Immerse yourself in first nations art and culture at the gallery

Gympie’s newest exhibition ‘Songlines - Lines of Connecting, Dreaming and Remembering’ features the combined works of established and emerging First Nations artists from the three nations within the wider Gympie region. This exhibition is available to view at the Gallery from Thursday 6 May until Saturday 26 June 2021.

The term ‘songline’ describes the features and direction of travel that had been sung and memorised for the traveller to know the pathway to their destination; a mapping of country through handed down lore, law, songs, stories, dance and ceremony along with geographical markers. These long walked pathways are hubs of connection, barter and exchange, and also allow for the caring of country through shared custodianship, with many special songlines having specific ancestral stories attached to them.

Artists, elders, and traditional owners of the region - Fiona Foley, Bianca Beetson, Uncle Russell Bennet, Aunty Beverly Hand, Kane Brunjes and Stevie O’Chin - come together to explore their shared connections and what songlines means to each artist.

There are a number of programs on offer to compliment this exhibition, including a curators talk on 8 May, a family workshop making wooden clapsticks with Sara from Ocher Bee on 29 May, an immersive bush tucker walk with Uncle Russell Bennet on 5 June, a weaving workshop with Bev Hand on 9 June and a lunchtime talk with artist Fiona Foley on 16 June. Registrations and bookings are essential for these programs.

‘Songlines - Lines of Connecting, Dreaming and Remembering’ is a featured exhibition that is part of the ‘Connecting Stories’ project. The first of its kind, ‘Connecting Stories’, is a cross-regional project showcasing First Nations art and culture through exhibitions, public art trails, tours, workshops, artist talks and events across six local governments within the SEQ North region. During the months of May and June, regional galleries across South East Queensland North (SEQN) will come together for the first time to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and culture as part of this joint program.

‘Connecting Stories’ has been developed through a partnership between Creative Arts Alliance as part of the Regional Arts Services Network, Blaklash Creative and members of the SEQN Galleries Network - Gympie Regional Art Gallery, Noosa Regional Gallery, Caloundra Regional Gallery, USC Art Gallery, Moreton Bay Regional Galleries, The Condensery: Somerset Regional Art Gallery and Redland Art Gallery.

Entry to the Gympie Regional Gallery at 39 Nash Street is free, with opening hours from 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

For more information, or to make bookings for workshops and themed activities, visit www.gympie.qld.gov.au/gallery or call 5481 0733.