Save the Boomalli Building

Press Release: "Black or White It Just Ain't Right"

2010-04-15T00:33:00.000-07:00

"Black or White It Just Ain't Right"

Boomalli Aboriginal Artist Co-operative is staging a Gala Event and Artist Expo in support of the ongoing artistic programming at their home gallery and challenge the imminent closure of this, our longest running Aboriginal Artists' Cooperatives and flagship for self determination over the course of 23 years.

Boomalli Founding members are to be joined by more recent members and other Non-Indigenous artists and collectors alike in a show of solidarity for this historic arts organisation. Each are presenting artworks towards an exhibition of a world class standard towards Boomalli's survival.

The artists are from all over Australia and as far as America including Arone Raymond Meeks, Adam Hill, Clinton Cross, Euphemia Bostock, Bronwyn Bancroft, Clint Lingard, Jeffrey Samuels, Gordon Syron, Elaine Syron, Gordon Hookey, Jenny Fraser, Wayne Quilliam, Tracey Benson, Bianca Beetson, Geoffrey Ferguson, Dan Taulapapa McMullin, Francis Belle Parker, Michelle Blakeney, Juno Gemes, Chantal Fraser, Penny Evans and more.

The collective and event organisers are also inviting artlovers to experience a two day event of talks by leading Aboriginal Artists, Curators and thinkers, including James Wilson Miller from the Powerhouse Museum, Lynn Riley from Sydney University, Lola Forester, Boomalli founding members Bronwyn Bancroft, Euphemia Bostock and Jeffrey Samuels and more.

The title for this showcase fundraiser is 'BLACK OR WHITE IT JUST AIN"T RIGHT' and Boomallis official comment about the show is 'With the intervention raging like a wild bushfire and degrading the last embers of hope, it is TIME to stand up and be counted. It is TIME to stand as Brother and Sister, Aunt and Uncle, as a united community of people who care about saving history and not letting it get wiped off the Australian history slate like so much of our history.

We as a community have to get up and fight for Boomalli.

Artists and lovers of Indigenous NSW art need to show their support. There is still very little funding to be found for NSW art unless we instigate it. We are forever being overlooked by state and federal government art organisations overseen now by many Indigenous decision makers. We have individual artistic talent in New South Wales with many artists having their work exhibited in cultural institutions throughout this state, nationally and overseas. It’s the only way for NSW artistic self determination to succeed because no one else is going to do it for us.'

Boomalli is still seeking support in the form of artwork or volunteering to assist in staging the Gala weekend.

To be involved in the artist expo contact us: Contact: Amy Griffiths 0414585238; Bronwyn Bancroft: 02 98105118

To arrange a time to drop off your works, contact: Jeffrey Samuels 0416 566 411

What: Boomalli Gala Event and Artist Expo: Gallery talks and art exhibition

Why: Because it is for one of the best causes that you will be asked to help

Where: 55-59 Flood Street Leichhardt. NSW

When: Saturday 1 to Sunday 2 May 2010, 1pm to 3pm

For more information contact:Amy Griffiths 0414585238; Bronwyn Bancroft: 02 9810 5118

On the web: http://saveboomalli.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=16761410036&ref=t

'BLACK OR WHITE IT JUST AIN"T RIGHT'

2010-04-10T08:12:00.000-07:00

sneak preview:

BOOMALLI ABORIGINAL ARTISTS CO-OPERATIVE is having a GALA weekend on 1st and 2nd May 2010, consisting of an Artists Expo and a Gala Exhibition.

The Gala weekend of May 1 & 2 will consist of an Artists Expo and a Gala Exhibition...

* Artists Expo:Artists/Curators and Academics will be speaking on a topic of their choice for 30 minutes.

* GALA Exhibition: We will be sending out a list of participants soon.

The Banner for this Exhibition is,'BLACK OR WHITE IT JUST AIN"T RIGHT'

This is challenging the imminent closure of our longest running Aboriginal Artists' flagship for self determination.With the intervention raging like a wild bushfire and degrading the last embers of hope it is TIME to stand up and be counted.

It is TIME to stand as Brother and Sister, Aunt and Uncle, as a united community of people who care about saving history and not letting it get wiped off the Australian history slate like so much of our history.

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Where to deliver works: Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative, Wednesday to Friday from 10:30am until 2:00pm.

Why: Because it is for one of the best causes that you will be asked to help.

Where: Address - 55-59 Flood Street Leichhardt, Sydney

When: by April 27th, 2010

Contact: akgriffiths7@gmail.com, bronwynbancroft@hotmail.com

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image: from the opening night of the hand in hand exhibition at Boomalli, 2008

photo courtesy of jenny fraser

Marking 20 years: Boomalli Founding Members Exhibition/s, 2007

2010-04-10T07:37:00.000-07:00

* Boomalli Founding Members Exhibition - To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the founding of Boomalli, the gallery held an exhibition honoring the 10 artist members who formed Boomalli in 1987.

