Australia

Reclaiming Aborigeneity: Richard Bell

Aboriginal Australian artist Richard Bell’s artwork has been labeled “provocative,” “uncompromising,” and “controversial” for bringing race politics into the mainstream, however, Bell sees himself as “more activist than artist.” “I’m just being matter of fact,” he says. “I recognize some people find [my work] contentious, and that my paintings attract controversy. This response has nothing to do with me; the response has to do with the viewer.”

Voice of Conscience: Mick Dodson’s Place Amidst Australia’s Unfinished Business

Mick Dodson has held wide-ranging positions since becoming the first Indigenous Australian to receive a law degree in 1974, most recently serving as Reconciliation Australia’s co-chair and Pacific region representative to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. He directs the National Centre for Indigenous Studies at Australian National University, and is currently a visiting professor at Harvard University. In 2009, he received the Australian of the Year award in recognition of his contributions to Indigenous Australians and his country.

Australian Aboriginal Artist Richard Bell: Uz vs. Them

Date: 08/04/2011

The Tufts University Art Gallery presents Aboriginal Australian artist Richard Bell: Uz vs. Them, from September 8 to November 20. Tufts University will be the first of four venues to host this mid-‐career survey exhibition of works by contemporary Australian Aboriginal artist Richard Bell, the first-‐ever U.S. tour of Bell’s work.

Richard Bell

Bringing Back Language

Native languages are threatened to the point of extinction all over the world, and nowhere is this more apparent than on the Australian continent. Of the 500 to 600 dialects and 250 to 300 different language groups spoken within the past 100 years, only 20 have more then 1,000 speakers today, and local dialects are being lost at an even quicker rate.

Cultural Survival board member elected co-chair of National Congress of Australia's First Peoples

Date: 05/04/2011

Les Malezer, a member of Cultural Survival's board of directors, has just been elected the first co-chair of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples, which aims to unite all of the country's Indigenous populations and represent their interests in the nation as a whole.

Australia Registers Its First Indigenous Political Party

Date: 01/11/2011

On January 10th, Australia´s first Indigenous political party was officially registered and will participate in the next federal election and Northern Territory (NT) state elections. Indigenous people are estimated to make up about 2.7 percent of the Australian population and 32 percent of Northern Territory residents are Indigenous.