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Get behind these NAIDOC Week events

by | Jul 1, 2022 | News

      NAIDOC Week starts this Sunday 3 July and runs until the following Sunday 10 July. It’s a week to learn about, celebrate and recognise the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples –  the oldest, continuous living cultures on earth.

      In the Djilang (Geelong) region, we are all on Wadawurrung Country that has been cared for by the Wadawurrung people and their ancestors for thousands of years.

      For ways you can get involved in NAIDOC Week and embrace this year’s theme of Get up! Stand up! Show up! visit naidoc.org.au

      There are a number of events happening locally you can take part in, with some hosted by Team Tourism. Below is a bit of a list:

      Cultural Conversations

      Geelong Arts Centre, 2pm Saturday 9 July 2022

      Facilitated by Noongar and Tuwharetoa artist and curator Kiri Tawhai, join local First Nations artists, Wadawurrung Woman Kait James, Gerard Black, and Tarryn Love, for a panel discussion around the NAIDOC 2022 theme, “Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!”

      Spend the afternoon hearing firsthand how art not only enables and strengthens cultural connection, but can also serve as a platform for activism, for change and for sharing a unique point of view.

      In this series of Cultural Conversations, panellists will provide opportunity for discussion, connection, and conversation, as they share their diverse perspectives.

      Registration is free but essential for both the in-person and livestream event, which will be broadcast through our website and dedicated Facebook event.

      Register at geelongartscentre.org.au.

      Geelong Arts Centre Illuminated

      Geelong Arts Centre, Ryrie St building, during NAIDOC Week

      From 6:30pm each night between Sunday 3 July and Sunday 10 July, Geelong Art Cente’s Ryrie Street building will be illuminated in colours inspired by the 2022 National NAIDOC official logo.

      More on the centre at geelongartscentre.org.au.

      Wadawurrung Dja – Awakening Country Exhibition 

      National Wool Museum, until 13 November

      Dr Deanne Gilson is a proud Wadawurrung woman, emerging elder, cultural educator and award-winning visual artist from Ballarat Victoria. Gilson works primarily in clay, painting, digital imagery and fabric design.

      Gilson’s new exhibition Wadawurrung Dja: Awakening Country, features a vibrant mix of twenty paintings and textile works. The exhibition includes ten newly created contemporary ceremonial cloaks using Gilson’s unique fabric designs.

      Find out more at geelongaustralia.com.au.

      NAIDOC Week School holiday activity

      Marine & Freshwater Discovery Centre, 10:30am Wednesday 6 July 2022

      Marine & Freshwater Discovery Centre is running a special school holiday activity for NAIDOC week with a traditional Smoking Ceremony and Welcome to Country followed by indigenous activities in the Centre.

      Bookings are required, fina out more at vfa.vic.gov.au.

      Watch the documentary ‘Off Country’

      Off Country is on NITV, Thursday, July 7, 8pm

      While this isn’t technically an event, Off Country, is having a special screening on NITV during NAIDOC Week. The documentary follows seven Indigenous students as they leave their communities for a year-long private school experience at one of Australia’s oldest and most elite boarding schools: Geelong Grammar.

      Inviting conversation with the students, the Geelong Grammar Staff, Indigenous community experts and family members, Off Country locks onto one of Australia’s key Indigenous education pathways, steering through complex questions of identity, success, tradition, and what it is to be a First Nations child in Australia today.

      Read a film review at the age.com.au and tune into NITV on 7 July to watch.

      Projections and online trail

      Projections are shown at City Hall from 6.00pm until 11.00pm from Friday 1 July to Sunday 10 July 2022. 

      Artwork made by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists will be projected onto City Hall each evening from 6.00pm until 11.00pm from Friday 1 July to Sunday 10 July 2022.

      Each piece has been created on Wadawurrung Country and facilitated through The Torch, which provides new pathways by encouraging the exploration of identity and culture through art.

      The NAIDOC Week online trail was first developed in 2020 during Covid restrictions.  Starting in Little River and ending in St Leonards, this online trail was designed in collaboration with the Wadawurrung Traditional Owners to shine a light on some of the hidden (and not so hidden) places of significance across our region.

      Look through the online trail and find out more about projections at geelongaustralia.com.au/naidocweek.

      If we’ve missed your NAIDOC Week event, email the details to [email protected] and we’ll add it in. 

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