Renowned artist and performer Gail Mabo will inspire children and parents alike to get creative during the City of Sydney’s free NAIDOC in the City event this July.
Currently participating in the Indigenous Cultural Development Residency program at the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS), Gail will be based at the Powerhouse Museum and Sydney Observatory from 27 June–8 July and will host a variety of art workshops at Hyde Park on Monday 4 July, from 11am–3pm.
The workshops are just one of many highlights of NAIDOC in the City, an annual event now in its fifth year. Visitors will also enjoy live music, dance performers, dedicated kids zones, a marketplace, arts and crafts, sports clinics, food stalls and two earth ovens.
Lord Mayor Clover Moore said NAIDOC in the City is one of Sydney’s major showcases of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and history.
“We are delighted to have Gail Mabo join us for NAIDOC in the City. Gail is a talented artist, performer and choreographer and an inspiring and strong role model for everyone,” the Lord Mayor said.
“NAIDOC in the City is a chance for all Sydneysiders to come together and celebrate the world’s oldest living culture through art, dance, music and food, and I encourage everyone to take part.”
The middle daughter of human rights activist Eddie ‘Koiki’ Mabo and Bonita Mabo, Gail was born and raised in Queensland, with her family originally from Mer (Murray Island) in the Torres Strait.
After high school, she joined the Aboriginal and Islander Dance Theatre and has appeared in short films and plays, including Jack Davis’ No Sugar and Jimmy Chi’s Bran Nue Dae.
“My father inspired me to dance, and encouraged me to share our culture with all Australians. He is my role model. Through his strength and determination he taught me to be a stronger person, and to stand up for what I believe in”, Gail said.
In 2008 she joined the board of the National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA) and has since taken an active role in the development of the school with new facilities.
She was a cultural consultant to Blackfella Films during the production of the highly anticipated film MABO. The film received its world premiere at a Gala Screening as part of the Sydney Film Festival, before airing on ABC TV to critical acclaim.
Also a celebrated artist, Gail’s work is part of the Ngapa Kai Kai (Waterfood) Collection in the National Gallery Touring Collection and the Queensland Arts Council Land and Sea Touring Collection.
NAIDOC Week, from 3–10 July, is a national program that celebrates the National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee, which grew from the first political groups seeking rights for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Australians in the 1920s.
The theme for NAIDOC Week 2016 is Songlines: The Living Narrative of Our Nation. The themegives all Australians the opportunity to learn about the Dreamtime when the earth, people and animals were created by ancestral spiritual beings who created the rivers, lakes, plants, land formations and living creatures.
Dreaming tracks criss-cross Australia and trace the journeys of ancestral spirits as they created the land. These tracks are sometimes called songlines, as they record the travels of ancestral spirits who sang the land into life.
NAIDOC in the City, Monday 4 July, 11am–3pm, Hyde Park North
NAIDOC in the City is produced by 33creative.com.au
For more information, visit What’s On
Kids Art & Games Zone 11am–12pm Illustration Workshop with Dub Leffler 11am–3pm Art Workshops with Gail Mabo 11am–3pm NRL Clinic with NRL One Community 11am–3pm Soccer Clinic with Sydney FC 11am–3pm Sydney Kings basketball skills 11am–3pm Australian National Rugby with Olympic 7s Rugby Players 11am – 3pm AFL Kick to Kick
Kids Culture Zone 11.15am–11.40am Storytelling with Dr. Anita Heiss 11.45am–12pm Dancestry with NAISDA 12.05pm–12.35pm Culture workshops with Matt Doyle 12.40pm–1.10pm Bush tucker discussion with Jess Sinnott 1.15pm–1.40pm Storytelling with Dr. Anita Heiss 1.45pm–2pm Dancestry with Jax and Daz from Muggera Dancers 2.05pm–2.35pm Language workshop with Deb Lennis
For media inquiries or images, contact City of Sydney Senior Publicist Keeley Irvin on 0448 005 718or kirvin@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au
For interviews with Lord Mayor Clover Moore, contact Paul Mackay on 0423 182 647 or pmackay@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au