'Always Was: Always Will Be' NAIDOC Week Livestream
This November join us for an event like no other.
Always Was: Always Will Be is a NAIDOC week event centered around First Nations art and storytelling and is a celebration of Indigenous knowledge and culture.
The 2020 NAIDOC week theme, Always Was: Always Will Be, recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.
Join our hosts, Tom Molyneux and Kiri Wicks from Deakin University as they stream live from Deakin Edge and share the stage with two incredible Aboriginal artists, Morgs and Thelma Beeton.
These artists will be painting and completing artworks from start-to-finish over the course of the day, along with some inspirational speakers and special guests who will be also be sharing their own work and personal stories.
Don’t miss this 4.5 hour live, online event that invites you to share and celebrate in the culture and knowledge of our First Nations people.
Tune in via the live-stream below at 10:00am on Tuesday 10 November.
To check out the art in progress (real-time), please click here.
About the event
Enjoy the star of the show, live on-stage art creations with Thelma Beeton and Morgs, join in a panel discussion with the NGV, Kaiela Arts and Koorie Heritage Trust, join us as we zoom into Broome Senior High School to chat with young Aboriginal artists, enjoy a Sand Talk with Dr Tyson Yunkaporta, partake in a yarning session with Kent Morris, CEO of The Torch and see the announcement of the Deakin Engagement and Access Program NAIDOC art competition, plus more.
The Schedule
10:00 am – Welcome to Country. Official welcome and event overview
10:20 am – Professor Iain Martin, Vice-Chancellor, Deakin University provides an opening address
10:30 am – Discussion Panel moderated by Jessamy Gleeson
11:15 am – Sand Talk delivered by Dr Tyson Yunkaporta
12:00 pm – Yarning Session: Mr Kent Morris, Chief Executive Officer, The Torch with Leanne Willis, Senior Manager, Art Collection and Galleries, Deakin University
12:45 pm – Deakin Engagement and Access Program NAIDOC art exhibition tour and winner announcement
1:00 pm – Yarning Session: Professor Mark Rose, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Indigenous Strategy and Innovation, Deakin University with Mick Coombes, Manager, Aboriginal Economic Development & Industry Engagement, Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions
1:45 pm – Live cross to Broome Senior High School
2:10 pm – Final check in and reveal of the Live Art created throughout the day by Morgs and Thelma Beeton
2:30 pm – Event concludes
Artist: Thelma Beeton | Lovers Stargazing, 2020. Acrylic on canvas.
Thelma Beeton
Thelma is a Palawa woman with family ties to Cape Barren Island off the north-east coast of Tasmania. She grew up in Swan Hill, a small town on the Murray River in the Loddon Mallee region.
Most of Thelma’s work is inspired by her totem, the Tasmanian Emu. A former graffiti artist, she first started creating work with The Torch in 2016 and has developed a unique painting style using bold, often primary coloured backgrounds with 2D depictions of emus.
Thelma has a dedicated practice and has recently been exploring incorporating landscapes into her scenes. She loves connecting with her culture including researching the practice of mutton-birding, a traditional hunting method for Aboriginal Tasmanians.
Artist: Morgs | Spear Tips, 2020. Acrylic on canvas.
Morgs
Morgs is a Yorta Yorta artist who has been a participant of The Torch’s Indigenous Artists in Prison and Community program since 2016.
Line-making features strongly in Marvan’s paintings, which is a refence to the traditional line work that is characteristic of southeast Australian Aboriginal art.
Morgs prefers to work with a vivid and striking colour palette contrasted with black, including hues of blue, pink, orange and green.
The Yorta Yorta people are river-based people. Yorta Yorta Country spans forest-wetlands that are located in what is now known as the central Murray – Goulburn region.