These ten artists were: Fiona Foley, Bronwyn Bancroft, Michael Riley, Fernando Martin, Raymond Meeks, Jeffrey Samuels, Eupemia Bostock, Avril Quaill, Brenda L Croft and Tracey Moffatt.

The participating artists in the 20th anniversary show were: Michael Riley, Bronwyn Bancroft, Jeffrey Samuels, Fiona Foley, Tracey Moffatt, Arone Meeks, Euphemia Bostock, Avril Quail, Brenda L Croft & Fernanda Martens.

Opened by Arone Meeks and Jeffrey Samuels at Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative,

July 01 - July 31 2007

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* Boomalli 20 years on was another commemorative exhibition that was held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.

See more and download a .pdf of the catalogue at this link: http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/catalogues/boomalli

image: Tracey Moffatt

March on Parliament House for Boomalli, 2009

2010-04-10T07:15:00.001-07:00

Federal Government Arts Minister Peter Garrett (left) speaking with Boomalli's Bronwyn Bancroft (centre) & Jeffrey Samuels (right). Boomalli presented a petition.

* photo by Adam Hill

Boomalli members, friends and supporters congregated at the fountain at Hyde park on Friday the 4th of December at 10 am

-> to march to the New South Wales Parliament House to deliver a petition to save the Boomalli Co-operative Building.

NSW Police assisted the march.

Supporters met as a Show of Unity and Solidarity for this wonderful organisation and it's achievements over the last 23 Years
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Peter Garrett, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government:

"The time has come
To say fair's fair
A fact's a fact
To pay the rent
To pay our share
The time has come
It belongs to them
Let's give it back".

Peter Garretts song lyrics from when he was with the band, Midnight Oil

Boomalli Strikes Back : Press release from September 2009

2010-04-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

Could you imagine the Australian art scene existing without the following Aboriginal luminaries: Bronwyn Bancroft, Mervyn Bishop, Euphemia Bostock, Sheryl Conners, Brenda Croft, Destiny Deacon, Tracy Duncan, Fiona Foley, Gary Foley, Jenny Fraser, Adam Hill, Joe Hurst, Arone Raymond Meeks, Tracey Moffatt, Hetti Perkins, Avril Quaill, r e a, Michael Riley, Elaine Russell, Jeffrey Samuels and many more.

What do these people have in common apart from their Aboriginality? Boomalli Aboriginal Artists’ Cooperative. The innovation, professional development, and success of these artists and arts professionals can be directly attributed to this single organisation and its influence on the contemporary art world. The word “Boomalli” means “to strike back” (Kamilaroi), “to make a mark” (Wiradjuri) and “to light up” (Bundjalung), three Aboriginal languages of New South Wales. It is this fighting spirit that encapsulated the heady, exciting moment of Boomalli’s founding: in 1987, ten members of Sydney’s black avant-garde were determined to create and exhibit work on their own terms; to confront the lack of representation of urban Aboriginal art within the wider art scene; and to debunk predominant stereotypes of Aboriginality and aesthetic production. Since its inception, the Cooperative has played a critical role in gaining recognition and respect for the diversity of Indigenous history, visual culture, and artists—in Sydney and around the world.

The 22-year history is unique and quite remarkable. Highlights have included:

-Boomalli’s first funding was secured with the support of longtime activist Gary Foley, then-director of the Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council. Chicka Dixon and Lin Onus were also instrumental in establishing and maintaining Boomalli as an indispensable part of the art scene and political world of New South Wales. Boomalli was originally located in Chippendale due to its proximity to Redfern, with its large Indigenous population, to provide community access to gallery space. Over time, the Cooperative has moved west—first to improve and professionalize its gallery space, and then later with purposeful intent to better cater to and represent the movement west of Sydney’s Indigenous population.

-Boomalli au-go-go, the inaugural Boomalli show, was held in November 1987. It set a benchmark by acknowledging the reality of urban Aboriginal culture, forging a physical presence for urban Aboriginal artists within Redfern/Chippendale and greater Sydney. The exhibition was so successful—in terms of sales of work and in raising the profiles of the founding artists—that new artists immediately began approaching Boomalli for representation, support, and exhibition ideas.

-In 1988 Michael Riley’s film Boomalli: Five Koori Artists was commissioned by Film Australia and captured the dynamic energy of the Cooperative’s early years; it featured Bronwyn Bancroft, Fiona Foley, Arone Raymond Meeks, Tracey Moffatt, and Jeffrey Samuels, and footage from the launch of Boomalli au-go-go. In the film, the artists speak with heart and candour about the instrumental role of art and art-making in their personal lives, and in effecting real change in their urban context.

