collaboration.

Yolngu Art Conservation in Context is a field-based tertiary program established by the Yirrkala art centre, BukuLarrnggay Mulka, and Grimwade Centre for Cultural Material Conservation, at the University of Melbourne. The program continues the history of Yolngu knowledge transmission through Academic partnerships, and builds upon Melbourne Universities commitment to the community of Yirrkala.

Our aim is to connect Australia's leading Aboriginal Art centre, and future leaders from Melbourne’s postgraduate program. The program is focused on the people, practices, and materials of Arnhem Land, and framed by working on the Yirrkala museum collection. The curriculum is informed by both the needs of the Yirrkala art workers and the Melbourne students.

Image: Watjumi Munungurr and CCMC students Areti Roubous, Sam Hamilton, Anna O’keefe, Kararaina Te Ira

Situation The design of the program is a response to a lack of cultural learning programs that interface Aboriginal experts and Australian students.

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A lack of conservation resources exist that support Aboriginal art centres, despite their significance in terms of world heritage.

Reading and writing skills are very low within Aboriginal communities, however the collaborative and social skills are very high.

A large volume of arts-based training is delivered through written texts and in urban environments.

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Few peer to peer learning opportunities exist for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal art workers.

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Many Australian university graduates in the arts have minimal contact with Aboriginal artists.

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Australia’s cultural record, some of it irreplaceable, needs complimentary conservation expertise to be actively developed.

Benefactors: Art Collections, Artists, Arts workers, Art conservators

Image: Yirrkala Museum at Buku-Larrnggay Mulka

Yirrkala Background The Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Art Centre is in Yirrkala, a small Aboriginal community on the northeastern tip of the Top End of the Northern Territory, approximately 700km east of Darwin.

The art centre services Yirrkala and approximately twenty-five homeland centres in the radius of 200km. Owned and operated by Yolngu people, the art centre has a membership of over 300 artists famous for their bark paintings, memorial poles, bronze and wooden sculptures, fibrework, and prints.

The Yolngu people are all capable and entitled to express their sacred identity through art. The artists who work through the Centre are men and women of all ages. Since 1994, the centre has accumulated over 27 major Indigenous art awards, and currently puts over a million dollars into the pockets of the community's artists on an annual basis.  

The achievements are reflected is an impressive building, that includes multiple exhibition spaces, a museum, screen print space, digital theatrette, media studio, computer lab and performance space.

In 2015, the Art centre and its members lead the debate surrounding Indigenous art, education and development. Members feature at the worlds leading galleries, can be heard speaking for an array of diplomatic positions, and are regularly represented in the media as spokespeople for Indigenous cultural determination. Working with the Grimwade Centre highlights the art centres ambition to be a multifaceted platform for Yolngu culture. 

Image: Conservation Lab at Grimwade Centre

Melbourne Background The Grimwade Centre for Cultural Material Conservation is the only organisation of its kind in Australia, combining both the theory and practice of cultural material conservation.

The Grimwade Centre seeks to develop graduate research opportunities, relating to the broader issues of cultural preservation, particularly for communities and cultures within the region. 
 The Centre currently supports a range of ARC projects in Aboriginal art centres, a cross-cultural heritage certificate for Aboriginal Art centre workers, the ANKAAA art centre exchange program, and the commercial conservation of significant Indigenous Art collections.

The Centre believes its not fulfilling its objectives if the preservation of Australian Indigenous art is not substantially progressed by its existence. A stronger focus on partnered education programs forms an important element to this strategy.

In 2015, the Centre will have 260 students enrolled in programmes relating to the preservation of Indigenous cultural material. Working with Buku-Larrnggay Mulka, through our learning and teaching program frames our broader research, partnerships and professional development programs with Aboriginal art centres.  

YIRRKALA NORTHEAST ARNHEM LAND

Image: Google map of Northeast Australia

Location

The Yolŋu people are the traditional owners of nearly 100,000 square kilometres of land and marine estates, which are held under inalienable freehold title.

