UNSW A&D’s Indigenous Community collaborates on video

UNSW acknowledges and pays respect to the traditional owners of the land upon which our campuses stand; Art & Design campus Paddington the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, the Bidjigal People for the Kensington campus, and the Ngunnawal People (Australian Defence Force Academy) in Canberra. We also acknowledge First Nations Elders past, present, and future.

In a new short video UNSW Art & Design is highlighting some of the First Nations people at the centre of our community.  This video offers glimspes of individual stories of sacrifice, discrimination, hard work, and the ultimate achievement of goals among our staff and students.

As part of our ongoing commitment to encourage and support Indigenous students, staff, and alumni to achieve professional and personal success, UNSW Art & Design offers a variety of programs.  Through its learning and teaching, research practice and outreach initiatives, the faculty seeks to build pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.      

The video features brief interviews with Elder-in-Residence, Uncle Vic Chapman; Tess Allas, Director of Indigenous Programs at UNSW Art & Design; UNSW PhD candidate and academic, r e a, and a number of undergraduate and postgraduate Indigenous students including Lisa-Jane Van Dyk, Tyson Frigo, Dennis Golding, Kodi Galleghan, Wesley Shaw, and John Waight.

Viewers learn about how this culturally rich, dynamic and supportive Indigenous Community thrives.

Tess Allas, who has been working in art, culture, and Indigenous issues for more than 30 years, describes her job at UNSW Art & Design as being “all about pastoral care and celebrating achievements both big and small.  It’s a massive role. I deal with issues every day requiring pastoral care; looking after students because they may have had a bad experience due to race or colour.  It says to me that the role I play is incredibly important.  And I see them [the students] grow into beautiful and self-confident practitioners…”

The A&D Indigenous Community video will be published on our website soon. Stay tuned.