The Leo Kelly OAM Arts and Culture Award was awarded to Hazelhurst Arts Centre for its staging of the ‘Weapons for the Soldier: Protecting Country, Culture and Family’ exhibition, which was initiated by the young men of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands.
To ensure the exhibition, which was on show from 2018 to February 2019, was showcased in a culturally appropriate and engaging manner, local arts centre staff collaborated with all parties involved, including Indigenous artist and project leader Vincent Namatjira OAM.
Mayor of Sutherland Shire, Carmelo Pesce, praised the efforts of staff, saying the project would stand out as a regional gallery benchmark that others would seek to replicate. She added:
“This project is a truly inspirational achievement for a gallery of Hazelhurst’s size, as exhibitions of this calibre are more often led by a major institution or multiple institutions.”
Major exhibitions such as this have often been advertised extensively via poster printing campaigns for maximum exposure in the community.
Following its display at the Hazelhurst Centre, the popular exhibition was also featured in other regional council-run galleries across the nation, including Alice Springs and Port Macquarie.