Patrick’s exhibition is entitled “Revisions: Made by the Warlpiri of Central Australia with Patrick Waterhouse”. Patrick explained that the exhibition consists of a mixture of traditional Australian Aboriginal dot artwork with modern images and western historical documents, such as maps devised by the first western settlers in Australia. Through this work, Patrick is trying to capture the Aboriginal history in their traditional way. The dot work is the Aboriginal spiritual practise of creating patterns and images that map the land they have walked, often representing deep cultural and spiritual meaning. The dot work also contains elements of their unique stories that have been passed down through generations and is very sacred to them, making for a powerful and magical art exhibition.
Through the workshops, young people created worksheets for children to complete whilst visiting the museum. The worksheets were designed for children to be able to develop an interest in the exhibition in an interactive way. The exhibition has proved to be very popular over the summer, with many children visiting the museum and using the worksheets.
Whilst working with Patrick, young people also learnt the art of using symbols relating to themselves, as well as colours and patterns which enabled them to create their own dot artwork and stories. This work was assembled on ariel satellite images of where they live and enlarged black and white photographs of themselves and objects that are important to them. This was a very special and impactful experience for those involved, providing young people with knowledge of other cultures and history that is a world away from Whitby.
Encouraging young people’s involvement in community projects such as these, provides an insight into what a local art museum does as well as the work that goes into creating and displaying exhibitions. Having the opportunity to collaborate with the artist and be there to see the artwork for themselves was a ‘first’ for many of the young people. They found this to be incredibly interesting, exciting and it opened their eyes to potential future career options.
To find out more about this exhibition and others, please visit Whitby Pannett Art Gallery.
Daisy Bringloe, Achieve Youth Mentor, Whitby