Tamworth Regional Gallery welcomes Rivers to Ridges Exhibition

The much-anticipated Rivers to Ridges and the Stories In Between exhibition will officially open at Tamworth Regional Gallery this evening. A project by Arts North West, this is the final stage of the two-year project funded by the federal Government’s Indigenous Languages and Arts program. 

Through the lens of filmmakers Brendon Blacklock (Blacklock Media) and Tim Leha, (The Kainga Project) the Rivers to Ridges project has travelled to the far corners of the New England North West region to gather and document the stories of Elders and local Aboriginal history.

The stories of twenty Elders inspired a new body of work from four New England North West Aboriginal artists. Loren Ryan (Tamworth), Ronella “Dolly” Jerome (Tenterfield), Jade Porter (Moree) and Anthony “Jack” Conlon (Gunnedah) have used a variety of mediums including virtual reality, song and sculpture to share these stories with the broader Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal community. These artworks will be exhibited alongside the recorded Elders stories in the gallery space. 

Lorrayne Riggs, Project Manager for the exhibition said, “This is the first time that we know of where the stories recorded will be focused on the unique cultural value of our region. 

“Too often Aboriginal culture from NSW is not valued as highly as in our neighbouring states. By translating and sharing the stories from our region we can show the world that Aboriginal culture is alive, important and highly valued in the New England of NSW”.

Director of Tamworth Regional Gallery, Bridget Guthrie shared the excitement that a new exhibition brings through the gallery. 

“It’s amazing to see how versatile a space becomes and the shift in mood with each exhibition that is installed.

“We have been eagerly awaiting the installation of this project as it’s so rich with our local heritage. We love being able to help share the stories of our people and enrich and acknowledge such a vital aspect of the regions culture,” added Guthrie. 

Rivers to Ridges and the Stories In between exhibition will be officially opened at the Tamworth Regional Gallery on Friday the 8th of February at 6pm by Gomeroi man Peter White with a ceremony by Len Waters.

The exhibition will be open to the public from Saturday, 9 February to Sunday, 17 March 2019. For more information on Rivers to Ridges and other exhibitions at the Tamworth Regional Gallery visit www.tamworthregionalgallery.com.au