Georgia Walsh — Badtjala woman, artist and QAGOMA’s Regional Liaison Officer — shares something of her artistic practice, working with regional and remote communities, and a philosophy of gratitude, joy, and seizing every opportunity. Describe your work area. As Regional Liaison Officer (a role generously supported by the Neilson Foundation), I’m part of the QAGOMA Learning team. I am privileged to work alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and communities all over Queensland, delivering the Gallery’s annual Design Tracks and Art as Exchange programs. In my own art practice, I am a printmaker and drawer, and my work of late experiments with trace monotype life drawings on gold pigmented paper. I have a modest studio at home where I do most of my making, and though its often shared with a husband working from home or kids joining in the artmaking fun, they provide a welcome bustle to my hustle. What work do you most enjoying doing? Spending time with young artists! I’m so motivated and inspired by the creativity I see in young people. The work I do with youth makes me excited for my two (still very little) children and the change they will bring to the world. I also cherish opportunities to learn about the true history of regional Queensland from some of the amazing and dedicated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge holders. What research do you do? My research relates to my work in the cultural learning space. I am interested in the intersection of western systemic hierarchies and First Nations’ knowledge systems, particularly as it relates to learning and pedagogy. I am passionate about on-the-ground experiences and how these are fundamental in continuing oral histories. How has your practice changed over time? The more exposure I have to other stories and people, the more inspired I am to pursue new ideas. I think like many artists, those formative years of art college or emerging practice were very introspective. I take great joy in the many ways my work life now informs my practice and research, and feel grateful for the opportunities I have not only to view the world through so many perspectives but also to process and explore these through art. Where did you grow up, and how do you think this has influenced your practice? I grew up on a property 30 minutes’ drive from the rural town of Inverell, on Gamilaraay Country in northern New South Wales. Affectionately named ‘The Sapphire City’ for its gem-producing river systems, it was a wonderful place to live. I was raised to appreciate and value my close community and witnessed what is possible with the support of a ‘village’. I miss this aspect of upbringing in the city, but it has only made us reach for larger networks and lean more on family here in Queensland. My colleagues at QAGOMA and the Cultural Centre are part of this network and I see the intertwined nature of my work and life as an extension of my original ‘village’. I have a first-hand understanding of regional barriers to opportunities, which inspired me to seize them all without hesitation when I moved to Brisbane in 2011. Without this awareness, I would not be where I am today. My career has taken very organic turns that always point to regional communities, intentionally or not, and I am excited to discover how I’ll continue to move towards them in the future. This text is adapted from an essay first published in QAGOMA’s Members’ magazine, Artlines. Featured image: Georgia Walsh (Badtjala people), QAGOMA Regional Liaison Officer at Art As Exchange, Koa Country, Winton, October 2022 / Photograph: J Ruckli

The phrase ‘Karakeni Nani’ comes from the Nasioi language spoken in the Kieta district of the province of Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. ‘Kara’ means to talk while ‘Keni’ refers to binding a person, animal or object of value with rope. ‘Nani’ is the important role of female speakers and their perspectives. Together, ‘Karakeni Nani’ describes an agreed meeting place where matrilineal leaders lead conversations around a shared vision that brings people together through the acts of sharing, listening and talking. Past exhibitions such as ‘No. 1 Neighbour’ and ‘APT9’ have provided QAGOMA Learning with contexts to directly engage with Pasifika students and create a space at the Gallery where they can connect with their cultures. ‘APT10’ and ACAPA’s Community Engagement (ACE) Project was a distinct opportunity to work closely with Pasifika community to design onsite programming for young people. In early 2022, QAGOMA Learning with the support of the Pacific Art curatorial team, reached out to the Pasifika Women’s Alliance (PWA) with an idea to build on their previous involvement in ACE, which focused on engaging Pasifika families in intergenerational learning spaces. Together with PWA, we were able to develop a program where students could engage with art, culture and story. 35 female Pasifika students from Bellbird Park State Secondary College, Earnshaw State College and Mabel Park State High School were invited to take part in a full-day program at GOMA. Together with PWA and Ruth McDougall, Curator, Pacific Art, we explored works by Pasifika artists in ‘APT10’ including the Seleka International Art Society Initiative, ‘Air Canoe’ and ‘Uramat Mugas’, before taking part in two workshops facilitated by PWA: mwar mwar (flower crown) weaving with Inca Chow and tok stori (spoken word) with Vanessa Gordon. After the program, we asked the participants, as well as their teachers and PWA to reflect on the experience and share with us what it meant to connect young Pasifika people with art and ideas. Art objects are a powerful expression of culture and identity that carry the stories of their makers far from home. It is a meaningful experience for young Pasifika students to see their cultures represented on the walls of GOMA. Vaoafi Hart, PWA Secretary, explained, ‘The Gallery, in showcasing the diversity of the Pasifika region, is a place where young kids can gain an appreciation of not only their own culture, but also that of their friends and neighbouring cultures.’ For many, this was their first time visiting a gallery and the program motivated them to want to know more about art and culture. ‘I liked everything about today and how we experienced and learnt about other cultures besides our own’, reflected one of the students. But it is also about people. One of the students shared: ‘This program was really fun. I met other women who look like me from the Pacific. I can’t wait for the next one!’. ‘Being able to see people who look like us, talk like us, and feel the same way as us is really important,’ explained PWA President, Iree Chow, ‘It’s all to do with having a sense of identity and being able to feel connected with the places we are from.’ Part of developing that sense of identity is making space for conversation with Elders, where young people who belong to diaspora communities can ask the question, ‘Where am I from?’. Those conversations prompted students to find out more about their own family stories and backgrounds. Wally Ropati, Community Liaison Officer, Bellbird Park State Secondary College noted that ‘to be able to listen, learn, make something and have a conversation about who they are and what their culture means to them was very inspiring.’ We can build our knowledge and understanding of the importance of spaces for cultural learning by working in close collaboration with community and embracing opportunities for shared experiences. Through our ongoing relationship with PWA, we hope to provide more opportunities for young Pasifika people to see the Gallery as a place of connection. Rebecca Smith is Program Officer, Education and Curriculum Programs, QAGOMA

Design Tracks Creative Pathways Program is a three-day residential program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander secondary students from Queensland schools. Hosted annually by QAGOMA Learning, ‘Design Tracks’ brings together students from metropolitan, regional and remote locations who work alongside guest mentors from the Creative Industries. The program provides participants with an immersive experience that enables them to develop skills and build confidence within a peer-led environment. The students explore creative practices, gather inspiration and discover new perspectives as they work together on a creative project. In 2020, ‘Design Tracks’ looked a little different due to COVID-19 restrictions. The program was delivered virtually with students from seven schools — Foxwell State Secondary College (Coomera), James Nash State High School (Gympie), Nambour Secondary College, Meridan State College (Caloundra), Toowoomba State High School, Brisbane School of Distance Education and St Ursula’s College (Toowoomba). The virtual workshop ‘Pigment and Paper: Explorations in Poetry and Art’ involved papermaking, poetry and writing and creating pigments to develop personal responses to NAIDOC Week theme ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’. The students developed creative pieces using a kit of materials supplied by QAGOMA Learning. Guest mentors included artist D Harding — Bidjara, Ghungalu, Garingbal (Central QLD), artist and designer Jenna Lee — Larrakia, Wardaman (NT) Karajarri (WA), and author and poet Ellen van Neerven — Mununjali Yugambeh (SE QLD). Debbie Brittain is Project Officer QAGOMA Learning Foxwell State Secondary College Visual Art teacher, Jody Swader and Head of Inclusion, Victoria Leadbeatter explain their students’ experience of 2020 ‘Design Tracks’. ‘You may have heard that Design Tracks was a little different for everyone in 2020 but as a Foundation School this was our students very first chance to engage with the program…and it didn’t disappoint. The different delivery mode afforded our young students with the opportunity to be a part of this unique and exciting program, helping them build connections with older students and role models through the online learning platform. With growing anticipation and enthusiasm of the program starting our students received their resource packages from QAGOMA, which gave them a glimpse into the culturally meaningful and engaging program that lay ahead. Through Paper, Pigment and Poetry our students explored their own connection to country and experimented with different modes of expressing themselves. Visiting QAGOMA in 2021 as a culminating event was a first time to a gallery for some of our students and they were awestruck as they were able to tour the exhibition of Gordon Bennett and see D Harding’s artworks. Three Foxwell students were honoured to be chosen to work with David Williams from Gilimbaa to voice record the combined poetry piece created by all students. The Design Tracks program was certainly an incredible opportunity for our young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, giving them an unforgettable experience to work alongside established Indigenous Australian creative artists and mentors, and to be inspired by the Creative Industries. Through the Design Tracks program, our students learnt the importance of connecting today with yesterday and tomorrow, and how they can use creativity as a means of sharing and celebrating culture.’

