No images? Click here Kaya Wanjoo. Hello and welcome to the Djeran Edition of the CAN newsletter. Djeran (April-May) is one of the six Noongar seasons. Represented by the colour green due to the break from the heat and the return of cooler weather.CAN's solidarity with the communityThese are unprecedented times. The measures taken to protect our community are changing daily, as is the way we live our lives. Like many of you, our team at CAN is trying to find our new 'normal' amid this pandemic. One thing we do know is that participation in art and creativity builds resilience and stronger communities. CAN is working hard to keep its programs and connection to communities going during the COVID - 19 epidemic, while we maintain all the protocols necessary to ensure the health and safety of our community. So while it is not business as usual, we will continue and adapt. Let's continue this journey together. Apply for Lotterywest Dream Plan DoOnline Information SessionsCAN is mindful of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on our most vulnerable communities. Many culturally and linguistically diverse (CaLD) communities are finding it challenging to stay connected. In this unprecedented time, a creative project can provide a point of focus, connection and strength. We would like to invite CaLD community groups to learn more about our Lotterywest Dream Plan Do program through online information sessions. Thursday 9 April 12:00–12:45pm Lotterywest Dream Plan Do is a platform for diverse voices and stories to be shared with new audiences. Community groups who participate in the Lotterywest Dream Plan Do program receive structured mentoring from an arts worker who helps them to plan, develop and deliver their project idea, as well as funding of up to $20,000 for the organisation to use to produce and deliver the project. CAN Welcomes New Team MembersWe are thrilled to welcome these great people into the CAN teamCarolina Duca Christy Van Der Heyden Elly Jones Poppy van Oorde-Grainger Palestinian Threads and Stitches Community // Michelle Troop Palestinian Threads and Stitches - A tapestry of home and diasporaOn Sunday 8 March, CAN joined the Palestinian Community of WA in launching, Palestinian Threads and Stitches. This project was proudly supported by CAN through the Lotterywest Dream Plan Do mentoring program, which aims to bring the stories of underrepresented communities to the forefront. This project brought together twelve Palestinian women living in Western Australia - diverse in their life histories but united by the common threads of identity - to learn the tradition of tatreez and share their stories. The women described how the final artwork came to represent "both the literal and metaphorical stitching together of our varied life histories as Palestinian women in the diaspora", resulting in a vibrant tapestry of contemporary Palestinian cultural identity. The community present at the launch were moved by the significance of each tatreez embroidery and the stories that emerged One such story is described below by one of the project coordinators.
Samya Jabbour is pictured on the far right of the group wearing the dress the community hand embroidered for her. The stories and embroideries are presented in a beautiful catalogue which the Palestinian Community of WA will soon have available publicly. The exhibition at Midland Junction Arts Centre is temporarily closed due to COVID-19. CAN will keep you posted with any updates on the exhibition. Place Names KatanningKatanning Community Celebration // Caro Telfer Community Celebration of vital Noongar Story CAN and the Katanning Noongar Leadership Group proudly joined in hosting the community at an installation of language and artworks, featuring the magnificent Mulka and Djinda puppets, in the main street of Katanning. Despite Covid-19 putting an end to the Harmony Festival parade in the town, community and visitors joined in the celebration of over 18 months work, displayed in a pop-up exhibition over the Harmony weekend. During Place Names Katanning, CAN engaged animateur and puppeteer Karen Hethey to work with the community, Elders and more than 100 students. Together, they created two large-scale puppets of Mulka and Djinda and more than thirty coolbardie (magpie) puppets, building on their knowledge of Noongar and local history in the process. The meaning behind Katanning and surrounding place names was revealed to form part of a greater, significant Noongar story of Mulka. This story of Mulka, presented for this community celebration, is a version for the general public. We recognise that many people hold and look after parts of the full story. Elders and community from the Great Southern towns of Katanning, Tambellup, Gnowangerup and Badgebup welcomed the wider community to learn about Noongar place naming in their area. Each place name was interpreted with its Noongar significance in what was an important experience for the whole community. Learn more about CAN's journey in Katanning. Place Names Moora Evelyn Dawson and Dianne Mippy at New Reserve / Candy Bush Reserve on country // Sandy McKendrick Project UpdateThrough Place Names Moora, it was identified that there was a lack of Noongar language represented in town and there also was a need to share Noongar culture and stories with future generations and the community of Moora. Led by the Elders, who are committed to passing on their cultural knowledge to the younger people in their community, the project has been a wonderfully creative and culturally rich time of sharing stories and language. Noongar community in Moora embraced the project objectives and partnered with students from Central Midlands District High School to workshop deeper meanings and stories embedded in country. Commitment to learning new technology, passing on cultural heritage and documenting valuable history resulted in extraordinary insight into Yued Boodja and the cultural significance of local Noongar names and places. CAN is now collating the works and designing a platform for it to be shared with the wider community during COVID-19. Making Time Online: Community Engagement and EthicsIn March CAN and Creative Recovery Network hosted lecturer and prominent blogger Graeme Stuart in a conversation around ethics and community engagement practice. Read a re-cap on this Making Time Online conversation.
Making Time Retreat // Susie Blatchford FLOCK ReflectionScreen grab from FLOCK online workshop
Words: Daisy Sanders CAN Hosted FLOCK for an online gathering on March 26th. FLOCK is a monthly forum for Perth’s independent artists to share practice and facilitated discussion with each other. The next FLOCK event (FLOCK #18) will be in early May and hosted by PICA. Valuable linksThe team at CAN have collated some of our favourite resources that we have found useful during this pandemic. Why You Should Ignore All That - Aisha S. Ahmad Nerd Immunity - Yen Yang As We Are Online Art Workshop Series Navigating the pandemic - Nina Levy Perth Festivals Guide to Online Art Experiences Little Lunch Online Home Schooling is not the same as Crisis Schooling - Heather Anne OpportunitiesWork with CAN EOI Aboriginal Artists MQ Block EOI Free WAM Membership CAN acknowledges the Aboriginal people of the Bibbulmun nation as the traditional custodians of the lands on which we work and live. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and honour all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the first people of this nation. CAN is proud to work with people from all cultures, but we do so on the understanding of First Nations, first. |