This week is National Reconciliation week. From the 27th of May to June 3rd, all Australians are encouraged to come together to recognise and share in our nation’s history, culture and achievements.
Reconciliation is a journey, an act that each and every Australian has the right, and duty to be a part of.
At its heart, it is a movement to strengthen the bonds and relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Stay up to date with what’s happening in and around the region here.
As part of the week’s celebrations, artworks by First Nations People will be projected onto Geelong’s City Hall and the Barwon Water forecourt for the next week.
The artworks were completed by artists living in Barwon, Marngoneet and Karreenga correctional facilities, along with in-community artists with connections to Wadawurrung Country.
The project is a partnership between City of Greater Geelong, projection artist Matt Bonner (an artist creating Projection Art for the past 16 years with large scale building projection his main focus since 2011), and the Torch program, which supports First Nations artists currently imprisoned or recently released from prison in Victoria.
“The projections are one of many ways the City is celebrating National Reconciliation Week,” says Aboriginal Affairs Portfolio Chair, Councillor Jim Mason.
“Reconciliation Week is a time for us to reflect on our shared histories and cultures and exploring what actions each of us can take to contribute to reconciliation in Australia.
The artworks can be viewed at the Confined 13 virtual exhibition. The exhibition aims to draw attention to high rates of First Nations People incarcerated in Australia. Since the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody handed down its report in 1991, incarceration rates for First Nations People have doubled. First Nations People make up three per cent of Australia’s total population but represent more than 30 per cent of the national prison population.
“Artworks in the exhibition can be purchased online, with 100 per cent of the artwork price going directly to the artist,” says The Torch Art Manager Sarah Barrow.
“The projections are a fantastic way for people across Greater Geelong to connect with The Torch and understand how we’re trying to create change by helping artists to build their confidence and artistic expression.”
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The City has installed 50 banners across the region to raise awareness of National Reconciliation Week.
A video featuring Councillor Jim Mason and Julie Saylor-Briggs, the City’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Policy Officer, will also be released about National Sorry Day and the legacy of the Stolen Generations in Greater Geelong and Wadawurrung Country more broadly.
The National Reconciliation Week 2022 theme is “Be Brave. Make Change.”
The projections will be on display from Thursday 26 May to Sunday 5 June. National Reconciliation Week runs from 27 May to 3 June 2022.
Read more here.
