Bendigo Art Gallery Indigenous Contexts Professional Development
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Indigenous Contexts Professional Learning 10am - 4pm Thursday 1 May, 2014 Schedule TIME Activity Venue 10.00- 0.30 Arrival and morning tea Bendigo Art Gallery Reception and Gallery Café 10.30-11.30 Introduction to indigenous art in Bendigo Art Bendigo Art Gallery Gallery collection: Helen Attrill 11.30-12.15 Tour of De Anima: Brook Andrew The Cinemas New Bendigo Art Project with Bridget Crone, Freelance Curator and Gallery spaces Curator of the Cinemas Project 12.15-1.15 Presentation by Kathryn Hendy-Ekers VAC auditorium AusVELS Cross Curricular perspectives for Years 7- 10 1.15-1.30 AITSL and the teacher role – Helen Attrill VAC auditorium 1.40-2.30 Lunch Gallery Café 2.30-3.20 Stories of success: Marcus Patching, Teaching & Bendigo Art Gallery Learning Coordinator, Bendigo Senior Secondary College 3.20-3.30 Evaluation form completion and prize draw Bendigo Art Gallery 3.30-4.00 Networking, optional viewing of Genius and Bendigo Art Gallery Ambition: The Royal Academy of Arts, London /VAC 1768-1918 Bendigo Art Gallery Indigenous Contexts Professional Learning Introduction The new rehang of Bendigo Art Gallery’s permanent collection after the completion of the multi-million dollar extension has provided an ideal opportunity to showcase the breadth of the gallery’s Australian artworks. Whilst it has been the first time in many years in which a chronological display has become possible, with rooms devoted to art from the 19th century, mid-20th century Modernism, 1990s and 21st century, the Howard Nathan Gallery (the first room) and the entrance to the gallery are currently dominated by paintings and sculptures by indigenous artists solely. Although most of the artworks in this room are created by major artists working in remote or desert regions, such as Emily Kame Kngwarreye and Rusty Peters, by contrast, a valuable inclusion is the long term loan of a major painting by the Brisbane based Postmodern artist Gordon Bennett. Bennett’s Home Décor (Algebra) Ocean 1998, on loan from the Paul Guest Collection is a masterpiece of 1990s Appropriation, Postmodernism and Postcolonialism. Indigenous art in the Bendigo Art Gallery collection is not restricted to painting, however. Throughout the new contemporary spaces, a large suite of contemporary photographs by artist Michael Cook and the special exhibition De Anima: Brook Andrew (until 1 June), featuring film and multi-media are excellent examples of art by indigenous artists who work across photography, film, and multi-media. Until late May, teachers and students are privileged to be able to view so many significant indigenous artworks firsthand, to learn about the themes, influences and ideas and to draw comparison and contrast across media, periods and cultural contexts. Michael Cook Australia 1968 The Mission #10 2011 inkjet print on archival Hahnemuhule cotton paper The Gift of Grace and Alec Craig Bendigo Victoria 2012 2 Bendigo Art Gallery Indigenous Contexts Professional Learning AITSL: National Professional Standards for Teachers Focus Areas 1.4 and 2.4 • The rights of the world’s Indigenous Peoples to control the education of their children are now more fully recognised under international law • These expectations have been codified into the National Professional Standards for Teachers as Focus Areas 1.4 and 2.4: • < Focus Area 1.4: Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students • < Focus Area 2.4: Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians Focus Area 1.4: Strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students There has been much discussion about ‘closing the gap’ in educational achievement between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous students and so special emphasis was placed in the Standards on teachers being able to account for their skills and knowledge in this area. The first Standard that refers to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander matters is Focus Area 1.4. The expectation of this Focus Area is described according to the four identified levels of teacher professional knowledge, namely Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished, and Lead, and is concerned with strategies for teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. The descriptors for each level are (AITSL, 2011b, p.9): Focus Area 2.4: Understand and respect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians Focus Area 2.4 is also described according to four levels and focuses on teacher skills and knowledge associated with understanding and respecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to promote reconciliation between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians. This is arguably a more complicated Focus Area to measure and address because it is predicated in the personal understanding of, and respect for, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander societies held by each teacher and how this translates into their professional practice in promoting reconciliation. It states (AITSL, 2011b, p. 11) that: • At Graduate Level that a teacher can: • · Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages. • Ø At Proficient Level that a teacher can: • · Provide opportunities for students to develop understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages. 3 Bendigo Art Gallery Indigenous Contexts Professional Learning • Ø At Highly Accomplished Level that a teacher can: • · Support colleagues with providing opportunities for students to develop understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and Languages. • Ø At Lead Level that a teacher can: • · Lead initiatives to assist colleagues with opportunities for students to develop understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages. ACARA: National Australian Curriculum • The Australian Curriculum also means that all young Australians can learn about the histories and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, of their contribution to Australia, and of the consequences of colonial settlement for Indigenous communities, past and present. • For Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islanders, the Australian Curriculum promotes the importance of pursuing excellence within education settings which respect and promote their cultural identity. On Professional Development • Reflecting what is also known from the literature, there was consensus that professional development in this Focus Area would need to: • Ø Be explicitly anti-racist • Ø Provide opportunity for understanding of the international Indigenous rights framework • Ø Offer clear interpretations of the links between international undertakings, national policies, systemic policies, local policies, and practice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education in schools • Ø Include opportunity for understanding the history between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous Australians • Ø Include intercultural or cross-cultural skills development involving the development of, or changing of, teachers’ personal attitudes, expectations and understandings of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures • Ø Include strategies to create inclusive / intercultural classrooms or schools, and • Ø Link issues relating to the preservation and maintenance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identity and lifeways, including languages and traditional practices to contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander aspirations and practices. 4 Bendigo Art Gallery Indigenous Contexts Professional Learning Appendix A: Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (Articles of Relevance to Education) Article 14 • 2. Indigenous individuals, particularly children, have the right to all levels and forms of education of the State without discrimination. • Article 15 • 1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the dignity and diversity of their cultures, traditions, histories, and aspirations which shall be appropriately reflected in education and public information. • 2. States shall take effective measures, in consultation and cooperation with the Indigenous peoples concerned, to combat prejudice and eliminate discrimination and to promote tolerance, understanding and good relations among Indigenous peoples and all other segments of society. Abridged from: Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Consultation Regarding: Improving Teaching in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education: National Professional Standards for Teachers Standards Focus Areas 1.4 and 2.4: 9 September 2012 http://www.aitsl.edu.au/verve/_resources/MONASH_STUDY_FINAL_REPORT_09092012.pdf Michael Cook Australia 1968 The Mission #5 2011 inkjet print on archival Hahnemuhule cotton paper The Gift of Grace and Alec Craig Bendigo Victoria 2012 5 Bendigo Art Gallery Indigenous Contexts Professional Learning Selected indigenous artworks in Bendigo Art Gallery collection Gladdy Kemarre Australia c1950 Anwekety (Bush plum) 2010 acrylic on linen Born in 1937, Gladdy Kemarre lives at the outstation of Camel Camp, Utopia. She grew up learning how to paint body designs along with her sisters. Her career in painting began in the late 70s when the Utopia Women's Batik Group was formed. Like many other Utopian