School Holiday Art and Laughs At NAIDOC In the City

School Holiday Art and Laughs At NAIDOC In the City

Hyde Park will be alive with fun activities and performances to delight young and old at the City of Sydney’s NAIDOC in the City family day.
 
The annual event, on 8 July, will feature a dedicated Kidzone, performances by TV dance stars Move it Mob Style, animals from Taronga Zoo, and some hilarious comic action.
 
The family day is part of the week-long national NAIDOC festival, running from 7–14 July and celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements.
 
Stand-up comedian and artist Kevin Kropinyeri will keep everyone entertained with his deadly wit and painting skills at the Hyde Park event.
 
Mr Kropinyeri, winner of the Deadly Funny award at the 2008 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, said NAIDOC Week was a time to showcase the best of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture.
 
“It’s a very important week to celebrate our survival and achievements throughout the years in different areas including sport, art, health and community,” Mr Kropinyeri said.
 
“I will talk about my journey as an artist and being a comedian, and I’ll make it fun for the kids while also showing them how to draw and what colours work best together. It’s a way for kids to have fun, experiment with acrylic paint on canvas and have something to take home with them at the end of the day.”
 
Mr Kropinyeri will also perform on the main stage, fresh from touring across NSW as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2013 Roadshow.
 
“Winning the Deadly Funny award in 2008 really kick started my career as a comedian and now I do it full time, performing corporate gigs, in comedy lounges and festivals across Australia,” Mr Kropinyeri said.
 
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said NAIDOC in the City was a great chance for young Sydneysiders to learn more about the world’s oldest living culture.
 
“It’s very important for our children and young people to grow up with an understanding and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and heritage,” the Lord Mayor said.
 
“NAIDOC in the City is a great way for them to learn and explore that culture through fun activities.”
 
VIBE Australia is organising NAIDOC in the City for the City of Sydney. VIBE Australia executive producer Gavin Jones said the Kidzone would include a range of activities for young people to learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and, most importantly, to have fun.
 
“Musician, dancer and man of culture, Matthew Doyle, will be hosting a cultural workshop and artist and comedian Kevin Kropinyeri will be taking an interactive art workshop,” Mr Jones said.
 
“We’ll also have dancers from the popular Indigenous television show Move It Mob Style®, teaching some deadly dance moves.
 
“There will be sports role models on hand to inspire young people and talk about how they reached their dreams. Kidzone will definitely be a lively and engaging place, with plenty to do and see.”
 
The theme for NAIDOC Week 2013 is We Value the Vision: Yirrkala Bark Petitions 1963, which will mark the 50th anniversary of this important turning point in traditional rights and ownership.
 
The two bark petitions were sent by the Yolngu people, of Yirrkala in northeast Arnhem Land, to the Australian House of Representatives in August 1963, protesting the Commonwealth Government’s granting of mining rights on land excised from Arnhem Land, and to recognise the land as belonging to the Yolngu people.
 
The petitions were the first traditional documents to be recognised by Australian law, and set in motion a long process of legislative and constitutional reforms for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, as well as the nation’s acknowledgment of their land rights.
 
NAIDOC Week celebrates the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, which grew from the first political groups of the 1920s.
 
NAIDOC in the City
11am–3pm, Monday 8 July
Hyde Park North
sydneynaidoc.com.au
 
Other NAIDOC Week events hosted by the City:
 
Redfern flag raising ceremony
9.30am, Monday 8 July
Redfern Community Centre, 29-53 Hugo Street, Redfern
The City of Sydney’s annual flag raising ceremony at Redfern Community Centre will include refreshments and transport to the NAIDOC in the City event at Hyde Park.
 
Aboriginal photography exhibition
1 July–31 August
Newtown Library, 8–10 Brown Street, Newtown
In conjunction with Amnesty International and Demand Dignity NSW, Tali Gallery in Rozelle has curated a travelling exhibition of photos showing cultural practices and art creation in remote communities.
 
Torres Strait Islander artist talk
6-8pm, Tuesday 9 July
Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre, Level 1, 405 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Zenadh-Kes artist Glen Mackie discusses how his culturally-rich Torres Strait Islander heritage inspires his intricate linoprint artworks, which will be on show in the library from 1 July–31 August. He’ll be followed by Patricia Adjei, Indigenous Communications Coordinator and Legal Officer from the Copyright Agency, who will discuss copyright for Indigenous artists, resale royalties, and Indigenous cultural intellectual property rights.
Free; bookings essential on 02 9265 7576
 
Indigenous youth linoprint workshop
2–4pm, Wednesday 10 July
Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre, Level 1, 405 Crown Street, Surry Hills
Zenadh-Kes artist Glen Mackie, from the Torres Strait, hosts a printmaking workshop for Indigenous youth aged 12–18.
Free; bookings essential on 02 9265 7576
 
Aboriginal watercolours talk
6–7pm, Wednesday 10 July
Customs House Library, Level 2, 31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay
Di Stevens, curator at Tali Gallery, talks about Ngurratjuta Arts Centre in Alice Springs, which supports over 300 Aboriginal artists, with a special focus on the Hermannsburg school artists that continue the watercolour landscapes tradition. There are about 15 artists that paint in the watercolour style, being descendants of Albert Namatjira. Arrive early to see an exhibition of their works on level one, which runs 1 July–31 August.
Free; bookings essential on 02 9265 7576
 
Thursday 11 July, 10.30am-4pm and
Friday 12 July, 10.30am-4pm
Dindal, Centennial Park
Don’t know what a dindal is? Then come along and learn about this traditional Indigenous cooking method where the food is buried underground in an earth oven. The cooking demonstration is followed by a feast.
Free; bookings essential on 02 9265 9333 or youthservices@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
 
NAIDOC Week events supported by the City:
Sunday 7 July, midday–4pm: Family Fun Day and Aboriginal History Tour
Glebe Public School, 9-25 Derwent Street, Glebe; phone 02 9566 1285.
Friday 12 July, 9am–5pm: Inner City NAIDOC Family and Sports Day
National Centre for Indigenous Excellence, 180 George Street, Redfern; Phone 0412 206 205.
Saturday 13 July, 10am–4pm: Woolloomooloo NAIDOC Family Day 2013
Forbes Street Reserve, Woolloomooloo; phone 02 9368 1381.

ENDS

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