On Monday 20 March, as part of the 2017 South Stradbroke Island Artists Camp, Traditional Owners Wesley Aird, Hague Best (City of Gold Coast), Shannon Sandy, Brandon Sandy, and Travayne Masso participated in a meet and greet with local Indigenous artists and City of Gold Coast representatives including CEO Joe McCabe, Executive Manager for Economic Development and Major Projects (EDMP) Darren Scott and Senior Arts & Culture Project Officer Jo-Anne Driessens.

Jabree Director and Traditional Owner Wesley Aird led an introduction on South Stradbroke Island about the history of the Gold Coast and gave an overview of Jabree’s role as the registered Cultural Heritage body for the region, including an update on recent projects.

The Traditional Owners then presented a gift of ochre to the artists, which had been collected from the Greenheart Reserve ochre site, for use in their work during the week-long Artist Camp.

This is the fourth year that the Artist Camp has been held on South Stradbroke Island.

The initiative, which is delivered in partnership between the City of Gold Coast and the City Gallery, meets commitments within the City of Gold Coast’s Culture Strategy 2023 to develop and promote Indigenous culture and heritage. This year’s Artist Camp explored techniques to develop ephemeral, site-specific and sculptural work encouraging cross art form collaboration.

Feature image: South Stradbroke Island (Shutterstock)