-ANCAA and Boomalli: Artworks Produced and Managed by Aboriginal People (ANCAA was the Association of Northern and Central Australian Aboriginal Artists, now known as the Association of Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists, or more commonly, ANKAA). This show featured Koori-Yolngu dialogue as vital to the development of a strong, unified Aboriginal art movement in the present and into the future, and included the works of Boomalli artists Bronwyn Bancroft, Euphemia Bostock, Fiona Foley, Fernanda Martins, Arone Raymond Meeks, Avril Quaill, Sheryl Parnell, Michael Riley, and Jeffrey Samuels.

-Regional artists were not forgotten by their urban brothers and sisters. Kempsey Koori Artists was held at Boomalli in 1988, featuring artists from the rural town of Kempsey in northern NSW. Initiated by Robert Campbell, Jr., it included his work as well as those of Milton Budge (Ngaku), Raymond Button, Mary Duroux, David Fernando (Gamilaroi), and Sharon Smith (Gumbaingger/Bundjalung). Moree Mob (1989) was an exhibition by 13 artists of Gomileroi country. The talents of 13 people: painters, carvers, dancers, and didgeridoo player were showcased, including Boomalli founding-member Michael Riley. Together, the Kempsey and Moree shows were very important as the very first to showcase and legitimise regional NSW artists.

-In the early 1990s, Fiona Foley was instrumental in elevating the profile of Boomalli. She created a training program for Aboriginal artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney and curated two seminal exhibitions. In October 1991, Ian Abdulla (Ngarrindjeri) & Harry Wedge (Wiradjuri) paired two great, distinctive narrative painters living in rural communities (in SA and NSW, respectively). Abdulla’s work reflected memories of his early, itinerant life in the Riverland and Murray River region of SA. In November-December 1991, Kudjeris (meaning “women” in Northern Australia) featured the work of Destiny Deacon, Lisa Bellear, and Brenda Croft. Deacon’s work “blak lik mi” coined “blak” here in an effort of reclamation and affirmation of identity; and together, the work of these three artists highlighted the diversity of contemporary photographic practice.

-From 1992-1995, Boomalli was under the shared leadership of Brenda Croft (Manager) and Hetti Perkins (Exhibitions Coordinator/Curator), maintaining an extensive exhibition and events calendar, with in-house, touring, regional, national, and international projects operating simultaneously. During this period, Boomalli grew from being a community arts centre to being an internationally-recognized arts organization. Importantly, this transition was guided by Boomalli’s firm commitment to maintaining its status as a cooperative run by Aboriginal people for Aboriginal people.

-The 1993-1994 International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was a high point in Boomalli’s operations. The events calendar was full to capacity for two years, including:

§ relocation to new premises (in Chippendale) that included a gallery, artists’ studio, slide and publications library, and archive;

§ securing of funds for four full-time staff;

§ organization of 14 in-house exhibitions, 9 exhibitions at other venues, 2 international exhibitions, and several international residencies;

§ hosting of international exchanges;

§ production of several publications; and

§ coordination of forums and events at Boomalli and elsewhere.

-Since the mid-nineties, significant Boomalli milestones have included: True Colours: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artists Raise the Flag, an exhibition that toured for two years across Australia and the U.K. (1994-1996); fluent, Australia’s representation at the 1997 Venice Biennale (curated by Hetti Perkins, Brenda Croft, and Victoria Lynn and featuring Emily Kngwarreye, Judy Watson, and Yvonne Koolmatrie); Mum Shirl: The Sacred Trust of Memory (2000-2001; project managed and curated by Bronwyn Bancroft) a moving tribute to Aboriginal activist Shirley C. Smith (2000-2001); as well as annual members’ exhibitions and regular participation in Sydney’s Mardi Gras festivities.

Boomalli has launched the careers of several generations of Indigenous artists in Australia, leading their work to be represented by commercial galleries, collected by national institutions, and coveted by collectors across the globe. Boomalli alumna Tracey Moffatt now divides her time between Australia and New York City; avant-garde filmmaker and photographer, her work is now held in collections all over the world. The late Michael Riley’s work is held by the National Gallery of Australia, the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris, as well as several high-profile private collections. Fiona Foley has gained a reputation as an international artist/academic; her challenging public artworks are on display in major public institutions in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane, and in the next year alone, her work will be celebrated in a major retrospective at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art and Sydney’s Biennale. Longtime senior curators—Hetti Perkins of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Brenda Croft (until this year, of the National Gallery of Australia) both began their careers as national and international cultural brokers from Boomalli. Bronwyn Bancroft is a successful painter whose work is collected nationally and internationally; she is also author/illustrator of 20 children’s books. Euphemia Bostock’s textiles are held by the National Gallery of Australia, and her designs have been reproduced on a national stamp. Arone Raymond Meeks has become well-known for his printmaking and etchings, melding traditional motifs with contemporary political issues; his work is held in collections in Argentina, Australia, the U.S.A., France, and Japan. Boomalli alumni Adam Hill, Joe Hurst, r e a , and Elaine Russell have all participated in international exhibitions, are represented by private commercial galleries, and now find themselves gaining much attention in the Australian contemporary art scene.

