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Berndt Museum News the Magazine of the Berndt Museum at the University of Western Australia | June 2014 | Number 15 | ISSN: 1329-3117 BERNDT MUSEUM NEWS

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Berndt Museum News the Magazine of the Berndt Museum at the University of Western Australia | June 2014 | Number 15 | ISSN: 1329-3117 BERNDT MUSEUM NEWS Berndt Museum news The magazine of the Berndt Museum at The University of Western Australia | June 2014 | Number 15 | ISSN: 1329-3117 BERNDT MUSEUM NEWS Introduction Welcome to the 2014 Issue of the Berndt Museum News. It includes an Wilson Gallery in July. Titled Wildflower overview of 2013 Museum activities, and information about this year, including Dreaming: Shirley Corunna and the a few insights into forthcoming exhibitions, what’s happening at the Museum Coolbaroo League, the exhibition will use with regard to digitisation, and a little about various staff changes. One of a creative visual mix – photos, material these is that John Stanton retired in October last year, and I came on board items, newspaper accounts, music – to as Associate Director in November. showcase Noongar life in 1950s and 1960s Perth. Another short piece by As some readers will know, I’ve been One of the key messages of this Issue Sarah Ridhuan that shows the necessity associated with the Berndt Museum is to confirm that the Museum will and the potentiality of digitisation in for many years, for example, as a be closed for six months from July. preserving and protecting archival member of both the Berndt Museum Some readers will already know about records and images is included in the and Berndt Foundation Advisories, the closure from emails, Facebook, pages that unfold, followed by a piece and as Coordinator of the 2012 Jimmy the Museum website, signage, and authored by Mun Yee Ho, a Practicum Pike’s Artlines exhibition, which is now interactions with staff. The Museum Placement Faculty of UWA Arts student, touring regional Australia. I am also a will re-open on 6 January 2015. who tells readers about her experience at Co-Trustee of the Catherine and Ronald The closure relates to external requests the Museum in Semester 1 this year, and Berndt Estate. On behalf of past and only; inside the Museum we will be her aspirations for future studies. present Museum staff, I would like to working exceptionally hard on getting thank John Stanton for his long-term the three collection domains (Archives, While the six months’ closure work at the Museum, and wish him well Objects and Paintings, Audio-Visual will restrict visitor and researcher for the future. I would also like to thank and Photographic materials) in order, opportunities during that time, we are Sharyn Egan, whose contract expired undertaking a stocktake, revising usually very keen to have visitors to in December 2013, for her dedicated policies and access conditions, and the Museum, and will be so again in work on the Photographic Collection, improving the Museum database. All of January. Most of our materials remain in and for engaging so effectively with us these tasks are to ensure that Museum temporary storage, but we continue to on an external mural that will feature one staff are in a position to do the best job work with colleagues at the University of her paintings and Noongar words of possible to protect and organise the and elsewhere on a campaign toward welcome. Special thanks, too, to Hamida collections, and to ensure accessibility to raising funds for a new Museum that will Novakovich who was a Curatorial communities, researchers, and others. not only provide expanded exhibition Assistant with the Museum for almost It is also because we are working toward space, but also better working conditions 12 months and who is now working the development of a new Aboriginal for staff, emerging curators and visitors toward an MA and an accompanying and Cultures Museum that we hope will be and, importantly, the best conditions forthcoming exhibition focused on Gen-Y built by the University in about five years. possible for storing and conserving Muslim artists. We have been working with a range of Aboriginal cultural material. In the communities, advisories, and UWA staff meantime, we’ve tried to make our on the ACM campaign, as Ted Snell’s current home as welcoming as possible, article in this Issue explains. and will be in a better situation to respond to most requests early next year. In this Issue, too, Eve Chaloupka writes Contents about the wondrous Little Paintings, Please keep in mind that the Museum Big Stories exhibition that she and Kelly will be closed until 6 January 2015 to Recent, current and Rowe co-curated and that featured enable us to ensure the best professional future exhibitions at the Janet Holmes á Court Gallery management of the Collection via ÌÌ Little Paintings, Big Stories 3 at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery in qualitatively enhanced access protocols, ÌÌ (Pop) Culture Shock Reflections 6 June-December 2013. Via a focus on and acquisition processes. We send you, ÌÌ Transcending Borders 8 Transcending Borders, Kelly Rowe takes your loved ones, and your co-workers, ÌÌ Wildflower Dreaming 8 an insightful look into curatorial