ARMY MOVES INTO REMOTE COMMUNITIES
A NEW art centre will be the jewel in the crown of a Defence-led building blitz in a remote East Arnhem Land community.
The Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts Centre will provide spaces for artists and members to create, display and sell their work, generating income, employment and opportunities to grow audiences and visitors.
The project, worth $4m, is cofunded by the Northern Territory and federal governments as part of a wider $7m investment by the National Indigenous Australians Agency, with the Defence Department offering comparative in-kind support.
Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts Aboriginal Corporation board member Johnny Warrkatja said he was excited about the project.
“We are using this arts centre to keep our story from this land alive, so visitors can come here to learn about how Yolngu people live and about our land and our art,” Mr Warrkatja said.
Following the build of the arts centre, the Army Aboriginal Community Assistance Program (AACAP) will travel to Baniyala to build a new community store.
Gapuwiyak and Baniyala will be the 48th and 49th communities to receive the benefits of an AACAP project since the program started in Bulla, NT, in 1997. This latest round of projects is set to start work in May, with completion next November.