The diverse exhibition will be a showcase of Aboriginal art and culture from the Worimi, Birpai, Dhungutti and Gumbaynggirr nations that make up the Saltwater Freshwater region.

Artworks on display are all entrants in the inaugural Saltwater Freshwater Aboriginal Art Award (SWFWAAA) to be curated and judged by distinguished Aboriginal curator, writer and activist Djon Mundine.

The art award, valued at $5,000 is donated by the Alliance with the intention of establishing it as an annual and respected award. The winner of the Saltwater Freshwater Aboriginal Art Award will be announced at the exhibitions opening night on Friday 13th January 2017 at 6pm.

The exhibition will also include contemporary cultural objects such as fish traps, bark canoes, Dili bags and coolamons.

The National Aboriginal Design Agency will have items on display, including an art deco inspired Aboriginal clock, an Aboriginal lace curtain, fabrics and ceramic drinking vessels.

The final piece of the exhibition is a collection of old photographs contributed from Aboriginal people living in our region titled; Valuing our Past for a New Beginning. The collection hopes to create conversations about our past and the people who lived here, marking the beginning of tracing the historical values of the four Saltwater Freshwater nations.

Saltwater Freshwater Arts Alliance will run a series of storytelling, workshops and programs in conjunction with the Saltwater Freshwater exhibition, sharing Aboriginal art and culture to a wider audience in local public arenas and supporting our region’s artists with mentoring and skills development.

Celebrated Aboriginal artist, Adam Hill, also known as ‘Blak Douglas’, will set himself up in the Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery for one week after the official exhibition opening, creating an artwork of a local Aboriginal Elder.

Come along and immerse yourself in our region’s Aboriginal art and culture.