Rivers to Ridges Project Reaches its Final Destination at Tamworth Regional Gallery

Arts North West is working alongside Tamworth Regional Gallery this week to install their much-anticipated Rivers to Ridges and the Stories In between exhibition. This the final stage of the two-year project funded by the Federal Government’s Indigenous Languages and Arts Program.

Through the lens of filmmakers Brendon Blacklock (Blacklock Media) and Tim Leha, (The Kainga Project) the Rivers to Ridges project has travelled to the far corners of the New England North West region to gather and documents the stories of Elders and local Aboriginal history.

The stories of twenty Elders have inspired a new body of work from four New England North West Aboriginal artists. Loren Ryan (Tamworth), Ronella (Dolly) Jerome (Tenterfield), Jade Porter (Moree) and Anthony (Jack) Conlon (Gunnedah) have used a variety of mediums including virtual reality, song and sculpture to share these stories with the broader Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community. These works will be exhibited alongside the recorded Elders stories in the gallery space.

Lorrayne Riggs, Project Manager said “this is the first time that we know of where the stories recorded will be focused on the unique cultural value of our region. Too often Aboriginal culture from NSW is not valued as highly as in our neighbouring states. By translating and sharing the stories from our region we can show the world that Aboriginal culture is alive, important and highly valued in the New England of NSW.

Rivers to Ridges and the Stories In between exhibition will be officially opened at the Tamworth Regional Gallery on Friday the 8th of February at 6pm by Gomeroi man Peter White with a ceremony by Len Waters.

Welcome! Lots and Lots of Projects!

A few projects are wrapping up - with book launches and exhibition openings, and a few more are just starting up. Our focus this year is squarely on our Aboriginal Cultural Support Program with six key projects on the go in 2019, from film-making to performing arts and creative collaborations, and right across our region. We are consulting and working with our Aboriginal communities to tell their stories. In November we are of course hosting the state regional arts conference in Tamworth, and planning is well underway for this event. Hope to see you out and about in this wonderful region of the New England North West.

Rivers to Ridges and the Stories in Between Exhibition Opening

Rivers to Ridges and the stories in between documents the stories of 20 Elders, 4 artists and the Aboriginal history of our region in multimedia format.

Feature artists have used the stories to inspire new works in a variety of mediums including virtual reality, song and sculpture in order to share the stories with the broader Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community.

This project is part of the Arts North West Aboriginal Cultural Support Program. This program supports and delivers projects that embed the knowledge and stories of our area, enabling our communities to reconnect and rediscover the unique cultural identity of the New England North West.

Artists include:
Loren Ryan (Tamworth)
Ronella (Dolly) Jerome (Tenterfield)
Jade Porter (Moree)
Anthony (Jack) Conlon (Gunnedah)
Videographers Brendan Blacklock (Blacklock Media) & Tim Leha (The Kainga Project).

The exhibition will be opened by Gomeroi man Peter White with a ceremony by Len Waters

Successful Regional Arts Fund Applications Announced

What a great way to wrap up 2018 with the announcement of the following successful Regional Arts Fund applications from the New England North West region.

Miyay Miyay: A Creative Collaboration

Miyay Miyay: A Creative Collaboration is a two-year project comprising of the creative development of a performing arts piece based on the Gamilaroi version of ‘Miyay Miyay’, the ‘Seven Sisters’ songline, and is inspired by Country and the landscape of the New England North West. Central to the project will be an artistic collaboration between two key Gamilaroi artists – writer Cathy Craigie, and dancer Katie Leslie. In its entirety, this project will comprise of research and development, a creative residency, mentorships, documentation, presentation, further creative development and regional tour components.

New England Writers Centre Stories Connect

Stories Connect is an innovative and creative multi-arts project aimed at forging fruitful connections between the newly- Regional Arts Fund NSW - List of Projects Funded 2019 Page 2 resettled Yazidi refugee community in Armidale and the broader community, through the creation and sharing of stories. With a mix of writing and illustration workshops for school-aged children, story, songwriting, poetry and photographic narrative workshops for young people, and storytelling/sharing sessions for adults and children. The project will be delivered in partnership with Settlement Services International, who will facilitate consultation with the local refugee community, Armidale Regional Council, and Arts North West.

Screenwave Nextwave: Building a Network for Regional NSW Youth Film Development Regions

Screenwave will partner with Mayfly Media and Got Ya Back Productions across two years to develop Nextwave’s youth film and mental health education program in the Riverina and Upper Hunter – adding to the current regions of Mid North Coast, New England and Northern Rivers. Nextwave will train mid-career filmmakers as workshop facilitators, educating more young regional Australians with employable creative skills. The program will raise the profile of screen arts in regional NSW schools, build capacity for teachers to support student filmmakers and see the production of original films to be distributed nationally.