THE ART OF
RECONCILIATION through the eyes of young people
You Me Us A collection of winning works from the 2011 Schools Reconciliation Challenge.
Reconciliation means coming together. In 2011 over 500 young people in NSW responded to a call for artworks about reconciliation. Their works explored identity, the importance of individual relationships and dreams for the future of Australia. Winning artworks were displayed in Sydney during Reconciliation Week (27 May – 3 June). Each year at this time, Australians celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and focus on building stronger relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. The Schools Reconciliation Challenge is an opportunity for young people to have their artistic and political voices heard, encouraging everybody to work for positive change in their communities and on an individual level. It’s an annual initiative of the NSW Reconciliation Council.
Nigma Radwan
Albury High School Acrylic on paper, 2011 First prize, grades 7 & 8 category
The Rainbow Serpent is a symbol of Aboriginal Dreamtime, and the rainbow colours in my work also represent all the cultures in the world. The Rainbow Serpent cradling the earth reflects Aboriginal cultures and religions united with all other cultures around the world. Each culture in the world is different but we are
linked together. The serpent cradling the earth also represents caring for everyone and working together.
Ballina
Coffs Harbour Port Macquarie
I drew the words YOU, ME, US around the serpent because the words YOU and ME represent individuality and US represents unity and people working together. Cooperation, friendship and unity are important for everyone to get along.
Newcastle Sydney
Cooperation, friendship and unity are important for everyone to get along.
A United World
Lisa Suzuki
Katoomba High School Watercolour on paper, 2011 Third prize, grades 7 & 8 category
With our teacher we explored Aboriginal aerial styles of representing the landscape. We then thought about our local world, and mapped our daily journey from school to home from above. Using Aboriginal art influences we developed symbols for everything in the landscape, like our homes or shops. My journey is inspired by Megalong Valley.
We ended up with lots of individual journeys and saw how each individual interprets the landscape differently and has a different journey, though many aspects were also shared.
Ballina
Coffs Harbour Port Macquarie
Newcastle Sydney
Each individual interprets the landscape differently, and has a different journey. From School to Home
GATS Group
Cessnock High School Lino print, 2011 Second prize, grades 9 & 10 category
The collaborative print was made using traditional printing techniques, and each individual lino panel forms one section of the work. The process reflects both the theme of the work and the process. Our idea came from looking at the work of various contemporary Aboriginal artists such as Sally Morgan and Adam Hill, and symbols
that reflect Aboriginal history, the land, the ancestors and the place of our future together. The hands held in the centre of a changing landscape represent union to the land, through mutual respect and understanding. This work is a representation of how we may reconcile and give this country a balanced and bright future.
Ballina
Coffs Harbour Port Macquarie
Newcastle Sydney
The hands held in the centre of a changing landscape represent union to the land, through mutual respect and understanding.
Working Together
Digital Graphics Tvet Class Students were given the task of creating from a stock of collected cloud photographs the ‘perfect cloud’. This was to be an abstract representation of self. To address the subject of living together as connected individuals, the students then developed their cloud from the three different perspectives of Me, You and Us. By a process of group negotiation a collection of the results were tiled together and presented as a single
Lincoln Education and Training Unit Orana Juvenile Justice Centre, Dubbo Digital Media, 2011 First prize, grades 9 & 10 category
poster image. No words, no faces, just the abstract emotional dimension of what it feels like to be one of Me, one of You and one of Us. In this program students receive tuition in Photoshop, camera use, printing and archiving of digital files. The program is delivered by TAFE Western and facilitated by Lincoln Education and Training Unit, the small school within the Orana Juvenile Justice Centre in Dubbo.
Ballina
Coffs Harbour Port Macquarie
Newcastle Sydney
No words, no faces, just the abstract emotional dimension of what it feels like to be one of Me, one of You and one of Us.
You, Me, Us
Elise Clarke
Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design Pencil and pastel on paper, 2011 Second prize, grades 7 & 8 category
I came up with the ‘One Big Family’ concept because I wanted to show that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people can all live together and that we have many things in common, including hearts and feelings. After thinking of the idea for the artwork, I divided an A3 paper into six sections and drew the outlines of six families, colouring them with different shades.
The message is that everyone should be able to build good friendships – we all have a lot in common and share common bonds.
Ballina
Coffs Harbour Port Macquarie
Newcastle Sydney
One Big Family
We have many things in common, including hearts and feelings.
Jasmin Hill
Belrose Public School, Sydney Paint and pencil on paper, 2011 First prize, grades 5 & 6 individual category
The two boys represent different cultures having a great time together. Their shirts both have the same number (no. 1) although the shape of the numbers is different – we can be individuals yet united together. The boys are heading in one direction, but it’s important that the road goes in two directions. It is not about walking towards big buildings but towards the key thoughts on top of those buildings
– Respect, Mutual and Friendship. They are also walking through the bush, another great feature of Australia. The road both ways shows that we can learn, revisit and not forget the past as we go towards whatever the future holds. It is all about living, learning and respecting others along the way – that is what the snakes represent, different peoples as one.
Ballina
Coffs Harbour Port Macquarie
Newcastle Sydney
We can learn, revisit and not forget the past as we go towards whatever the future holds.
