GALLERY BY KIDS FOR KIDS
SHAYLEE BORG Year 6, Currumbin State School
IN September last year at our school we participated in a project called Jarjums Life Museum. Jarjums means Aboriginal children in our local language. The artists, Libby Harward, Delvene Cockatoo Collins and Jane Jennison from Inala Wangarra and Queensland Performing Arts Centre, told us that if we participated in this project at school, our art work could be displayed in our own Museum, “Jarjums Life Museum” at HOTA, and also at the Commonwealth Games. It sounded exciting and fun!
The project was every Thursday for an hour and a half for about a term. There were 90 Jarjums who participated. The project was about us telling our own stories about our lives, expressing who we are and our background, as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Jarjums (kids).
We talked to local Elders and they talked about local dreamtime stories – we shared stories about ourselves and our families.
We were told of our local Aboriginal history but mostly about understanding who we are as a unique individual, and for me I learnt who I am.
I am of a few nationalities and I am proud of all of them, but most of all about being an Aboriginal person. I am proud of my family history and proud of my Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community here on the Southern parts of Gold Coast.
This project gave me a chance to get to know more of our local Jarjums (kids) and for us to embrace who we are together and be proud of this generation and our generations before us.
Ms Tania from our school also helped with the selfportraits and our local map and we were all really proud to see our portraits that we had been working on for a while at HOTA. Have you ever wondered what museum curated by children would look like?
Experience Jarjums Life Museum Gold Coast for an intimate view into contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture through the eyes of children. Explore the lives, experiences, ideas and dreams of these Gold Coast Jarjums.
Jarjums Life Museum Gold Coast is a free exhibition on display in the HOTA Foyer Gallery until Sunday, April 29.