The art and craft of Buku-Larrnggay Mulka is drawn from Yirrkala, the largest Aboriginal community in the region, and the approximately 25 homeland centres. The major clans spread throughout the homeland centres are; Gumatj, Rirratjingu, Djapu, Manggalili, Marrakulu, Madarrpa, Gälpu, Dhalwangu, Dätiwuy, Ngaymil, Djarrwark, Djambarrpuyngu, Wangurri, Warramiri, Dhudi-Djapu, Gupapuyngu and Munyuku. The large number of different clan groups and some 40 clanlanguages in the region reflect the richness and diversity of this very special part of Australia.

The coastline and hinterland are largely unspoilt and still managed by the traditional owners, the Yolngu. The ecosystems of both the land and sea are pristine and provide abundant food subject to the season including yams, fruits, fish, kangaroo, wallaby, turtles and their eggs, dugong, emu, crayfish, oysters, mussels, tortoise, stingray, honey and more.

The foods and the land that supports them are a seamless part of the wholistic Creation celebrated and maintained by almost continuous ceremonial activity. There is a constant interplay between the Law, the Land, the art of the Yolngu, their ceremony and lifestyle.

Image: Ceremonial Feather Armband

Program How can we design, deploy, and assess conservation tools and processes that increase the flow of conservation knowledge and skills between and within communities?

The Yirrkala Museum at BukuLarrnggay Mulka displays a significant collection of works. The jewels of the collection are the two four metre tall Yirrkala Church Panels (1962-3) that have been described as amongst the most important Australian art in existence.

The Yirrkala museum is unable to respond to, all potential threats to significant works in its collection. Can conservators support the endurance of complex works through sustainable management plans?

Buku-Larrnggay Mulka utilises a range of display, storage and handling

methods. Can conservators assist a range of workflows that minimise risk?

Buku staff make preventive conservation decisions for works on bark, fibre, feather, and wood. Can future leaders of the conservation profession help develop this knowledge by promoting local conservators caring for local media?

Buku staff play a key role in documenting, storing, and making available screen and sound material relevant to Yolngu culture. The library includes over 40,000 images, 300 videos, 3000 songs. Can conservators contribute to the preservation of audiovisual records?

Image: Melbourne student Marlene Gray, interviews Buku staff member Ishmael Marika with artist Nongirrna Marawili

Student Outcomes Develop an appreciation of cultural diversity and respect for community sensitivities, in order to become a better informed advocate for ethical community conservation projects within the art and culture sectors.

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Access a unique part of Australia.

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Experience one of Australias thriving Aboriginal Art Centres

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Develop first-hand knowledge from Yolngu artists.

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Build lifelong friendships with Yolngu peers.

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Study the materials used in Yolngu art at their source by exploring beautiful bushland.

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Contribute meaningfully to local art conservation programs.

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Participate in sustainable cultural exchange activities to support Yolngu-led conservation activity on country.

Image: Melbourne student Sam Hamilton documents Yirrkala Church panels.

Project Outcomes

The project will develop professional skills and cultural collections with impacts that can leave a lasting legacy.

• Build two-way learning partnerships around Indigenous and nonIndigenous approaches to the conservation of cultural materials • Create professional pathways for Yolngu conservators • Enhance the knowledge base of high achieving conservation students • Assist Aboriginal owned and operated Art Centres to support their staff • Pursue methods for overcoming conservation problems created by a lack of collaboration

• Improve frameworks shaping Aboriginal art conservation • Support the development of sustainable Art Centre collections • Investigate the rich potential of collections as a learning resource • Explore the potential of digital resources for creating museum training programs • Improve how cultural institutions access different approaches to Aboriginal art conservation

Image: Buku collection of Larrakitj

Project Support

Maintaining a field-based subject that can deliver long-term partnerships requires support from a range of financial, cultural, technical, institutional and local organisations. If you wish to provide funding support, do not hesitate to contact the subject coordinator: robert.lane@unimelb.edu.au If you wish make a direct donation to either Buku-Larrnggay Mulka or Grimwade Centre please contact us.

Buku-Larrnggay Mulka is a charitable institution and deductible gift recipient.

As a non-profit Indigenous organisation donations are tax-deductible.

Contact Will Stubbs will@yirrkala.com Phone +61 (0) 8 8987 1701

The University of Melbourne Grimwade Centre is a charitable institution and deductible gift recipient.

As a public university donations are tax-deductible.

Contact Tim Ould tould@unimelb.edu.au Phone +61 (0) 3 9035 9956 Your donation will make a significant contribution, with all donations funding core operational costs.