The biggest thing this year - on a professional front at least  - has been the employment of 5 new young staff members at the Print Space - as the year began they slowly started trickling in one by one until I had SIX people employed ... aside from Paula Gumana who began work last year they are all aged 19 and 20 and have been in the art centre over the years involved in some of the workshops held for youth - especially those disengaged with mainstream schooling  ...
so it keeps me real busy trying to teach and train and inspire and motivate 5 young people on a daily basis but it also keeps me very entertained as they show and share their perspective with me .... I have had to listen to a lot of crappy pop music (think justin beiber!) but its been an amazing year watching them kick some incredible goals and I have been shown up on numerous occasions by assuming incorrectly that their age is some sort of hindrance to their brilliance ...

Munuy'ngu, Burrthi, Paula, Godut and Dhalmula

Munuy'ngu, Bawu and Burrthi

Godut, Munuy'ngu and Bawu

In the printspace

Munuy'ngu and Paula

Burrthi and Bawu

Here's a couple of the prints they have made and edtioned themselves this year.
Burrthi's print below of the purple Octopus was selected as part of the National Telstra Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards.  (his link here)
Dhalmula's print 'Bunggul' was selected for the tote bag design for Cotton On Foundation NADOIC Week.
Paula and Munuy'ngu's print was used as Garma Festival merchandise and Munuy'ngu's also on exhibition at Salon des Refuses in Darwin.

Munuy'ngu Marika' Dapirrk Girri'

Godut Ganambarr 'BasketShell' 

Burthi Marika 'Ngarrpiya'

Dhalmula with her tote bag from Cotton On Foundation

We got to celebrate Godut's graduation from Year 12 as well - she is one of only TWO graduates for 2013, its huge achievement. She has a gentle nature but also obviously a determination and it was a wonderful thing to be involved. She looked beautiful 

so thats where I have been all year - next blog will be all about garma, darwin, the art awards and sunrise, sometime hopefully sooner rather than later ...