Thank you to Janet Hayden for your lovely welcome to country.

 

Ms Pilar Kasat, MD, CAN WA

 

 Invited guests and artists
 

Good evening and thank you for inviting me to open this exhibition, organised by the Community Arts Network of WA.

 

It is fantastic to see such a great group of people here today and such exceptional, unique artwork on display.

 

This exhibition showcases more than 50 exquisitely crafted, hand-made dolls, which tell the traditional dreamtime and contemporary stories for the women who made them. 

 

The works on display reflect the creativity, imagination and strong link to culture of the artists involved.

 

For me, these works are even more exquisite, after seeing the ScreenWest documentary detailing the stories and introducing us to the inspirational artists behind these works.  

 

The documentary provides people who won’t be lucky enough to meet the artists and hear their stories first hand, with an insight into the cultural and personal significance of the dolls. 

 

I understand today’s exhibition marks the first display of dolls here at the Museum in more than 16 years.

 

As many of you are aware, this project and the amazing exhibition we see here tonight began as a series of doll making workshops in the Wheatbelt.

 

These workshops started in Narrogin back in 1994, hosted Nalda Searles and Pantjiti Mary McLean as artists in residence, as part of the Community Development Employment Program (CDEP).

 

Nalda and Pantjiti taught the local Aboriginal women and young people skills in a range of traditional arts.

 

One of the activities that developed and emerged as a favourite was Noongar doll-making.

 

The program aimed to move away from the ‘barbie’ or ‘porcelain doll’ and create a new style of doll that reflects and celebrates Noongar culture and community.

 

The artist facilitators believed dolls had great potential as little pictorial storytellers. And the doll makers certainly felt the same.

 

One of the original doll makers, Lesley Riley said of the program: ‘I was only in my 20s back then. And I found making dolls to be really good. Something to do to pass time. I was positive during making the dolls.’

 

Over the years, the fourteen dolls created by the Noongar artists were showcased in over thirteen exhibitions, both nationally and internationally.

These dolls were purchased for collection, including by the National Gallery of Australia.

 

In 2010, CAN WA brought Nalda Searles and Cecile Williams back to the Southern Wheatbelt, as part of the Strong Culture, Strong Community program.

 

This involved the original doll makers, and invited a new generation of Noongar women and young people to learn about the benefits of doll-making.

 

The participants, with the help of CAN WA’s Southern Wheatbelt team, got together on a weekly basis and through the creation of their dolls told their stories.

 

This had significant social and community benefits, creating a comfortable space for women to come together and connect through the shared artworks.

 

To me, this is undoubtedly one of the most significant benefits.

 

The power of creating a space where people can come together to share information and learn new skills should not be underestimated.

 

I’d like to talk about the space I remember from my childhood.

 

The Wyalkatchem Craft Shop was a space created in my home town, in the Wheatbelt, by a group of committed and talented ladies.

 

On a Friday afternoon, the Craft Shop was a hive of activity … you could purchase a Devonshire tea – fresh made jam and cream scones, home made cakes, the lot.

 

The Craft Shop was filled with the things these ladies, and those from the district had created … pottery, painting, woodwork, knitted items, cross stitch, embroidered linen, and dolls.

 

My favourite doll, made by my Aunty Thel, was a Cauliflower Kid. I was a child in the early 80’s … this was the heyday of the Cabbage Patch Kid.

 

The Cauliflower Kid’s were hand made, with moveable arms and legs, a gorgeous little belly button and masses of curled wool hair. She used to wrap the wool around a strip of steel and cook it in the oven to make ringlets.

 

Each one came with a hospital identification bracelet. Mine was named Rhiannon. My sister had Gina.

 

Aunty Thel also made all the clothes for these dolls, so I had a wardrobe for her that would be the envy of any little girl.

 

Rhiannon still holds a special place in my heart. She reminds me of my childhood, growing up in the wheatbelt, playing in the bush around our house.

 

 

So just like the ladies in Wyalkatchem, these doll-makers have found a way to engage with their community, they’ve created an outlet for their creativity, culture and community.

 

As we saw during the film, the women take pride in the stories behind their dolls, highlighting their connection to family and cultural identity.

 

During the interviews women talked about their childhood, family and making dolls from a range of materials.

 

These women indicated that making the dolls was significant for them, socially, culturally and personally.

 

The latest Noongyar Dolls workshops resulted in over forty new dolls, which are now being exhibited alongside the dolls from the original project sourced from the National Gallery of Australia, the WA Museum and local collections.

 

It has culminated with this major exhibition ‘Yarns of the Heart’.

 

Events and exhibitions such as this, which recognize and celebrate the important role arts have in regional communities, are extremely important.

 

Arts play a significant and often underestimated part in maintaining vibrant, well balanced regional communities.

 

We see a lot of focus on sport in country areas, and while this is very important it’s also important that our communities can offer a range of cultural pursuits.

 

Through Royalties for Regions, we are aiming to make regional Western Australia a place where people want to work, live and invest.

 

The arts have an important role to play in this, and we have recognised that by funding projects such as the Community Arts Network WA, Southern Wheatbelt Cultural Development Program; the Country Arts WA, Regional Arts Australia Volunteer Assistance program; and the SPACED project, formerly International Art Space Kellerberrin Australia, which offers professional development and educational opportunities to regional artists.

 

These are great projects, which no doubt some of you here today may have been involved with.

 

Our Wheatbelt not only houses an abundance of artistic talent, the landscape also provides a great source of inspiration for aspiring and accomplished artists alike.

 

Many of the works on display today are informed by notions of place and a strong relationship with country.

 

It is this unique identity and story that makes the works so exceptional.

 

I would like to congratulate the artists, facilitator and the Country Arts Network of WA for putting together this fabulous display.

 

Finally, thank you to every one of you for coming to share and enjoy the exhibition today.

 

I now officially open this event and once again congratulate the artists on their hard work and passion – making arts a key part of life in regional WA.