Aboriginal Art Mural

A few years back, Andrew Harten (Art Learning Leader) and I stood in the Mall and looked at all the walls. Blank - some, filled with information – others, functional - absolutely. But to us, they were blank canvasses, begging for a bespoke piece of art, that in the broader sense, would help to create a learning environment which champions cultural pride. Fast forward to six months ago and this idea was starting to grow wings and in the past few weeks has surely taken flight. I’m talking about the Aboriginal Art Mural that now graces the external wall of one of our buildings.

Let me recap. Many months ago, the planning for the 25th Anniversary celebrations was in its infancy. I was tasked to come up with a list of ideas that would adequately appreciate this milestone. Central to the celebrations was the sense of belonging that comes from our community. Our community has fostered growth, lead us to explore and filled us with inspiration for our curiosity, passion, and purpose. As a community, we were also still reflecting on the inaugural Reconciliation Action Plan conference, held in 2021 with our Connected Schools and looking at opportunities to strengthen our relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It made perfect sense then, that as part of our celebrations, we commission a bespoke piece of Community Art by local Aboriginal artists, that not only celebrates our College but highlights indigenous culture in our local area. 

Now this wouldn’t be a community project if community weren’t involved. So, it was important that as a College we include and consult with our indigenous community members, including our Connected School students, founding students, founding Council members, current students, and Kaurna Elder Jack Buckskin. Andrew Harten’s connection to the broader art community lead us to indigenous artists Shane Cook and Tom Readett. Both are from Adelaide and have completed several significant works across the city. You may know some already.

Brainstorming, Workshops and Symbolic meanings

Initial meetings were held to progress ideas and workshops involved Shane Cook speaking to and brainstorming ideas with indigenous parents, College Board members, staff and founding students. These workshops continued with our Connected Schools at St Paul Blair Athol to develop designs that would be included on the mural. After consultation with Jack Buckskin, we learned that the Black Swan ‘Kudlyu’ in Kaurna language, is a prominent totem animal in the area. This would become the central figure in the concept, gracefully gliding across the water where the colours of the Endeavour Way could be reflected. 

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Another important aspect of Aboriginal culture with symbolic meaning are the astrological features in the sky above us - The Southern Cross, Milky Way, Orion and Taurus. 

The Southern Cross represents both the Christian notion of the Cross and the stories of Aboriginal people. The conceptual design of the mural will see the Southern Cross in a winter sky above the Milky Way. The cross here stands highest when times are cold and dark. For the Kaurna people, it is seen as an Eagle's claw that picks you up once you die to become a star in the "river" of the Milky Way. 

The Milky Way is represented as a river with huts on its edges, and, in other cultures across Australia, it is an emu with dark patches as eggs.  Orion symbolises a proud indigenous past and future, a warrior in some stories or two warriors depending on the area.  Finally, Taurus represents the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. These feature in stories, artwork, and song lines across the country. They represent women's stories. 

The constellations tie in very well with the dreaming stories used in the Voyage program. They will be an essential aspect of the connection to indigenous culture that we want students to experience on camp.  

Students from St Paul, our Connected School, have designed Signets (baby swans) in a traditional indigenous style. And lastly, the background colour of the mural was conceptualised as a dark blue sky that bleeds into a brighter colour as it reaches the water line where the swan is, representing a sunrise and a new day. 

Finally, the creative skills of one of our old scholars, Mel Reid, inspired the writing of the name of black swan, "Kudlyu", in her handwriting style that will proudly be displayed across the mural.  

And now, it is almost complete, and we are very excited to reveal this one-of-a-kind artwork at our Community Fair to celebrate our 25th Anniversary this Sunday 26 March. There are just a few additions that will be coming including the Signets designed by St Paul students, which will be displayed as decals on the windows. Jack Buckskin will open our Fair with the Kuma Kaaru dance groups and acknowledge the significance of the day and the mural in his welcome to country.

MEET THE ARTIST

Shane Cook

Shane Mankitya Cook also known as Kooka is a proud Wulli Wulli and Guwa (Koa) descendant from Queensland. Shane has been adopted by and was named Mankitya which translates to "the scarred one" by the local Aboriginal Kaurna community in Adelaide, South Australia and more specifically mentored by Jack Buckskin of Kuma Kaaru, who Shane has had the opportunity to dance internationally with. Shane's practice as an artist began from a young age learning traditional painting from his mother. His interests then developed further into graffiti culture, street art and tattooing as he got older. These art movements are hugely prominent in Shane’s unique contemporary style he has developed which has led him to becoming a nationally recognised artist. Shane’s works of art know no material boundaries from working on canvas, to participating in street art festivals, artist exchanges internationally and creating large scale murals. He has designed Indigenous Round football guernseys for AFL and multiple SANFL teams. Painted over 50 players boots for the AFL Sir Douglas Nicholls Round and also created artwork for Anthony Mundine to be used for one of his last boxing fight kits. Since high school Shane has been an advocate for personal growth, practising culture through art and dance and played a key role in facilitating workshops in schools, the youth justice system and ­­community-based events throughout the country. His sheer passion and drive has created numerous opportunities such as becoming a graduate of Indigenous Marathon Project finishing the New York Marathon, facilitating community projects in Kenya and travel for personal development visiting places such as the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, America. 

Shane won a Qantas Indigenous Marathon Foundation Front Runners Grant and scholarship upon becoming a graduate of the Indigenous Marathon Project and is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts Psychotherapy. He also was the winner of the 2020 7News Department of Human Services Aboriginal Achievement Award and the Young South Australian of the Year.   After numerous successes and achievements Shane decided to create Street Dreamz. To create a business that encompasses all of Shane’s passions including art, wellbeing and mentoring has been Shane’s most recent development as a professional and an artist. He is also a graduate of marathon runner and world record holder Rob DeCastella’s Indigenous Marathon Project.

Thomas Readett

Thomas Readett is an established artist and a Ngarrindjeri man who was born and raised on Kaurna Country (Adelaide, SA) where he continues to practice and live. Thomas’ practice spans drawing, painting, video, music, advocacy and education.

Thomas has been a drawer his entire life ever since he was a child, wanting to further his career as a professional artist he began study at Adelaide Central School of Art in 2011, and it was then he began painting. This is now one of his main practices. Thomas graduated his study at Adelaide Central School of Art completing his Associate Degree and Bachelor of Visual Arts Degree (BVA) in 2015 mastering in Painting and Video work. During his time at Adelaide Central School of Art he held group shows with fellow graduates and ended the degree with his final body of video work based around ideas of Solitude and a personal journey through his identity. Thomas’ self-exploration and personal narratives become opportunities to reflect the wider world, through themes of love, loss, and grief. Thomas’ graphic aesthetic is powerfully rendered in black and white, with careful attention to detail. He melds street art style with classical training to produce work that is technical and conceptual. In his recent works he pushes his practice into 3D sculptural space, playing with the pictorial plane and interrupting our usual modes of interpretation. Thomas has since exhibited solo shows "Beneath the Skin", "Dark Light",  "From Within" , "Complexities" and "First Person(s)" with works developed through studio practice and artist residency programs such as the SALA Country Health SA/University of South Australia Glenside Mental Health residency.

Tracy Green

Marketing & Communications Manager