Acknowledgement

Wentworth
Galleries

Where we went:
Wentworth Galleries: Australian Contemporary and
Indigenous Art
Who we spoke to: Maria Aitken
Address: 17 Bligh St. Sydney 2000
Maria@wentworthgalleries.com.au

SOPHIE DI LEO, ELLA ROSE, REBECCA SANDERS

Contemporary and Aboriginal Art

While there is certainly a division of category

and genre between Australian European style
painting and Aboriginal art, that division is
somewhat unwarranted from a curatorial
sense in our art gallery. We present Australia's
best artists, regardless of genre and strive to
showcase the very best examples of their
work..
Wentworth Galleries (n.d). Australian art and
Aboriginal art in Sydney. Retrieved from
http://www.wentworthgalleries.com.au/

About the Wentworth Galleries

A collection of
Contemporary artwork from
Indigenous and nonIndigenous Australians
Unique relationships set up
with their clients artists
and buyers
Helps promote
Contemporary Indigenous
Artists from rural Australia
to Galleries such as the Art
Gallery of New South Wales
and the Museum of
Contemporary Art

Relevance of the Wentworth Galleries

This agency is relevant

to teachers as they
have direct link and
connection to the
artists.
Wentworth gallery
offers opportunity to
look at artwork, the
artists lives and for
educators it can be
used as effective way
of opening up

Artists creates unique works filled with vibrant colors,

which capture their relationship to the land, spiritual
and cultural beings and their communities.

Activity 1: Research Activity

Description:
Students would be encouraged to go off into
pairs or threes, and research an artist that they
found on the website for Wentworth Galleries,
writing down key notes on a piece of paper.
The students would then be encouraged to
create a small report on their artist, describing
where they originated from, what their work
depicts, the artists connection with the land
and how they as a student feel about their
work. After presenting it to the class, the
students will then be given a variety of
materials to work with such as paint and recreate their artists work in their own unique

way.

Resources needed:
Acrylic Paint
Paint Brushes
Access to computers
Paper
Pencils
Water
Canvases or thick paper

EYLF LINKS:
Outcome 2: Children are connected and
contribute to their world.
2.4 Children become socially responsible and
show respect for the environment
Outcome 4: Children are confident and
involved learners.
4.3 Children resource their own learning through
connecting with people, place, technologies and
natural and processed materials

KEY LEARNING AREA

LINKS (Stage 2):
VAS2.3 Acknowledges that artists make artworks
for different reasons and that various
interpretations are possible.
EN2-10C thinks imaginatively, creatively and
interpretively about information, ideas and texts
when responding to and composing texts
CUS3.3 Identities Describes different cultural
influences and their contribution to Australian
identities.

Activity 2: Connection to Land

Description:

EYLF Links:

Outcome 4: Children are connected

with and Contribute to their world:
In this lesson the students will further
4.3- Children transfer and adapt what
explore Aboriginal art through the agency
they have learned from one context to
of Wentworth Galleries. Students will use
the example of Gloria Petyarres artwork as another
4.4: Children resource their own
inspiration for this lesson which is shown
on the next slide. The students will be able learning through connecting with
people, place, technologies and natural
to develop their understanding of
KEY
LEARNING AREA LINKS
and processed materials
Indigenous Australians connection to the
(Stage 2):
land which is portrayed through the
VAS2.4: Identifies connections
galleries exhibitions.
The students will be asked to reflect on the between subject matter in artworks
and what they refer to, and
environment/nature surrounding their
home. Educators and teachers will instruct appreciates the use of particular
techniques.
students on how Aboriginal Symbols are
2.MBC.2
recognises
connections
Resources
Needed:
used within artworks, which represents
between
Aboriginaland
culture,
- Pencils (coloured
various information about the land. The
lead)language,
land
and(A4)
a sense of identity.
- Paper
students are then to use this creative
- Aboriginal symbol sheet
thought to engage in their own Aboriginal
artwork, like that seen of Gloria Petyarre.

Gloria Petyarre - Aboriginal

Artist

About the Artist

Retrieved from: Fernandez R (2013.) Aboriginal Art. http://www.slideshare.net/RFA2009/aboriginal-art-16160631

References:
Bursill, L. (2007). Dharawal. Sydney: Kurranulla Aboriginal Corporation.
Cahir, S. (2002). Arts and symbols. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus. (2000). Sydney: Board of Studies NSW
Department of Education Employment and Workplace Relations. (2009). Belonging, Being and Becoming:
Years Learning Framework for Australia. Barton, ACT: Commonwealth of Australia.

The Early

English K-10 Syllabus. (2013). Sydney: Board of Studies NSW

Langton, M., (2000). Sacred Geography Western Desert traditions of landscape art. In H. Perkins, & H. Fink
Tula Genesis and Genius. Sydney: Art Gallery of New South Wales.

(Eds.), Papunya

Price, K. (2012). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Retrieved from: Fernandez R (2013.) Aboriginal Art. http://www.slideshare.net/RFA2009/aboriginal-art-16160631
Wentworth Galleries (n.d). Australian art and Aboriginal art in Sydney. Retrieved from

http://www.wentworthgalleries.com.au/