Art, Culture & Identity: sharing an evening with Aboriginal artists

Celebrating NAIDOC Week (National Aboriginal & Islander Day Observance Committee)

Museum Victoria invited Aboriginal artists to give a short illustrated presentation of their work during NAIDOC Week. The artists discussed how their art relates to their life histories and views of cultural, community and personal identity.

Artists
Doug Abbott
Doug is an Arrernte artist living and working in Alice Springs. He paints in a number of different styles using both acrylics and watercolours. His works have been included in exhibitions in Alice Springs and Fremantle, and Museum Victoria has recently commissioned one of his works. Doug also works as an interpreter and is a committee member at the central Australian Aboriginal Alcohol Program Unit.

Ricky Maynard
Ricky is an Aboriginal photographer from Flinders Island, Bass. He graduated from the International Centre of Photography, New York. He is the only Australian to win the Mother Jones International Prize for Documentary Photography, and recently won the 1997 Human Rights Commission Award for Photography. Currently Ricky is undertaking a commission for Museum Victoria to document Aboriginal community life in Victoria.

Donna Leslie
Donna is a Gamileroi artist based in Melbourne. Her works have been exhibited nationally and internationally. Donna is primarilary a painter, however she has explored many other art mediums. In her professional work as an artist she has also illustrated three children's books. Museum Victoria has Donna Leslie's work represented in its collections.

Koori Arts Collective
Koori Arts Collective is a community based organisation located in Fitzroy and aims to promote and assist Koori art throughout Victoria. A member presented their work.