work good wishes for the rest of the year, and on the exhibition where the creative look forward to a continuing association Aboriginal Cultures Museum 9 concentration was primarily on items that respects, treasures and cares for deposited at the Museum a number Australian Indigenous cultural materials, Being a Practicum Placement of years ago by Peter Bridge. Other and the people who created them. student at the Museum 10 notable items in this Issue include Sarah Ridhuan’s conversation about some Professor Sandy Toussaint Digitisation at the Museum 10 of the background research relating to Associate Director, Berndt Museum the current Ukiyo-e: Japanese Prints Recent visits, acquisitions, of the Floating World exhibition, and and looking toward 2015 11 Barbara Bynder’s evocative description of an exciting new exhibition she is curating which will open at the Lawrence 2 | berndt.uwa.edu.au BERNDT MUSEUM NEWS SOLOMON IMERAGAINYAN AND STANLEY GAMERAIDJ VIEWING PHOTOS AT THE JAMALAK FESTIVAL EXHIBITION SITE, WARRUWI, AUGUST 2013. (PHOTOGRAPH EVE CHALOUPKA) Recent, current and future exhibitions Little Paintings, Big Stories: Gossip Songs of Western Arnhem Land June – December 2013 The Berndt Museum’s exhibition Little Paintings, Big Stories: Gossip Songs of Museum Collection – bark paintings, Western Arnhem Land was installed at the Lawrence Wilson Gallery in the latter carvings, string-bound bark sculptures, part of 2013. This memorable body of work, presented as an audio-visual, sensory sound recordings, photographs, experience to the public for the first time, would not have been possible without musical instruments, Berndt archives the support of the Northern Territory Warruwi community, let alone the generous and publications relating to Western spirit, willingness to share knowledge and foresight of their forebears – the Mawng Arnhem Land. and Kunwinjku storytellers, composers, performers and artists of South Goulburn Island, or Warruwi, who worked with Ronald and Catherine Berndt during their Throughout the Berndts’ early visits to the Methodist Overseas Mission community between 1947 and 1964. fieldwork in the area – recording and photographing – they amassed a unique The legacy of this connection enabled friendships with the Reverend Lazarus and highly animated collection of small Kelly Rowe and I, as curators and Lamilami and his sister Mondalmi, two bark paintings; rare visual narratives exhibition coordinators, to reconnect eminent figures in the community at the supporting the stories and songs of with the community in 2012 to talk time of their visits. Western Arnhem Land. The exhibition’s about Berndt Museum collection focal point was on one of these song material from the area, and to seek Guided by Warruwi Senior Traditional stories in the open song-dance genre, approval for and determine what might Owner Johnny Namayiwa and a sound recording of the Marrwakara, be suitable to include in an exhibition. Namunidjbuk Estate Traditional Owner or Goanna, story, composed and The exhibition planning stage, assisted Ronald Lamilami, we designed an performed by John Gwadbu, including by historical photographs taken back exhibition and associated public the tiny bark on which he painted the to the community, evoked memories of programs schedule to appeal to as sequence of dramatic events taking Catherine and Ronald Berndt, particularly wide an audience possible, drawing their close collaboration and enduring on the array of material in the Berndt continued on page 4 BERNDT MUSEUM NEWS | Number 15 | June 2014 | 3 BERNDT MUSEUM NEWS KELLY ROWE, JONAH WALAMAKA KUWARTPU, JOHNNY NAMAYIWA, BILLY NAWALOINBA AND EVE CHALOUPKA AT LITTLE PAINTINGS, BIG STORIES EXHIBITION OPENING, 28 JUNE 2013, UWA, PERTH. (PHOTOGRAPH HAMIDA NOVAKOVICH) place in the song. An animation based with the exquisitely executed ancestral working with communities throughout on the original bark painting’s depiction husband and wife figures – Wurakak Western Arnhem Land to continue of events was created for the exhibition, and Warramurungundji – a range of documentation of the rich classical synchronised with the entrancing, historical photographs, string-bound, song traditions of the region. melodic sound recording, enlarged and bark sculptures and a didgeridu that was projected on to one of the gallery walls. made and played by Lazarus Lamilami in We would like to share with the the early 1960s. community and Berndt Museum News The song was based on events that readers some feedback we received took place in a dream conveyed to the In June 2013, Warruwi Senior Traditional from exhibition visitors: Songman by his ‘two spirit-familiars’ Owners Johnny Namayiwa and Billy ÌÌ Very moving collection enriched by and concerned people who lived on Nawaloinba came to Perth to attend the stories and songs – visually beautiful the Goulburn Islands and adjacent opening of Little Paintings, Big Stories. people, art work unique depiction of mainland of Western Arnhem Land. Jonah Walamaka Kuwartpu, son of life. Thank you. Featuring animal creatures with human Gwadbu the composer, performer and ÌÌ Very good. Bark paintings characteristics, this particular story artist, also flew from Warruwi via Darwin amazing.
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