CREATIVE RESILIENCE

BY NGARDANG GIRRI KALAT MIMINI (NGKM)

NGKM is a collective of First Nations women and trans diverse artists from across Victoria. The artwork commemorates and celebrates stories of Aboriginal women from South-Eastern Australia.

Creative Resilience was commissioned by the Queen Victoria Women's Centre Trust as part of commitments made to Reconciliation in its Reconciliation Action Plan. The fabrication of the work has been supported by the Victorian Government as part of the Victorian Women’s Public Art program (VWPA). The forearm and basket depicted symbolise the strength and creativity of Aboriginal women in South Eastern Australia who have supported and nurtured families and communities through culture over tens of thousands of years.

The VWPA supports the development of permanent public art to examine the significant and diverse contributions women have made to Victoria and to share those stories with the broader community.

Creative Resilience forecourt will be open during the Centre hours Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM.

Pictured L-R: Janet Bromley, Glenda Nicholls, Trina Oogjes-Dalton, Natalie Hutchins MP, Georgia Macguire, Annie Brigdale and Lorraine Brigdale.

Pictured Ngardang Girri Kalat Mimini (NGKM) artists: Front row sitting L-R: Glenda Nicholls and Georgia MacGuire. Back row sitting L-R: Lorraine Brigdale, Trina Oogjes-Dalton, Janet Bromley & Annie Brigdale.

NGKM artists talk about their art practice and Creative Resilience

Glenda Nicholls Yorta Yorta/Ngarindjeri

Glenda is celebrated for her net making and feather flower skills. Career highlights include winning the Victorian Indigenous Art Awards and her recent commission for The NGV Triennial, of a 17m hand made white cotton net.

Blackgin (Georgia MacGuire) Wurundjeri

Georgia is known for her unique use of paper bark in her work. Career highlights include winning The Victorian Indigenous Art Award for 3D work, being a finalist in the Telstra National Indigenous Art Awards and exhibiting and presenting a series of lectures in the US and Canada.

Lorraine Brigdale Yorta Yorta

Lorraine works across a range of mediums including ceramics and natural fibres. Lorraine is known for her development of natural pigment from Country. Lorraine recently won the Koorie Art Award for 3D work, has participated in the Koorie Heritage Trust/RMIT Collaboration Blak Design and her work is to be included in the next Melbourne Now at the NGV.

Trina Dalton-Oogjes Wadawurrung

Paintings have a story and a spiritual connection expressing a connection to heritage, community and country. Inspired by animals and the Australian landscape Dalton-Oogjes has a diverse colour palette using contemporary Aboriginal art techniques with a combination of crosshatch and dot work. Preferring to work with acrylic on canvas or ceramic, but at times basket weaving and wood burning.

Janet Bromley Yorta Yorta

Janet is known for her use of recycled materials in her weaving projects. Janet has an MA in Visual Art from Latrobe University and recently won the Koorie Art Award for Creative Excellence.

Annie Brigdale Yorta Yorta

Annie is a Yorta Yorta woman living on Dja Dja Wurrung Country and follows strong Yorta Yorta women before her. She has a creative personality and a strong connection to Country. She often spends time on the Murray and the Ovens rivers, which inspires and renews her. Annie has trained and worked in creative roles such as visual merchandising, floristry and visual art.

READ OUR INTERVIEWS WITH THE COLLECTIVE:

Georgia McGuire, photo supplied by the artist.

Georgia MacGuire from Ngardang Girri Kalat Mimini Collective

NGKM’s artist Georgia Macguire will be collaborating on Creative Resilience with Lorraine Brigdale, Annie Brigdale, Janet Bromley, Trina Dunstan-Oogjes and Glenda Nicholls. Georgia is a First Nations Creative living on Djandak. In addition to various awards and scholarships, she was the 2013 recipient of the CAL Victorian Indigenous Art Award for three dimensional works and won the Victorian Indigenous Art Awards People’s Choice prize. Georgia is a founder of NGKM and produces art under the pseudonym Blackgin.

Read Georgia’s interview here

Creative Resilience Project update with Janet Bromley

We had a chat with Janet Bromley in early March 2023 to see how the project was coming together.

Read Janet’s interview here

Photos taken during the development phase of Creative Resilience