Food, music, and ancient culture will all come together in Timboon for the Graze The Day festival in November.
The festival will highlight local artisan producers with a great line-up of music, activities and makers and a focus on Indigenous culture to celebrate the wealth and diversity of the region.
Eastern Maar artist Sherry Johnstone has created an original artwork to tell the story of how the land has provided for people for thousands years, right up to the present day.
A proud Keerray Woorroong and Yorta Yorta woman, her artwork adorns buildings and documents for Melbourne University, St Vincent's Hospital, the First Peoples Assembly for Victoria, Wannon Water, Women's Health and Wellbeing Barwon Southwest, schools across the Western District and Geelong's Indigenous Guernsey's.
"Personally, it's been a long journey to become the artist I am today. Connecting to the land and my culture has been what's helped me find the artist I feel I was always meant to be, I've just had to learn and grow from all my past roles and experiences, trust my intuition and abilities and continue to grow and challenge myself.
"I am constantly in awe of and inspired by the land, its presence, it's spirit and the life it provides us all including the animals. The connection between everything fascinates me, which have all helped me to be able to express the way I view the world, my cultural perspective, and ultimately storytell through my art.
"Within the Graze the Day artwork I have captured many things from people celebrating diversity, culture, community, and connection as well as place. I have Power Creek running behind the logo as it does at the festival site and the Twelve Apostles are on the edges.
"As a family friendly event, I have footprints representing families and people making their journeys to get there and the connections they will make. I have also captured some of the animals that are found in the area represented by their tracks and honouring the land that continues to provide us food that the artisans will promote on the day.
"Clapsticks represent the music that will be showcased, and leaves remind us of our environment and how we can work on it with the least amount of impact and boomerangs representing that as an annual event, we hope that people will come back year after year."
Mrs Johnstone's original work will adorn the Graze The Day event logo, event program, website, posters, and more. It will be on display at the festival with an explanation of the story and symbolism behind the designs.
"By creating the artwork for the festival, I hope it encourages people to come together, connect, and learn about our rich culture and how we are working together to share our knowledge to benefit everyone's understanding, building respectful relationships that we can all continue to grow and move forward into the future with, feeling united.
"If people come away from the festival feeling safe, celebrated, connected, and have learnt something they didn't already know, or something has changed their perspective or sparked an interest, and they have a better understanding of culture and what surrounds us then that would be the best outcome.
"Art has made me stronger in my identity and more resilient, embracing and honouring my aboriginality, feeling proud and spiritually connected to my ancestors and country… I am now definitely in my happy place and am very grateful and humbled that I get to practice what I love and share my passion and creations with everyone..
Acting Chief Executive Officer Justine Linley said this was a Council-delivered event in a beautiful tourist destination.
"Sherry's beautiful, colourful design sums up the richness the Shire has to offer," she said.
"Our '2040 Community Vision' acknowledges the traditional owners of the land and their continuing connection to land, waterways, culture and community dating back tens of thousands of years.
"It calls on us to move forward together with greater knowledge, with inclusion, and respecting a shared history.
"With that in mind, Council's 'Aboriginal Participation and Engagement Action Plan' has a priority to build greater cultural awareness and understanding of First Nations' cultural heritage and contributions among all citizens.
"It's great that we can have this ancient culture up front and centre with the agricultural producers and natural tourism opportunities that will be showcased at Graze the Day."
