CONTINUING to evolve and expand, the Sunshine Coast’s only Aboriginal owned and operated art gallery, Munimba-ja, has relocated to a more purpose-built creative space, taking up the lease on the former ‘Art on Cairncross’ gallery building.
With an artistic vision to create a relational arts practice and safe space that lifts up mob and Indigenous artists, while also pushing the proverbial envelope when it comes to presenting contemporary First Nations cultural expression, gallery director Libby Harward said she was excited to be able to continue to support local Aboriginal artists yarn, and create and showcase their work. “This is a seriously well-appointed gallery space that we hope will become a destination location for visitors and locals. It’s got a great gallery frontage and, in some ways, this move symbolises the evolution of our arts creative as we step up to the next level in our intent and delivery of a commercial home buyer market, coupled with experimental, cutting edge and contemporary work,” Ms Harward explained.
She said a substantial Arts Queensland grant had injected additional capital to support an innovative and exciting 12-month exhibition program as well as funding capacity for two more part time team members.
She hoped the arts collective would be accessible to all, and help bridge the divide between market products for the home and pushing boundaries with contemporary and politically inspired works that would make people think, question and explore their understanding of Aboriginal culture. “Our team and collective art practice and vision has expanded, and we now have three rooms, shop front, gallery space and artist in residence workspaces. We are excited that our new location offers a better space to reflect what we’ve grown into which is a commercially viable shopfront and gallery that operates alongside our experimental arts practice,” Ms Harwood explained.
“This move represents our evolution as a fully black owned and operated business and is mostly about the team and the different Indigenous artists we can now showcase and support. We use art here as a medium for people to learn – it crosses so many barriers and is a great way for people to communicate and exchange ideas – even ones that can be challenging to status quo.”
Ms Harwood said the collective was currently connecting with around 15-20 regular local Indigenous artists, with the expanded opportunity to feature four main exhibitions throughout the coming year which will see 12 local artists commissioned to create new works.
Currently, the gallery is featuring ‘Blak Laundry’ in partnership with the Horizon Festival, which Ms Harwood explained was both an artwork and relational enterprise consisting of three commercial dryers and washing machines that have been installed in the space. Ms Harwood plans to retain it as a social enterprise. The Blak Laundry will run as an art installation until September 26, to find out more visit www.munimba-ja.com.au or drop in from Wednesday-Sunday 10am-4pm 1/3 Panorama Place Maleny.