More than a word: Arts Law making actions towards Reconciliation

To mark the start of Reconciliation Week, Artists in the Black Coordinator John Waight organised for our team to visit the Australian Museum to visit Unsettled, an historic exhibition of First Nations art and cultural objects, led and informed by First Nations voices and perspectives. Incisive and thoroughly researched, the show was an important opportunity to reflect upon the incomplete history of modern Australia where Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices have been ignored, silenced or set aside.

New staff and volunteers receive cultural training as part of their inductions to ensure that we can meet the needs of our clients and respond meaningfully and appropriately to each legal issue. All Arts Law staff are committed to ongoing learning about First Nations history, people and culture. We are currently in the process of updating our Reconciliation Action Plan as part of this ongoing commitment.

The gradual lifting of COVID-19 restrictions nationwide has also allowed us to recommence in-person outreach and education trips across the country. We have continued to strengthen our relationships with key stakeholders, groups and organisations in regional and rural New South Wales, where we have visited and delivered education and legal clinics to First Nations artists. Our team has travelled to the Desart Conference in Alice Springs, Perth, Adelaide, Armidale and art centres in the Torres Strait and across Queensland. In the coming months we will be visiting art centres, language centres and other organisations across the country.

These actions are part of Arts Laws commitment to reconciliation and reflect the theme of Reconciliation Week 2021: More than a word. Reconciliation takes action. To find out more about actions you can take to support reconciliation visit the Reconciliation Australia website.