Bank Art Museum Moree (BAMM) has received state-wide recognition for its Yeladu! Kamilaroi Art Today artist residency at the 2018 IMAGinE awards.
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The artist residency program, which took place in the lead up to Moree’s 2017 NAIDOC Week celebrations, won a 2018 IMAGinE Award in the Engagement Programs category for small/medium organisations with three to 10 paid staff.
BAMM director Vivien Clyne and former curator Hannah Williamson attended the IMAGinE awards, held at the National Art School in Sydney on Friday, November 23.
Ms Clyne was thrilled with the win, which she said was unexpected considering BAMM was one of 20 nominees in the category.
“We’re pretty excited,” she said.
“It’s amazing … there were a lot of other good galleries that have a lot more funding than us.
“The categories were broken down by the size of the museum; we were in the category of three to 10 paid staff and some of the museums we were up against have 10 paid staff, whereas we only have three.
“So it’s really great to be recognised and considered among those kind of organisations.
“With our re-brand this year, this award brings us to the attention of the broader arts industry. It’s great that they’re paying attention to Moree.”
The Yeladu! Kamilaroi Art Today artist residency program partnered with Moree Secondary College’s SistaSpeak and BroSpeak cultural and mentoring program to produce a permanent mural designed and created by Kamilaroi students.
Artist Warraba Weatherall ran an initial brainstorming workshop, followed by a design phase and three days of student painting. The artist residency also supported an innovative exhibition which included a commissioned temporary wall mural by the artist within the exhibition space.
This engagement program produced the first mural created in a Moree school that was artist facilitated but wholly and directly designed and painted by Aboriginal students. Timed to be the backdrop for NAIDOC celebrations, a key priority was to ensure that students felt ownership over the finished product and all design decisions were made following student consultation.
“The kids were so heavily involved in the project, so it’s great for them to be recognised,” Ms Clyne said.
“They had so much ownership over the whole design.
“The mural has become a big part of the school.”
The artist residency connected with the local high school to identify students from the school’s program who would benefit from engaging in contemporary street art with cultural respect. The project significantly impacted youth attitudes toward culture and property, and used street art as a form of expression to positively impact their community. The school has requested to enter into a formal partnership and collaborate on future projects, and the artist residency will continue each year.
“It was such a community-focussed program, all about our organisational strategies to put ourselves out into the community, as well as fulfilling our mission and connection to the Kamilaroi community,” Ms Clyne said.
The IMAGinE awards promote and strengthen the NSW museum and gallery sector. They honour best practice education programs, outreach projects, exhibitions, collection management projects and achievements of individuals.
Recognising innovation and excellence in 500 museums, galleries and Aboriginal cultural centres across NSW, the IMAGinE awards acknowledge the outstanding achievements of more than 8,000 paid and volunteer workers in fostering richer local communities and their contribution to the extraordinary diversity within the NSW museum and gallery sector.
This year saw 96 nominations, the most in the history of the awards, representing the best of regional and metropolitan NSW visual arts and cultural heritage experiences. These awards offer a unique opportunity for museums and galleries to promote their achievements and raise their profile within the community.