QAGOMA Learning’s Art as Exchange program grew from extensive consultation with regional artists, galleries, and art educators from early childhood, primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. Since 2018, three Art as Exchange residencies have taken place: in the Bunya Mountains, on K’gari (Fraser Island) and at the Carnarvon Ranges. QAGOMA’s Art as Exchange program, which aims to strengthen regional access to arts education, has generated collaboration, proposals and partnerships, commitments and actions. Each iteration takes place over a 48-hour period and involves deep engagement with art and ideas on sites of profound cultural, historical and ecological significance. The Jurassic canopy of the Bunya Mountains is known as Indigenous Parliament in acknowledgment of the historical Bunya Gatherings, which hosted ‘people from as far south as the Clarence River in northern New South Wales, west to the Maranoa River and east to Wide Bay. The magnetism of the ancient site made for an ideal place to begin Art as Exchange. On the edge of regional council boundaries — each home to galleries, schools and artist studios — we were able to bring together arts workers, educators and artists from Toowoomba, Western Downs, South Burnett, Noosa and Moreton Bay regional councils, along with Uncle Mal Collinge and Aunty Lurlene Henderson (elders representing the Bunya People’s Aboriginal Corporation), Paul Dawson from the Bunya Mountains Murri Rangers Project, and printmaker Jennifer Sanzaro-Nishimura, joining us through Flying Arts Alliance Inc. Art as Exchange then moved from the Bunya Mountains to Fraser Island, where the fresh water of Indigenous Parliament meets the salt water and sand dunes of Princess K’gari (Paradise). Badtjala artist Fiona Foley led the K’gari iteration of the program, where participants from Hervey Bay, Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg, Rockhampton and Gympie regional councils learnt about Foley’s practice, with particular focus on her knowledge of the island itself. The residency began with a smoking ceremony, arranged by the Butchulla Land and Sea Rangers and Elder Aunty Nai Nai Bird, and a welcome from Foley, whose clan are the custodians of the land on which our host venue, Kingfisher Bay Resort, is situated. Foley then led a collaborative workshop. Bidjara/Ghungalu/Garingbal artist D Harding took Art as Exchange on board with generosity and gravitas, working closely with QAGOMA Learning staff to develop a program he later described as ‘radical’. Harding’s Uncle Milton Lawton, Ghungalu elder Uncle Steve Kemp, and participants from Maranoa Regional, Central Highlands Regional, Banana Shire and Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Councils, came together at Wallaroo Outback Retreat — a remote venue on contested country, currently owned by proud pastoralists Justin and Pauline MacDonnell. The MacDonnells’ participation in the program added purpose and complexity that, in itself, was a form of localised reconciliation. On a riverbed in Carnarvon Gorge, participants used materials from the site — fresh water and watercolour paint made from local pigment, prepared by Harding — to depict their surrounds. Art as Exchange has developed into a significant program for QAGOMA Learning. Participating regions have returned to their communities to share what they learned with local students, collaborated across regional boundaries, built on council arts and culture policies, and launched new residencies with possible exhibition outcomes. The relatively simple idea of bringing together leaders in art education from regional Queensland has proved to be catalytic for the communities they look to serve. QAGOMA Learning will run Art as Exchange twice annually, with the next residency scheduled to take place in far north Queensland. Terry Deen is Head of Learning, QAGOMA Feature image: Artist D Harding (Bidjara, Ghungalu and Garingbal peoples) led an artist workshop in the Carnarvon National Park. Out of respect for the cultural significance of the site and in the awareness of mounting conservation issues, the group did not enter Carnarvon Gorge. Photographs: Bunya Mountains: Joe Ruckli; Carnarvon Gorge: Chloë Callistemon; K’gari: Chloë Callistemon and Henri van Noordenburg