THE Dja Djuwima First Nations Gallery at the Bendigo Visitor Centre opened a new exhibition last week celebrating the contributions of local elders.<\/p>\n
Titled Listening to our Elders,<\/em> the exhibit focuses on their connections to the community and country.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to acknowledge the elders in our communities that are often missing because of COVID and cause of the fear of catching things,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to bring them back into the space.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted people to see them and I wanted people to hear them.\u201d<\/p>\n As part of the effort, Ms Bromley has put the stories and works of seven Dja Dja Wurrung elders on show.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have photos of the elders as a portrait and we have videos of their interviews,\u201d she said. \u201cSome have lent us some of their art to display.<\/p>\n \u201cWe 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.<\/p>\n \u201cEven the ones who don’t do art, share art and acknowledge that art is really good for the young ones.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Bromley said she hopes younger generations come and visit to learn from the elders\u2019 stories.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cElders 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.\u201d<\/p>\n