Mirrnong Minnie
Cultural Education Bush Animals Weaving with Aunty Bronwyn
On 9 September 2019 the School of Art invited Aunty Bronwyn Razem, Gunditjmara artist and Master Weaver, from Warrnambool in Western Victoria and her producer/collaborator Katja Nedoluha to lead a sculptured bush animals workshop with about 20 staff and students. Aunty Bronwyn Razem offers knowledge passed on through her Gunditjmara family heritage of traditional weaving, which are skills and practice she has carried forward and evolutionised into award-winning contemporary art. Katja Nedoluha offers an outsider's perspective of Aboriginal culture by making a translation of this other worldview and highlighting the philosophical insights we can gain from Aboriginal ways of knowing.
In our workshop Aunty Bronwyn explained the significance of the dingo and the canine family in Indigenous culture.
“In the early years the dog followed Indigenous people around when they went from camp to camp and helped with the hunting,” she said.
“They warned them when there was impending danger, or maybe another tribe coming to steal their hunt or to attack them.”
Aunty Bronwyn and Katja also spoke of the importance of sharing knowledge. "We both acknowledge the importance of sharing knowledge — and the joy that comes with that — not only because it gives others the opportunity to learn but also because it gives us the chance to extend our knowledge. We embrace the relationships and sense of community that unfold and deepen in this process of humble exchange. These encounters and connections provide for new insights and the space for everyone to heal and grow.”
A second workshop will be held on Wednesday 13 November 2019 to further share the knowledge amongst our School of Art community. Submit your EOI for this workshop by Friday 8 November.
Photography by Jerry Galea