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Media release - Over 550 entries received in reconciliation art competition
Issued 13 June 2007
Over 550 entries have been received for a major national art competition exploring the theme of reconciliation. Drawing Together… an art competition exploring reconciliation and promoting the employment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People in the Australian Public Service attracted entries from across the country.
Entries for the Drawing Together Art Competition finished with a wild flurry, with over 200 entries received in the last 24 hours. Total entries received exceeded 530, including more than 50 in the youth category and over 130 entries from indigenous artists. Entries included those from school groups and groups of entries from indigenous galleries in NT and WA.
The competition is part of a campaign led by the Australian Public Service Commission to commemorate the 1967 referendum and promote the Australian Public Service as an employer of choice for Aboriginal and Torres Islander people.
The competition offers $82,000 in prizes over seven award categories including a major award prize of $40,000, an Indigenous Award and a Youth Award. Drawing Together was launched on 9 March 2007 and invited all Australians, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to explore the theme of reconciliation through the mediums of drawing, painting and print.
Ron Radford, Director of the National Gallery of Australia will lead a panel of judges to select the final competition winners in Canberra on 28 June 2007. He is joined by Betty Churcher, renowned Australian art educator and the first woman to be Director of the National Gallery, Bruce McLean , Indigenous Curator with the Queensland State Gallery and a delegate to this year’s Venice Biennial, and Mandy Martin, Australian Artist and arts writer.
Winners will be announced at a gala awards night on 11 July 2007 at the National Museum of Australia.
An exhibition of short-listed artworks will be open to the public from the 2 nd to the 27 th of July at the National Archives of Australia.
Drawing Together is a collaborative effort led by the Australian Public Service Commission in partnership with the National Archives of Australia, the National Museum of Australia and the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
Over 17 other Australian Public Service agencies have joined to contribute to the Drawing Together campaign and to raise the profile of the Australian Public Service as an employer that ‘welcomes, values and encourages its Indigenous employees to enjoy diverse and rewarding careers’.
The 1967 referendum is largely remembered as a vote to end discrimination against Indigenous Australians and is celebrated as a landmark event in relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia .
Further information on the Drawing Together… can be found online at: http://www.apsc.gov.au/drawingtogether.Media Contact:
Clare Page
Better Practice Group
Australian Public Service Commission
(02) 6202 3705 / 0438 806 242
The Drawing Together competition is proudly sponsored by:
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