Weekend celebration at SAM for Lin Onus: The Land within.

The Shepparton Art Museum’s first major exhibition, Lin Onus: The Land Within, is set to close on Sunday 13 March. To celebrate this exhibition and the legacy of Lin Onus, SAM will be hosting closing weekend celebrations on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 March and community focused events for emerging Aboriginal and First Nation’s leaders on Friday 4 March.

Belinda Briggs, SAM Curator – Indigenous and co-curator of the exhibition says, “SAM’s weekend events commemorate the legacy of Lin Onus and bring together Aboriginal voices to explore, discuss and celebrate. Tiriki Onus, Lin’s son, will be joining us on Sunday 6 for a special Possum Skin Cloak burning demonstration. This form of storytelling is of significant cultural expression in South-Eastern Aboriginal culture and it’s an honour to have Tiriki present this at SAM.”

The weekend will also mark the closing of Maree Clarke’s window commission I Remember When…: Stories From Elders About Their Connection to Country, Culture and Place. Maree will be at SAM on Friday to run a workshop with young leaders from ASHE and on Saturday morning in conversation with Belinda Briggs. Together Maree and Belinda will explore the making and significance of her SAM commission, which will now be part of the SAM Collection.

A highlight of the program is a panel discussion between leading First Nations curators and artists on Indigenous curatorial practices, with a focus on the South-East Australian context. This panel will be chaired by Kimberly Moulton, Senior Curator South Eastern Aboriginal Collection at Museums Victoria and Deputy Chair of SAM Ltd Board, and will include Belinda Briggs, Dr Paola Balla, as well as Moorina Bonini and Kate ten Buuren from the This Mob collective.

Dr Shelley McSpedden, Acting Artistic Director and co-curator of the Lin Onus exhibition says:

“We are delighted to be presenting this suite of events to mark the conclusion of Lin Onus: The Land Within, an exhibition which not only celebrates the immense artistic talent of Lin but also his connection to Yorta Yorta Country and the incredible Aboriginal community he was part of. This exhibition and associated events reflect SAM’s commitment to championing the stories and talent of our local Yorta Yorta community and their contribution to the wider world.”

All events are free and open to the public.

Ends.

Program: All Programs are free and take place at the Shepparton Art Museum:

SATURDAY 5 MARCH

11am SAM Talks: Connection to Country with Maree Clarke and Belinda Briggs, SAM Curator – Indigenous

12.30pm SAM Talks: Moorina Bonini on This Is Our Story

SUNDAY 6 MARCH

11am SAM Talks: Beyond Curating - A discussion on First Nation’s curatorial practices in arts and cultural institutions

1pm Possum Skin Cloak Burning with Tiriki Onus

Exhibition closing on Sunday 13 March 2022, at SAM

• Lin Onus: The Land within
• Maree Clarke: Connection to Country
• Covid Collaborations: A Shared Step on a Long Journey

ABOUT SAM:

Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) is one of Australia's outstanding regional art museums, showcasing our exhibitions and collections in new and exciting ways and creating a welcoming, inclusive and engaging space for all audiences. Artists are central to our work. Our programming is designed to be locally relevant and engage with global contemporary ideas. SAM is recognised for its significant Australian ceramics collection, and our nationally significant collection of Indigenous art. As the only public art museum in Greater Shepparton and north central Victoria, our mission is to present great art in Shepparton, and to contribute to the cultural enrichment, community engagement and economic prosperity of the region. 

Media enquiries, please contact: Gabriella Calandro, Engagement Manager, SAM
p: (03) 4804 5020
e: gcalandro@sheppartonartmuseum.com.au