ABORIGINAL ARTISTS IN RESIDENCY PROGRAM
April – July 2024
The 2024 Aboriginal Artists in Residencies program is an initiative between Ku Arts and the Department of Correctional Services that brought established Aboriginal artists to six prison and community sites across South Australia to deliver workshops in paintings, carving, ceramics, and textiles. The program provided participants access to high-quality art education and creative expression while promoting cultural understanding and connection. The program aimed to improve emotional well-being and promote positive social connections by creating pathways into arts as a vocation or career. Participants in this program were supported in creating artworks to exhibit in the SALA Artists on the Inside and Out exhibition.
Sites and Programs
Mobilong Prison –MURRAY BRIDGE
Studio Skills with Cedric Varcoe and Kate Podger
Across a 3 week intensive, participants were guided through activities and tutorials covering drawing and painting techniques, art material preparation, and best-practice care for artworks.
Mobilong Prison Program Lead Artist: Cedric Varcoe collecting rushes on Country.
We led an arts and cultural program, based on connection and culture and keeping the spirit strong.
Cedric Varcoe, Ramindjeri-Ngarrindjeri and Narangga painter based in Port Elliot.
Artwork created by a participant at the Mobilong Prison, Studio Skills program in June 2024.
Adelaide Women’s Prison – ADELAIDE
Silk Painting with Pilawuk White and Niwili White
My son, and I delivered culturally safe silk painting activities to Aboriginal artists living in South Australia who come from different Aboriginal language groups. In three hours, artists completed an art piece on silk (160 x 28cm), learning in the process, to write, symbolise, draw, wax and paint their stories/identities and cultures to exhibit as part of Sala Festival 2024.
Pilawuk White, Ngangiwumerri textile artist from Malfyin country.
Yatala Labour Prison – Mirnu Unit - Adelaide
Studio Skills with Matthew Moore and Mark Turner
Ceramics with Matthew Moore and Ashlee Hopkins.
Over two weeks, men at Mirnu Unit were given opportunities to engage in hands-on, creative programs in painting and ceramics, including canvas preparation, colour mixing, hand building, and surface decoration techniques with stoneware clay.
Left: Ceramicist, Ashlee Hopkins assisting artists in ceramics. Above: Arts materials for the painting program.
I was the lead facilitator of the program. I implemented a range of activities, from assisting with painting mediums to offering skills from my own experiences regarding painting. I also offered avenues to assist the participants once released from prison, being involved in exhibitions once released.
Matthew Moore, Kokatha and Pitjantjatjara artist based in Adelaide.
Lemongrass Place – Port Augusta
Carving Program with Uncle Roy Coulthard, Donny McKenzie and Wes Maselli
Supported by master carvers Uncle Roy Coulthard and Donny Mckenzie, artists were educated in wood and limestone carving. There was learning and teaching each other cultural ways to create artefacts and sculptures. Drawing inspiration from Country and language, participants created kulata (spear), kali (boomerang) and wanampi (rainbow serpent) sculptural works.
Tiraapendi Wodli - Port Adelaide
Weekly painting program with rotating artists, including Rhubee Neale, Pearl Berry and Lisa Phillips
Valuable in the two workshops I was involved in I saw so much growth in confidence, skill and coming from not knowing and uncertainty to wallk away with confidence and sills of color, compositions, and a painting. I was honoured to be involved.
Rhubee Neale, Anmatjere/Arrernte artist and singer based in Adelaide.
Running weekly over six weeks, Ku Arts delivered an introduction to studio skills program, supporting participants to stretch and prime canvas, building confidence to complete their own artwork.
Port Augusta Prison – Port Augusta
Studio Skills with Donny Mckenzie and Wes Maselli
Donny and I facilitated the painting program, which started with and reiterated canvas stretching and priming and included colour mixing/theory, a one-tone demonstration, and a PowerPoint presentation of Donny's and my work. Wes Maselli, facilitator.
Taught different styles of painting; certain people there could paint already, and they just needed a push to go further; one fella, it was his first painting ever, so I gave them help where they needed it.
Donny McKenzie Wangkanguru, Adnyamathanha painter and sculptor based in Port Augusta.
Ku Arts acknowledges the support of our funding partners whose commitment enables our continued delivery of services and programs to benefit Aboriginal artists in South Australia.
The 2024 Aboriginal Artists in Residency Program has been made possible through the support of our funding partner, the Government of South Australia, Department for Correctional Services.
