First Nations Artist Camp - a year on
It has been almost a whole year since I went on the First Nations Artist Camp at Tallebudgera Valley and I feel it has been enough time since to talk about what I learnt and how I integrated those lessons in to my arts practice. The whole experience was an awakening to a deeper level of awareness and how to express myself that has truly helped in artistic growth.
Our lead artist on camp was Quandamooka artist Megan Cope. Getting to spend 5 days with Megan was such a privilege, she revolutionised the way I think about contemporary art and highlighted the need for deeper story telling. Megan shared so much knowledge with us about her work but also about navigating an arts career. It was amazing to hear about all the different mediums and ways Megan creates her art but also how she stays true to her personal narrative.
We were lucky enough to have curator Katina Davidson with us. Katina was an amazing provocateur and really asked some amazing questions which got me thinking on deeper levels about my practice. It was incredible to have a curator on camp and to hear more about the other side of what happens in a gallery. Katina asked me if I thought about the ‘micro and macro’ of my work, at the time I thought I absolutely did (wool bonds on a microscopic level and natural dyeing is chemistry) but now that question has really got me thinking through a different lens. I have started using macro aspects of the plants I use to dye with as surface design on my felt and plan on delving deeper in to microscopy for inspiration.
Jade Johnson who is the First Nations Snr Arts and Culture Officer from Gold Coast City Council joined us on the camp. Jade was so incredibly encouraging and supportive while on the camp but has also been a great advocate for us since the camp as well. Jade offered amazing insight of how to work alongside local councils and organisations, as well as encouraging us to begin thinking about working in the public art space.
Jirra Lulla who runs Kalinya Retreats also spent the week with us. Personally I found it really incredible to hear her talk about having a regenerative business and running a successful business using Indigenous knowledge frameworks.
We had amazing guest artists facilitate workshops on a few of the days. We had Libby Harward teach us how to make rope and a picabeen basket using palm sheaf, Debbie Taylor Worley spent a day with us hand building ceramics and we also had Uncle Rick Roser come and teach us some ancestral skills. We had a visit from Urban Arts Projects to inspire us and to have us think deeper about how our art practice can translate in to the public art realm.
One of the most beautiful things I gained from this camp though was friendship. It has been really amazing to stay in contact with a lot of my fellow artists and over the past year so many of us have done so many incredible things! It has been a real pleasure to see how we as a cohort have grown and developed since camp.
On camp I met Chris Jordan from Three Little Birds, he catered the event with such beautiful food. Since the camp we have worked together a few times now - on the HoTA degustation project, taught our Bush Dyes and Native Foods workshop at SWELL Festival and also delivered it as part of my solo exhibition program recently at Aboriginal Art Co. I hope to work alongside Chris on more projects in the future.
I truly think the First Nations Artist Camp has been a pivotal experience for my arts career and I am so thankful that I was able to attend. If you get the opportunity to apply in the future don’t hesitate!
Thank you for taking the time to read this entry, I am going to aim to update this blog more frequently. I’ll finish the post with a few photos from the camp, I didn’t take too many because I was so immersed in my own head + the weather wasn’t the best (I had also forgot to readjust my cameras white balance).
Norton
