Festival Info
The Aboriginal Artists Development Fund Inc., in conjunction with The Didge Circle, with major sponsorship from Mia Mia Gallery and Manningham City Council are proud to bring you the third annual Melbourne Didgeridoo and Cultural Festival. The festival will be a day long celebration and showcase of one of the world’s oldest wind instruments, the didgeridoo. It will be a day of entertainment for the whole family with stalls, workshops, activities and a concert featuring world-class performers and musicians.
The festival will be a celebration that will recognise, acknowledge and respect the Wurundjeri people as the traditional owners of the land on which the festival is being held. It will also recognise, acknowledge and respect the Yolngu people of NE Arnhem Land as the traditional owners and custodians of the didgeridoo.
The festival is part funded through Manningham City Council’s Community Development Grant Program for which we appreciate their ongoing support.
The event will run from 11am to 10pm at Mia Mia Gallery located in Westerfolds Park, Templestowe.
Workshops will run during the festival. They will give festival attendees the opportunity to learn about the techniques involved in playing the didgeridoo and well as other Aboriginal cultural experiences including painting, dance and boomerang throwing.
There will be a variety of stalls including great food and beverages through to art and crafts and more. There will be much on offer at the festival. If you would like information on setting up your own stall (limited amount of spots available) please contact us.
Cultural entertainment and activities for the kids will run during the festival. Activities will include, boomerang throwing, story telling, and face painting. You will also have the opportunity to meet some of Australia’s most renowned Indigenous Artists and experience first hand their emotional journey through their paintings.
The main concert will commence at 7:00pm and go through to 10pm. It will be opened with a traditional ‘Welcome to Country’ and will feature performances by regarded acts such as Dan Sultan (acoustic solo), Mark Atkins, Ganga Giri, Bruce Rogers, Richard Perso, One Fire Dance Troupe, Wilbur Wilde, Take it Greasy, Tongue ‘N Groove and more.
For more information on the entertainment you will see and the activities you can get involved with, along with your interest to sponsor this fantastic event, please contact us.
Download an A3 copy of the poster. or Download an A4 copy of the flyer. Please help us promote this great festival by circulating this poster via email as well as putting it up where it can be seen by your collegues, friends, school mates. Anywhere.
Organisers
Festival Directors
Colin McKinnon-Dodd – Curator, Mia Mia Aboriginal Art Gallery, Founder and Chairman, Aboriginal Artists Development Fund Inc.
Peter Matic, Founder and Co-ordinator, The Didge Circle
Aboriginal Artists Development Fund Inc. (AADF)
The AADF is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting Aboriginal cultural heritage through the Arts. It’s primary objectives are to preserve traditional Aboriginal Art and it’s history, foster sustainable culture through youth development and mentoring, develop and maintain sustainable revenue streams for Aboriginal artists and their families, protect the integrity, ethics and cultural authenticity of the artwork and the industry that maintains it on behalf of the artists, provide a greater understanding and appreciation of Aboriginal culture through Education and Community Engagement Programs, Workshops, Events and Activities, advocate to the relevant authorities including all levels of government to ensure the highest level of respect, recognition, support and funding is provided to Aboriginal artists and their communities to ensure Australia’s own cultural heritage is preserved and fostered for a sustainable future.
More info regarding the AADF can be found at www.aadf.org.au
The Didge Circle
The Didge Circle meets regularly at Mia Mia Gallery to conduct workshops in Didgeridoo playing and appreciation. The workshops are open for anyone to attend. These workshops have been facilitated by some of Australia’s leading didgeridoo players and provide a hands-on method of engaging with Aboriginal culture. More information can be obtained at the Mia Mia website.
History
The Didge Circle is a group of keen didgeridoo players from all over Australia and the world who have been meeting at Mia Mia Gallery for the last 30 months, sharing and swapping techniques of this iconic instrument. The festival will be a showcase of their last 30 months of workshops where the custodians of the didgeridoo frequently tutor all whom express interest in learning from the very best of the best.
For 15 years Mia Mia Gallery has been situated in the beautiful setting of Parks Victoria’s Westerfolds Park, located in the heart of the Heidelberg Valley of the Arts. The philosophy of the Mia Mia Gallery is to express, through art, the richness and unique aboriginal culture of Australia. Visitors to Mia Mia can share and discover how artists’ works and performances preserve, enhance and pass on the message of a proud culture to the next generation of today’s aboriginal people.
For more information please go to www.miamiagallery.com
Westerfolds Park defies its suburban setting. Its gracious, rural character is derived from the manor house overlooking the ancient River Red Gums and the broad sweep of the Yarra and all landmarks around Templestowe.
Please click here for a map of Westerfolds Park that can be printed off for your convenience. If you would like more information about the park as well the heritage of The Manor building which houses Mia Mia Gallery please click here.
