Yinaar.
A creati
A creative exploration of Aboriginal Women’s Business in the New England North West
The Project
Delivering on the aspirations of the Aboriginal women from the Arts North West region, YINAAR is a creative exploration of Women’s Practice in the New England North West. The project is informed by documented research into traditional Songlines and story-telling of women’s practices, and with key engagement with our Aboriginal Elders, Knowledge Holders and Community.
Inspired by this explorative and immersive research, regional Aboriginal women artists will create a body of work to reconnect, rebuild and preserve their cultural identity in a contemporary context. YINAAR will culminate in an Aboriginal-curated exhibition at two regional, and 2 community galleries in the New England North West.
Community engagement, conversations and our strong relationship with the Aboriginal community has identified the need to deliver a project that specifically addresses Women’s Practices in our region. Our community have told us they have a strong desire to hear and learn the cultural history and stories from our region which is vital to achieving strong cultural identity. The intersection of story-telling, song lines and contemporary creative practice will drive the outcomes of this project.
Research
The key elements of research side of the project will focus on:
Gali -Aboriginal women hold the lore of water, and they have a deep spiritual and cultural connection to the land, the sky and the rivers.
Food & Medicine–Type of and use of native plants, fruits and seeds including how they were/are protected, propagated, harvested and prepared.
Kinship & Responsibilities-The structure of Aboriginal families including cultural values and involving kinship responsibilities and the collaboration of clans.
Healing–Women’s traditional healing practices and how they have been adapted into a contemporary society.
Language - The importance language plays in connecting Aboriginal women and how it has adapted into a contemporary world.
A strong focus of the research component will be collecting Oral Histories from Aboriginal women which will be produced in a series of short films.
Creative Outcomes
YINAAR supports the transmission and development of Aboriginal cultural heritage and knowledge using the arts as the vehicle to drive the sharing, documenting and preserving of culture. The creative component will connect artists through engagement and participation in a culturally based project that will broaden and deepen their understanding of Women’s Practices.
The artist will be selected by a panel through an EOI process and will all be Yinaar from the New England North West area. This project has been developed to provide skill development to build capacity for Aboriginal artists in our region and to strengthen cultural identity in our region.
Supported by the 2 Rivers Team, Arts North West and Curators Kylie Benge and Raquel Clarke , the artists will develop a body of work that responds to the elements of the creative development stage. The artists have a valuable opportunity to connect and rebuild traditional knowledge and to develop their own unique style for use in their contemporary practice.
The artists will share their experiences to community through the artworks produced and the stories recorded as well as artist talks at the exhibitions in the region.