An exhibition to celebrate elders

THE Dja Djuwima First Nations Gallery at the Bendigo Visitor Centre opened a new exhibition last week celebrating the contributions of local elders.

Titled Listening to our Elders, the exhibit focuses on their connections to the community and country.

Curator and First Nations art officer for Bendigo Venues and Events, Janet Bromley, said she wanted to give elders a voice in a time when they may have lost it.

“I wanted to acknowledge the elders in our communities that are often missing because of COVID and cause of the fear of catching things,” she said. “I wanted to bring them back into the space.

“I wanted people to see them and I wanted people to hear them.”

As part of the effort, Ms Bromley has put the stories and works of seven Dja Dja Wurrung elders on show.

“We have photos of the elders as a portrait and we have videos of their interviews,” she said. “Some have lent us some of their art to display.

“We have five artists with interviews and a couple more whom we didn’t interview, so we did little story panels about them, and it’s all about how they share art through their lives.

“Even the ones who don’t do art, share art and acknowledge that art is really good for the young ones.”

Ms Bromley said she hopes younger generations come and visit to learn from the elders’ stories.

“In the lead-up to Reconciliation Week, this is a timely reminder of the importance to hold on to knowledge from respected elders in the community,” she said.

“Elders share how things used to be done, the meaning behind cultural and ceremonial practices for looking after country, dances and their own remarkable stories spanning two centuries.”

The Listening to our Elders exhibition is free to attend and located at Djaa Djuwima at the Bendigo Visitor Centre on Pall Mall.