Menindee Art Spectacular

Opening Sunday 27th November 2011 at 4pm


27th November - 01st December



To be Opened by
Hon. Victor Dominello MP
Minister for Citizenship & Communities and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs


Selected young artists from Menindee Central School exhibit their works at Australia’s oldest Indigenous Art Gallery. For most of these kids it will be the first time they have ever visited Sydney or seen a coastal beach. Menindee is a remote town located 111km from Broken Hill in South-West NSW. It is a largely indigenous community with more than 75% of the kids at the school identifying as Indigenous.

Brian Debus is the school principal and under his unique guidance, introduced a specialised and dynamic arts program to the school, led by art teacher Rick Ball; dramatically increased school attendance and literacy amongst the school community; and through a unique program of traineeships has encouraged nearly all of the children to complete their Year 12 Certificate.

Coo-ee Aboriginal Art Gallery in Bondi - Australia's oldest indigenous art gallery - have invited these young artists to exhibit their work in the appropriate space of a prestigious exhibiting gallery. The gallery is sponsoring this exhibition with 100% of the proceeds going directly back to the school and the artists.

Coo-ee has conducted a 2 days workshop and mentoring program to these young artists with Director, Adrian Newstead and local Indigenous Artist, Gordon Syron, visiting Menindee in September. The visiting children will also take part in a further workshop with Gordon Syron to be conducted at Bondi Beach, during the morning of the 27 November. This will be an invaluable and memorable experience for all of these young people.

Menindee Central School will also attend the School's Spectacular Event, as the invited sister school of Lindfield East Public School, whose school band will be performing at the opening.

This exhibition will be on for one week only. It offers a unique experience for not only the children of Menindee, but also the public to support and help foster these young artists - some as young as 10 years old.