Boomalli has been fundamental to these artists’ growth, development, and success. As an institution, it has provided exhibition and studio space, as well as administrative support for artists’ participation in international and national competitions, arts awards, cross-cultural exchanges, and overseas residency programs. Boomalli has offered training and outreach to Indigenous artists from diverse backgrounds, including: gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender artists; artists in custody; young artists; Indigenous artists from overseas; and artists of colour. Perhaps most importantly, Boomalli has supplied a space for artists to engage with each other and make statements to a wider community about the inextricability of aesthetics and politics, the importance of art in effecting political change.

Challenging, confronting art—as well as productions that are arrestingly beautiful—made by Indigenous artists—has come to prominence, due in no small part to this small, courageous Cooperative. The diversity of Indigenous artists and the importance of telling their stories can no longer be denied—due to the tireless interventions of Boomalli members.

Boomalli has been in danger several times over this distinguished 22-year history—we’ve lost members, we’ve lost leases, governments have changed, funding has evaporated—but each time we’ve emerged, stronger and ever-more determined to provide a space and a voice for New South Wales Indigenous artists. The camaraderie and leadership of Boomalli must continue to guide artists through the complex landscape of Australian visual arts. There are more stories to tell, more changes to make, more work to be done. The fire in our bellies burns strong—but now we need more help.

We need to raise funds to safeguard the legacy and secure the future of this seminal organisation, and we can’t do it without your assistance: help us convince the press and the politicians that we are voices who still need to be heard, artists whose work must be seen.

For further information, and/or genuine offers to help, do not hesitate to contact us:

Bronwyn Bancroft, Bronwynbancroft@hotmail.com; or Melissa Abrahams, reeldeadly@live.com

View some of the many photos over the years, on flikr

2010-04-10T06:16:00.000-07:00

image from flickr photostream: Boomalli artists meet the band: U2

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boomalli/sets

Please Sign the Online Petition: Show Support

2010-04-10T06:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-boomalli-building.html

Article: Rescue package for Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative

2010-04-10T05:57:00.000-07:00

Indigenous artists Jeffrey Samuels and Bronwyn Bancroft at Boomalli. Picture: CRAIG WILSON

http://inner-west-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/rescue-package-for-co-op

ABORIGINAL artists have come together to try to save the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative.

Two months ago Boomalli, one of Australia’s longest-running Aboriginal owned and operated art galleries, was threatened with eviction from its Leichhardt premises.

A debt of tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes had put its future in doubt.

Due to the unpaid debts, the co-operative was told to vacate the building they have occupied for six years by its landlord and financial supporter, the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.

Two of Boomalli’s founding members, Bronwyn Bancroft and Jeffrey Samuels, only heard about the troubles after the eviction notice was issued.

Since then the artists have rallied to save the project, clean up the building, sort through finances and accept pro-bono legal and financial advice.

“There was a huge breakdown in communication and relations among board members,” Ms Bancroft said.

“We only found out two months ago that we had been declared insolvent and had to get out.

“We are in discussions with the Australian Tax Office, lawyers, politicians, everyone, trying to remit $90,000 in tax debt.

If we can do that and sign off on the 2008 audit then we will be free to apply for funding again and get the wheels turning.”

Mayor Jamie Parker said the problems were caused by financial and administrative inexperience. “It’s about getting the structure so when the money comes in there is a system to deal with it,” he said. A spokesman for Federal Arts Minister Peter Garrett said Boomalli had been given $167,000 in funding for 2008-2009 through the National Arts and Crafts Industry Support (NACIS) program.

He said the organisation did not apply for funding for 2009-10.

“Any new organisation will be able to apply to the NACIS program for operational funding support,” the spokesman said.

Boomalli has helped boost the careers of many indigenous artists, including Tracey Moffatt, Fiona Foley, Joe Hurst and Brenda Croft.

02 Nov 09 Article by Hannah Parkes

Welcome & Acknowledgement

2010-04-10T05:35:00.000-07:00

welcome to the new blog for the campaign to save the building that the Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative has owned and occupied for a number years

we acknowledge that the Boomalli building (and a great number of its artists) are based on Aboriginal Land in Dharug Country, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia... and we pay our respects to those Traditional Owners: past, present and future

we welcome your feedback so please feel free to make comments