Collection connecting cultures

FIRST Nations curator at Bendigo Art Gallery, Isobel Morphy-Walsh, wants to connect patrons to the Indigenous artists behind some of the gallery’s best works.

The Taungurong woman has been in the role for about four months and on Monday will begin a series of tours highlighting gallery’s the First Nations Collection.

“This is my first time speaking to the public and introducing myself,” she said.

“I know most of the visitors who come here are really engaged and love the gallery, so at this stage I’m really learning off all our visitors and guides and I’m really interested in that engagement.”

Ms Morphy-Walsh said she is currently doing an audit on the collection, but believes 10 per cent of the gallery’s works are done by Indigenous artists such as Kamilaroi creative Professor Brian Martin and Gunditjmara artist Hayley Millar Baker.

“I don’t think that many regional galleries have quite the First Nations collection we have,” Ms Morphy-Walsh said.

“One thing that stands out to me is the consistent interest in First Nations stories.”

She also said it’s important for Indigenous artists to be able to present their works themselves.

“First Nations art is a way for First Nations people to start telling our own narratives and our own stories,” she said.

“Time has moved from where we were, but for a very long time we were not the tellers of our stories. People were telling our stories for us.

“We’ve never needed an intermediary, we’ve always been able to connect when given the opportunity.”

The curator said she is excited for the Bendigo Art Gallery’s expansion plans, which include a dedicated space to keep Dja Dja Wurrung pieces.

“We are all learning about how to honour the place that we live on, the place we love and work and that shapes us as people as we walk around,” she said.

“I am really excited that there will be dedicated place to that for the traditional owners, it’s essential.

“I believe objects that are historic that we’ve taken should be back on the country they were taken from.

“Part of finding that context and story is actually putting them back in that context and back in that place.”