Joy Trudgett Gallery > The Meeting Place Project
LGNSW Arts & Culture Award Winner!
For immediate release.
The Meeting Place Project showcased within the Joy Trudgett Gallery, and Coo-ee Heritage Centre Gilgandra, has been named winner of the Local Government NSW Leo Kelly OAM Arts & Culture Award for 2024!
A local project driven by the Aboriginal Stakeholder Group formed in 2018, along with Museums and Galleries NSW Advisor, Kylie Moppett and Council staff, sees a celebration of the stories, past and present, of our community.
Gilgandra is known as a meeting place between our three nations; Kamilaroi, Wiradjuri and Wailwan. Today, Gilgandra continues to be a meeting place for locals and visitors alike.
At the heart of the Meeting Place Project is the Joy Trudgett Gallery (JTG), named after Joy Trudgett, a proud Wiradjuri woman, who was an active leader in the community. The JTG has been designed with digital video and audio engagement; audio stories of our local elders, youth voices music, accessible display of the Pines exhibit, 3D artwork of the Castlereagh River featuring local and regional artists, story wall highlighting local groups and individual inspiring generations, cultural community film, a new educational space and outdoor yarn circle with the aim to share, educate and inspire.
Joy Trudgett's daughter, Peta Faleono, who has had a significant role in the Stakeholder Group over the years, says
"A well-deserved congratulations to everyone involved in this project. I want to express my gratitude to the Aboriginal Stakeholders Group for their participation and for sharing their stories and past experiences, which can undoubtedly be difficult at times. It's crucial to have your participation to accurately record the truth of our past. Thank you for your contribution. Also a big thank you to the Gilgandra Council for the foresight to see the gallery update as an opportunity to make it a more inclusive experience with the input from the local Aboriginal community. When you have the opportunity to share your stories and have them recorded from your perspective, it can be validating to see your experiences and truth acknowledged. A special mention and thank you to Kylie Moppett also, who dedicated a lot of time and effort in seeing this project to completion.
Winning this award is evidence of what we can achieve when we work together to acknowledge our shared history. It is an endorsement of the innovative space that is the Joy Trudgett Gallery. Once again, congratulations to all those involved. Your contributions helped to make it not only a reality but a Local Government NSW award-winning reality.
Job well done!"
Kylie Moppett, MGNSW Museum Advisor for the project says -
Congratulations to Gilgandra Shire Council on winning this most prestigious award for their role in ensuring the Meeting Place Project met with stakeholder expectations whilst balancing funding and meeting the aims identified in Gilgandra Cultural Precinct Plan.
Joy Trudgett Gallery is the culmination of extensive community engagement where local Aboriginal stories and culture are presented in a contemporary gallery that will continue to grow into the next generation. The Aboriginal Stakeholder Group and broader Aboriginal community were fundamental to the success of this project. It was both a privilege and an honour to work on this project.
The cultural community film showcasing faces of Gilgandra's #LocalLegends, featured in this project, celebrates the local Aboriginal community activities, culture and connection to Country today.
Gilgandra Shire Council's Project Manager Strategy & Economic Development, Kathryn Larkin says,
"The cultural video was created to showcase the Gilgandra Region's local culture and was an incredible partnership between our local community, groups, schools, businesses, individuals and initiatives with 27 groups being involved. It was a display of our active and vibrant community working together."
"It was a humbling experience working with so many passionate and vibrant people within our community to bring this project to life. Hearing the stories, and vision for this gallery, to now being able to celebrate the gallery not only being open to share with locals and visitors, but to showcase at this level of recognition is amazing, it has truly been a collaborative effort.
A celebration morning tea will be held on Thursday, 19 September at the Joy Trudgett Gallery for all those involved in this project, with invites to follow, marking almost one year since the Gallery officially re-opened in 2023.
"A special 'Thank You' to all those involved, from the Aboriginal Stakeholder group and MGNSW Advisor, Gilgandra Historical Society, CWA, contractors Castlereagh Cabinets, Dan Howard Electrical, Solid Signs and Arterial Design, to all those who gave feedback through Have Your Say opportunities, and of course all the #LocalLegends who continue to support the Coo-ee Heritage Centre and Cultural Precinct" says Mrs Larkin.
The Leo Kelly OAM Arts and Culture Award celebrates outstanding achievement in strategic planning and delivery for arts and culture. The awards are an opportunity for councils to showcase and celebrate successful projects, campaigns and plans that have significantly benefited their communities.
Eligible projects were judged on how they demonstrate:
- Innovation and Improvements to cultural planning, policy, delivery and/or evaluation,
- Achievement of intended goals with measurable cultural outcomes, and
- Leadership to other councils and a strong legacy of the project.
The Meeting Place project and Joy Trudgett Gallery are part of the Gilgandra Cultural Precinct revitalisation and align with Gilgandra Region Community Strategic Plan, Gilgandra Activation Blueprint and Gilgandra Cultural Precinct Strategic Plan. There has been extensive community consultation with the Aboriginal Stakeholder Group and the MGNSW Museum Advisor since late 2018, with funding support from NSW Government Regional Tourism Activation Fund and Aboriginal Partnerships Program.
