LOCAL schools have had a chance to be a part of Mandurah’s future public art installations thanks to workshops organised by noted Indigenous artist Peter Farmer.
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Mr Farmer, who was chosen last month to create the City of Mandurah’s public art installation marking the 100th anniversary of the death of significant local Indigenous figure Yaburgurt, a survivor of the Battle of Pinjarra, runs student workshops through the Kaartdijin Noongar organisation.
Kaartdijin Noongar brings classes on traditional Noongar language and art to schools and venues around the region, but the current workshops have been adapted to allow students to be a part of Mr Farmer’s current project.
Mr Farmer said the project was a win win in that it allowed the students to have their artwork shown publicly, while also teaching them valuable lessons in Noongar culture.
“There were stories we had when we were kids that we want to share by doing these workshops,” he said.
“We want to tell the right story of, and the importance of, our culture that is in this area.
“The workshops work really well when we do work with the students to tell the story in that way.”
The program allowed students from a range of Mandurah schools to participate in the creation of murals based on Noongar art, which would be eventually included into Mr Farmer’s final design of an artwork that captures the story of Yabaurgurt’s life, as well as the six seasons of Noongar tradition.
“In every community, everyone has a story to tell,” Mr Farmer said.
“Just to tell our story it promotes that idea.
“[The Noongar culture] is one of the oldest cultures around, and just giving them an idea of where we come from and how we lived and what the elders have done to what we are now, that’s a really good thing to carry across to the kids.”
Dudley Park primary school teacher Vince Marino said the project granted the students not only skills, but also pride in their respective heritages.
“It’s good for what Peter’s doing, but good for us as a school as well,” he said.
“I think that’s the big thing, because unfortunately a lot of the time the kids can be exposed to the bad side of Aboriginal culture.
“So to have someone explain to them that’s not what it is, that there is this whole historical culture and way of life, really opens their eyes.
“In our school, around a quarter of the kids have some kind of Aboriginal heritage, so to have something like this that connects them with their own history is really important.
“It gives them an opportunity to stand up and be proud of who they are.”
City of Mandurah spokesperson Kim Jameson, who is overseeing the public art project, said the inclusion of students in the creation of Mr Farmer’s artwork bridged gaps not only in culture, but in their understanding of how public art could work as an effective medium of community engagement.
“What we’re doing here is not just encouraging the kids to learn more about language and the history and heritage of Mandurah, but it’s actually about creating a new story for the people who live here today through an artwork that represents this phenomenal man from the Aboriginal community,” she said.
“So bringing the children together is about ensuring our history and heritage is embedded in people from a very young age.
“And not only that, but they’re learning skills; how to create artwork, how to participate in public art, and learning about what public art means and what it can represent in your community.
“So we’re able to address those more tricky questions with things like this, because people just assume that public artwork is something you notice when you’re walking down the street or the foreshore.
“But what we’re trying to do is get people involved in the creation of public artwork, because in the end it’s the distillation of the community – the way it thinks, and the emotions and ambitions of the city.”
Ms Jameson said that having a renowned artist like Mr Farmer involved encouraged both the students involved in the artwork’s creation, as well as those who view it, to actively engage in the rich history of Noongar culture in the Peel region.
”It’s great to have someone like Peter involved in this because he brings a really robust knowledge of the traditional culture from the elders and the families who have been here for so long,” she said.
“And he brings that message that Noongar people always carry: that if you look after the land, the land looks after you.
“That’s so important, and it’s a message that anyone can understand. He’s also been very open about allowing the kids to have their say and have some kind of impact on how the City will be shaped.”
