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| Bundiyarra Irra Wangga Artists | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bundiyarra Irra Wangga Artists |
| Formation | 1990 |
| Type | Aboriginal art centre |
| Location | Geraldton, Western Australia |
| Region served | Mid West, Western Australia |
Bundiyarra Irra Wangga Artists Bundiyarra Irra Wangga Artists is an Aboriginal art centre based in Geraldton, Western Australia, established to support Indigenous artists from the Mid West region. The centre links local Noongar, Yamatji, Badimaya, Nanda and other Aboriginal communities with national institutions such as the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Australian War Memorial and the National Museum of Australia. It maintains partnerships with the Western Australian Museum, the University of Western Australia, Curtin University, and the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies.
The organisation was founded in 1990 with involvement from Elders and community leaders in Geraldton, collaborating with representatives from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, the Western Australian Aboriginal Cultural Centre and organisations including the Aboriginal Legal Service, the Aboriginal Heritage Office and the Pilbara Aboriginal Artists group. Early initiatives connected artists to curators from the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, the South Australian Museum and collectors associated with the Australian Council for the Arts, while exchanges involved curators from the British Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, the Musée du quai Branly and the Tate Modern.
The centre operates as a not-for-profit incorporated under Western Australian incorporation rules with a board drawing on community Elders, artists and regional representatives connected to the Shire of Chapman Valley, the City of Geraldton-Greenough, the Mid West Development Commission and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. Governance practices have been informed by Indigenous advisory models used by the Australia Council for the Arts, the Australia Museums and Galleries Association, Reconciliation Australia and the Aboriginal Housing Office, while funding arrangements have involved the Commonwealth Department of Social Services, the Australia Council, Lotterywest and philanthropic partners such as the Ian Potter Foundation, the Myer Foundation and the Sidney Myer Fund.
Bundiyarra Irra Wangga Artists supports painters, printmakers, carvers and textile artists drawn from communities including the Yamatji people, the Badimaya people, the Nanda people, the Yamaji community and affiliated families connected to the Sacred Sites and native title matters involving the National Native Title Tribunal, the Federal Court of Australia and the Attorney-General's Department. Programs have included studio residencies with visiting artists like Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Rover Thomas, Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri and contemporary practitioners linked to the Desert Art Movement, collaborations with curators from the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, the Biennale of Sydney, the Venice Biennale organisers and the Tarnanthi festival at the Art Gallery of South Australia.
Community projects have addressed cultural heritage, language revitalisation and land management through partnerships with the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, the Noongar Boodjar Language Cultural Aboriginal Corporation, the National Native Title Tribunal, the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Initiatives have included collaborations with conservation programs run by Greening Australia, the CSIRO, the Australian Heritage Council, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and cultural mapping projects commissioned by the Western Australian Museum and the State Library of Western Australia.
Works produced by Centre artists have been exhibited in institutions such as the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, the South Australian Museum and regional galleries including the Geraldton Regional Art Gallery, the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts and the Bunbury Regional Art Galleries. Collections holding works include the National Museum of Australia, the British Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and university collections at the University of Western Australia and Curtin University.
Education programs have connected with schools and tertiary institutions including Geraldton Grammar School, Champion Bay Senior High School, the University of Notre Dame Australia, the University of Western Australia and Curtin University, as well as national programs supported by the Australia Council for the Arts, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, the National Gallery of Australia education unit and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation through documentary partnerships. Outreach has included artist-in-residence schemes linked to the Biennale of Sydney, the Tarnanthi festival, the Melbourne Now program at the National Gallery of Victoria and touring projects coordinated with Museums Galleries Australia.
Artists associated with the centre have been finalists and recipients of awards such as the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award, the Wynne Prize, the Archibald Prize, the Blake Prize, the Red Ochre Award, the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards and recognition from the Australia Council for the Arts. Institutional recognition includes acquisition by the National Gallery of Australia, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the British Museum and awards from the Western Australian Museum, the Perth Festival, the Australia Council and state-level arts funding bodies.