A Footstep Closer
Students with the winning artworks, exhibited at the Australian Museum during Reconciliation Week 2011
Keira Roberts
Nymboida Public School, Nymboida Acrylic paint and pen on canvas, 2011 Second prize, grades 5 & 6 individual category
Turtles represent my family’s totem and the title represents the freedom of all people in Australia. Although the colours I have used are black, white and grey to refer to multiculturalism, and different cultures mixing, my poem is about how similar we are: we all ‘bleed red’, so no matter what we look like on the outside there is a place for all of us in ‘the crowd’ and we should be proud of who we are.
I am inspired by my whole family and the teachers at my school. My biggest inspiration is my sister who helps me do my best with everything, especially my art. I used different paintbrushes to achieve the different effects of dots and thin and thick lines.
Ballina
Coffs Harbour Port Macquarie
Newcastle Sydney
How similar we are: we all ‘bleed red’.
Turtle’s Freedom
Benjamin Oakley
Holy Spirit College, Bellambi Acrylic paint and sand on board, 2011 Third prize, grades 9 & 10 category
This work was my own idea after researching the topic and relates to my own life. The Aboriginal man depicts myself – a Gamilaroi man, as ‘Me’. The ‘Us’ is my Australian family. ‘You’ represents the others.
I used sand and dot painting styles to represent my culture. The way all three people are linked together symbolises reconciliation and my own multicultural unity within the family.
Ballina
Coffs Harbour Port Macquarie
Newcastle Sydney
The way all three people are linked together symbolises reconciliation and my own multicultural unity within the family.
You, Me, Us – We Are One
Senior Students Group
Westlawn Public School, Grafton Collage, 2011 Third prize, grades 5 & 6 group category
We were inspired by everyday acceptance of each other demonstrated by students in our school.
colours, some Aboriginal colours and colours from the competition poster to make up our background.
In our group, we brainstormed ideas and then decided on focus words for our piece and worked on the design. The whole project was a collaborative effort: each student took photos and these were worked in with our theme words using the computer to design photo shapes. We chose our school
The positive words that were the basis of our poster are our inspiration because these words demonstrate the way we work and play within our school and community. We believe that no matter what culture you are from, everyone can work together and be happy.
Ballina
Coffs Harbour Port Macquarie
Newcastle Sydney
We believe that no matter what culture you are from, everyone can work together and be happy.
All of Us
Savannah Boller
Coorabell Public School, Lennox Head Pencil and pen on paper, 2011 Third prize, grades 5 & 6 individual category
Our teacher asked us to choose an animal and combine it with a self portrait. This idea was inspired by an Aboriginal belief of spirits living on through animals. We looked at the work of the Indigenous artist Bede Tungutalum and particularly his artwork ‘Owl Man’. My artwork represents a person with a kangaroo, and the two figures together show that regardless of culture,
people can live in harmony with each other, the animals and the land. For the background, I was inspired by Aboriginal symbols but I also combined them with symbols of my own to represent the theme ‘You, Me, Us’.
Ballina
Coffs Harbour Port Macquarie
Newcastle Sydney
Regardless of culture, people can live in harmony with each other, the animals and the land.
Kangasav
Class 6M
Wollongong Public School, Wollongong Photograph, 2011 Second prize, grades 5 & 6 group category
Our artwork shows that reconciliation is about having many different faces of culture but that those faces can come together in understanding and tolerance. To show this, our class made individual masks representing culture, either Indigenous or non-Indigenous, or both. We explored the meaning of
reconciliation and discussed how future generations could make a difference. We were also inspired by Indigenous art in some of our designs. We collated all our masks together in the shape of Australia to symbolise all of us coming together in reconciliation.
Ballina
Coffs Harbour Port Macquarie
Newcastle Sydney
We explored the meaning of reconciliation and discussed how future generations could make a difference.
Faces of the Future
Class 5&6
Korowal School, Hazelbrook Mixed media, 2011 First prize, grades 5 & 6 group category
Our artwork is made up of several pictures made by year 5 and 6 students. The year 6 classes did self portraits with wax crayons and then painted over them with watercolour, then they were photographed and shrunk down to be placed in the picture. We then drew Australian animals and plants and made ink prints out of lead drawings. Year 5 made wash self portraits and wrote over some of them. We think the way our artwork represents You, Me, Us is in the way we put it together.
Our self portraits and the animals we drew are right next to all the other drawings, prints and portraits. There are no gaps – they all make up one complete picture. The different paintings combined represent the community. The ‘You’ could be the observer, the ‘Me’ is the self-portrait and the ‘Us’ is the combination of all those individuals with the animals and plants as well because they are also part of our environment as a whole.
Ballina
Coffs Harbour Port Macquarie
Newcastle Sydney
There are no gaps – they all make up one complete picture.
You, Me, Us
The NSW Reconciliation Council is a non-government, not-forprofit and non-partisan organisation, and the peak body for reconciliation in NSW. Our purpose is to advance reconciliation by promoting equitable and just communities that acknowledge and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures and values. The Schools Reconciliation Challenge is an annual initiative open to any young person aged 10-16 in NSW. For further information, contact info@nswreconciliation.org.au www.nswreconciliation.org.au www.facebook.com/SchoolsReconciliationChallenge