J O B    S A T I S F A C T I O N

Last week on thursday night I got some real happiness.  Along with Kade, Will and the extended families I took two young women, Dhlamula and Gurmarrwuy, to the Gove Festival Art Awards.  For this small local exhibition I had entered six of the prints that the 'disengaged youth' produced during the Yuta Project workshops.  And of the six. three received prizes - one highly commended, one first prize for work by an indigenous artist and one BEST ARTWORK IN THE WHOLE SHOW award

Needless to say I was very proud ...

Gurmarrwuy's print Mantpana won 1st prize for work by an indigenous artist. 

Dhalmula's print Milkarri (tear) was the overall winner

It is hard to put into words how much this small inconsequential award means to me, or how much it may mean to Dhalmula and Gurmarrwuy.  Of course, they did get a nice lump sum of money so that would most certainly mean alot! The process that we all went through to make their prints, from dragging them out of bed, or out of the mangroves (sniffing) to making image choices and colour choices and printing the edition is one thing but the recognition by their community for their artwork  may have slightly increased their own sense of value and for me that is priceless. It is of course not a guaranteed solution to any of their daily struggles and I can't claim to have saved them through art (!) but I can allow myself to feel that I have somehow contributed a little to making them feel better about themselves, and it is not everyday one gets to feel that. 

Seeing them in a dress (possibly the first time for Dhalmula!) and smiling was also a wonderful thing.  They played it way cooler than me who was like a chuffed mother hen... 

Dhalmula with her grandmother Djerrkngu

prize giving and getting

C A S H 

Kade has gone to Darwin for the Telstra Art Awards where Djirrirra has won Best Bark Painting. For the art centre this is the BIG awards for the year so he is pretty chuffed.  The boys and me fly out tonight to join him and later Jen and Bill for a week of camping at Kakadu, fun

I also get to see the Gan'yu Gallery which is the years work by the printspace on display in the park as part of the Darwin Festival... but I will boast about that later !