Oorala 40th Celebration Program

Sharon Cutmore is a local Anaiwan woman who will be creating a stunning artwork in one of UNE’s open spaces between Oorala and Boolominbah to celebrate our 40 years.  Sharon’s work has a deep connection to Country, uses natural earth and sand materials to tell a story that reflects culture, identity and the environment. Sharon’s Earth Art is inspired from the cultural connections she has within, using the different colours of earth to create an Aboriginal design that connects to the local area and brings a different vision to Aboriginal Art.

Sharon will create a unique artwork inspired by the Oorala Aboriginal Centre and the many people how have been part of the Oorala journey for many years.

Join Angela from Whimsy Paints who will be sparking joy with our young visitors by transforming faces into creative canvases.  With a range of fun, creative designs, children can choose their favourite artwork, relax and let Angela create a masterpiece on their face!

(2024, 38mins)

In 2019 and again in 2023, the unprecedented deaths of millions of fish along the Barka near Menindee, in far western NSW, signalled the river's devastating decline.

More than a Fish Kill traces how, in the wake of the Menindee fish kills, artists, scientists and First Nations custodians came together to form a remarkable collaboration. Over four years, regional artist-run organisation, The Cad Factory, worked with NSW Fisheries managers and the Barkindji and Wiradjuri communities to explore what it means when our rivers are sick. This surprising group of people collectively created a series of spectacular art events that bridged cultural and geographical boundaries to demonstrate how celebrating the values of waterways helps heal communities living with ecological catastrophe.

More than a Fish Kill doesn't pull any punches about the sad state of the Barka, but it is uplifting rather than depressing, suggesting how Australians can come together for a better future.

(2011, 27 mins)

Ochre and Ink tells the extraordinary story of artist Zhou Xiaoping and his inspiring 23 year collaboration with Aboriginal artists in the Maningrida area in the heart of Arnhem Land, Northern Territory. Trained as a traditional Chinese brush painter in Anhui Province, Xiaoping arrived in Australia in 1988 knowing almost nothing about the country. On a whim, he travelled to the heart of the outback, where he was surprised to see Aboriginal people for the first time. He became fascinated by their art and culture, and they welcomed him into their communities where the artists showed him their techniques of painting with ochre on bark.

Now Xiaoping is visiting the famous artist Johnny Bulunbulun and his family, working on paintings for a major exhibition to be held in Beijing, on the theme of the 300 year trade in Trepang (sea cucumber) from the Aboriginal people of northern Australia via Macassan traders to China. Johnny is keen to travel to China for the exhibition; but tragically, he dies before he can make the journey. Instead, Johnny's wife and son attend the exhibition opening at the imposing Capital Museum in Beijing and perform an emotional ceremony in his honour. Later Xiaoping shows his Aboriginal friends some of the fascinating sights of Beijing.