In the
demountable

The community workshop schedule for Ngapartji Ngapartji is determined by cultural and family obligations, as well as protocols, sickness, sorry business and the high levels of transience between town and bush communities. In response to these needs, a flexible program, delivered by artists and arts workers has evolved. This program utilises video, graphic design, sound production and performance to prepare material for the online language and culture site – http://ninti.ngapartji.org (ninti - to be smart, knowledgeable). Task-focused workshops such as these also feed into the rehearsals for the touring performance piece, delivering a very high level art product - created using community partnership processes – for national festival audiences.

Survival issues
and art making

Young people involved in workshops are supported by project workers with the other aspects of their lives such as income support and education/training options, in recognition of the significance of these issues in determining whether and to what extent young people are able to engage with the project. Wherever possible participants are referred to other organisations and services to address the specific issues facing them – ie. women’s and maternal health workers or ‘return to country’ programs.

Making work
to booty music

Each week the Ngapartji Ngapartji demountable office is awash with tea drinking, reggae and booty tunes, groups of teenagers (often accompanied by babies or children in their care) and elders, checking out the new videos created for the website, planning the next bush trip, getting help with Centrelink business or leafing through Festival programs.

As well as through participation in more ‘formal’ workshops and activities, a strong sense of ownership of this project by young people and community members has been built through the cheerful dynamic of the office space, especially the regular sharing of mai (food) and cupati (cups of tea). A strong relationship has developed between the residents of town camps where a number of young people live, so that the project has engendered a sense of ‘community’ broader than workshop participation.

In recognition of the value of this informal support and participation in sustaining the spirit of the project, Big hART organises community activities and events such as barbeques or film nights in town camps and at the Ngapartji Ngapartji office. Young people who may have once participated in the stage or website production but are no longer able to because of any of the above factors, are kept informed of activities and visited. This has kept the project open to young people to return and participate again when their life circumstances allow it.

It is through this ‘open crowd’ approach, the ownership that the community has of the project and the depth of inter-company trust that has grown, that participants choose to travel and share their stories. This allows Festival audiences in Sydney and Melbourne to be exposed to the stories and skills of this community, such as Elton Wirri, grandson of Albert Namatjira, who moved audiences to tears with the exquisite landscape he sketched in chalk during the Sydney season.