Manamana Dreaming Artist selected to design 2023 RAP artwork

30/05/2023

​Manamana Dreaming Artist Jennifer Kent in front of mural at St Andrew’s Catholic School Ferny Grove. ​​

“Like a fresh new dawn, Reconciliation Action Plans (RAP) provide Hope to heal the hurts of the past and move forward into a brand-new day. This Artwork tells a story of Hope over Brisbane Catholic Education's (BCE) Reconciliation Action journey,”Jennifer Kent, 2022.  
 
This National Reconciliation Week (27 May to 2 June) Quandamooka, Jinibara, Wakka Wakka, Darumbal woman and Manamana Dreaming Artist Jennifer Kent has shared her delight at being chosen to create the artwork for Brisbane Catholic Education’s newly launched Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan (2023-2025).  
 
The former staff member at BCE’s Ngutana-Lui Cultural Centre said her journey as an artist and working for BCE has provided her with the opportunity to uncover connections to her ancestral identity, founded in the Catholic faith. 
 
It means a lot to me to see my design chosen to represent BCE’s RAP,” she said. 
 
After the Reconciliation Working Group Chair reached out to me, and via consultation, I was commissioned to create an artwork about the conversations we have had about reconciliation.  
 
“The conversations were genuine, sensitive, and empowering.  

“And there was one word that stood out to me in each of our conversations, which was ‘Hope,’ so I decided to weave this theme throughout my design.”  

Jennifer said she incorporated Queensland’s “precious and unique ecosystems with rich cultural heritage” into the design.  

“I know this artwork can help everyone feel connected to BCE’s Reconciliation journey because it’s inclusive, it’s accepting and invites everyone to get involved,” she said. 

BCE Senior Manager of Aboriginal and Torres Stair Islander Education and proud Gamilaraay and Yuwalaraay woman Dr Mayrah Dreise said the artwork was chosen because it has strong ties with BCE. 
 
“Jennifer’s artwork encompasses both Catholic and Aboriginal spirituality, and ties these spiritualities together beautifully,” she said. 
 
In a BCE first, Jennifer’s design will not only be featured on a polo t-shirt but will also be printed onto ties and scarves. 
 
Creating the ties and scarves means the clothing items are more accessible to our staff members and aims to create a more visual representation of reconciliation across BCE’s six offices and 146 schools.” 
 
One hundred per cent of profits from each RAP t-shirt purchase will go to Jennifer’s chosen charity Seafarers Ministry, who actively care for the spiritual, social, and material welfare of seafarers. 
 
Last year's RAP t-shirt purchases raised $7000 which will be donated to Centacare’s Murri Ministries this month to help support families through the time of Sorry Business.   
 
About Jennifer’s design, in her words:  

 

Central to the artwork is a large cross; symbolic of Risen Christ who watches over everything, surrounding the cross are four boomerangs representative of Acceptance, Resilience, Humility, and Kindness. The sky surrounding is filled with 146 stars, representative of each school in BCE, and a rainbow representing a peace covering from above. The band of six meeting places above the horizon represents the six  BCE offices, under this the sky contains a representation of First Nations Elders with a broken spear signifying benevolence, the BCE organisational structure, our Ngutana-Lui Cultural Centre and its staff, Prayer Groups and a learning growth vine representing the year levels that attend schools from Prep through to Year 12.   
 
The lower half of the artwork is home to the three areas of the earth, where all BCE schools are located near, the Ocean, Earth, and the Forest. Green Hills span the horizon beside the rivers and the Ocean. In the Ocean, you see reflected the moon, cycles of the tide around the moon, mullet fish, and a humpback whale that travels through the oceans of the catchment area of BCE schools. Sand is the start of the Earth, where you see the tracks of kangaroos, goannas, possums, emus, and people alongside a campsite. The Forest is home to native plants including pig face leaves, quandongs, bull rush, bungwall fern, a grass tree, bunya, grevillea, water lily, sandpaper fit, native raspberry, and eucalyptus. 

 

About Manamana Dreaming: 

Manamana Dreaming is a First Nations Family Group located in South East Queensland, specialising in Art, Cultural Education, Digital and Community Reconciliation Projects, contributing to building healthy communities by facilitating positive outcomes in First Nations Cultural Advocacy. ​

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