L A N D M A R K S P R O J E C T
The Landmarks Project is a cross-cultural print based exchange between four Native American artists and four Indigenous Australian artists in a two week workshop based in Australia and a two week workshop at the Tamarind Institute in Albuquerque, America ...
The original location for the australian workshop was at Northern Editions in Darwin but due to funding restriction the location was moved to the print space in Yirrkala, North East Arnhem Land - yes us or ME to be exact ... so for two weeks in March we had the artists staying in Yirrkala and working in the art centre where they learnt the techniques to cut bark and grind ochre to make paint and wind the cotton around the hair to make brushes and generally exchange with the artist not only from our region but two artists from Tiwi - Marie Josette and Praxi - and an artist from the desert - Alma
The american artists came from all over - Jewel from Canada, Dyani from Minnesota, Chris from Chicago, Marie (and her whole family including grandparents) from New York and lastly Bill - a master lithographer from the Tamarind Institute and a pro-filer ... him and me did a lot of giggling at the press together ...
During the two weeks we took our guests for a day trip to Dhaniya, trips to the bush and beach and cooked them fresh kangaroo in a fire pit, introduced them to damper as well as a weekend at Garrthalala - a homeland - where the community welcomed us and showed us around and later danced for us while we cooked up sausages to feed the lot ... and in between all of that action everyone made art - the print space was loaded up with everyone working hard and even in late into the night to ink up and proof up -
Chris
Bill
discussion
finished proofs
Alma
Josette
lunch break - Josette and Praxi
Jewel and Dyani
Barayuwa demonstrating grinding the orche to make paint
collecting gapan ( that is Adam - Marie's husband taking the photos !)
and stripping the bark off the tree
before burning it
Garrthalala
Marie and her two daughters
Jewel in fish trap
tour
veranda at Garrthalala accom
pointing
Josette makes damper
Josette and Praxi relax
oyster collection
Alma on the rocks
Dyani - six months pregnant !
pointing
picnic
bbq
pointing
dancing
so ... think it was successful ... it was exhausting ! but everyone was so great and this weekend Djirrirra and myself are off to A M E R I C A to learnt the fine art of lithography at the Tamarind Insititue in New Mexico alongside Josette , Jewel and Dyani for two weeks - amazing - the end of which we overlao with Marie, Chris, Alma and her brother Otto who arrive to spend 2 weeks there after us -
have i mentioned lately how busy i have am ...?
