Indigenous artists do justice to competition
15 September 2005
Attorney General, The Honourable Rob Hulls with an elated Fiona Krakoeur.
Kevin Ellis' award winning painting, 'Two Ways'.
The artwork of two Kangan Batman TAFE Indigenous art and design students, Fiona Krakouer and Kevin Ellis, will be permanently displayed at the new Children's Koori Court Art in Lonsdale Street.
Attorney General, the Honourable Rob Hulls, announced Fiona and Kevin as the first and second prize winners in the Children's Koori Court Art Competition which was held in conjunction with the Court's opening on Friday 9 September.
The Court is designed to help reduce the over-representation of Indigenous children in the juvenile justice system by encouraging greater involvement of the Koori community in legal and sentencing processes.
Gladstone Park resident Fiona Krakouer won the first prize of $500 with her painting ‘Strength of Family.’
Remarkably, Fiona had never explored art before starting a Certificate III in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art and Design course at Kangan Batman TAFE’s Gunung-Willam-Balluk Learning Centre.
She quickly became one of the Learning Centre’s most talented art students, winning the Elder’s award for Outstanding Indigenous Student at Kangan Batman TAFE’s Graduation and Awards ceremony earlier this year.
‘Aboriginal families’ experience the journey of going to Koori Courts for many, it is a familiar part of their lives,’ said Fiona, describing her painting.
‘To get through these hard times, family and community come together for support. Where would we be without family and community?’
Fiona was also commissioned by the Hume City Council to paint 12 pieces of artwork for their offices.
Kevin Ellis, from Reservoir, was awarded second prize for his painting ‘Two Ways,’ which reflects upon the different ‘paths’ people face in their lives.
‘We all have choices in life. We can either choose the good path by focusing on family and careers, or the bad path which can lead to trouble or jail,’ he said.
As well as these two successful students, Gunung-Willam-Balluk art teacher Susan Reys is also an accomplished artist herself, having been commissioned to produce a piece of artwork for the Department of Sustainability and Environment.
The Gunung-Willam-Balluk Learning Centre will soon be taking applications for next year’s Certificate III Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art and Design. The Learning Centre will also be offering the Certificate IV qualification for the first time next year.
This course covers Aboriginal and some Western art mediums, cultural history, community based projects and even OH&S.
Anyone interested in applying can contact the Gunung-Willam-Balluk Learning Centre on (03) 9279 2357 for more information.
