Upper Yarra Secondary College students have helped to bring an artist’s piece to life in Gladysdale, as part of Yarra Ranges Council’s Water Tank Art project.
Through December, Indigenous Upper Yarra Secondary College students painted on a Council-managed water tank in Gladysdale.
The Gladysdale tank is now emblazoned with the artwork, Blackfish and short finned eels, by First Nations artist, Graham Patterson.
Yarra Ranges Mayor Jim Child said this artwork was a collaboration between Graham Patterson, the college, The Garage Signshop and Yarra Ranges Council.
“This Indigenous Tank Art Project has been running for many years, transforming water tanks on Council land into artistic landmarks, that people may uncover unknowingly or travel out to,” he said.
“To have Indigenous students from my Ward, from the fantastic Upper Yarra Secondary College, working on this project is a great display of community connection.
“For the students working on this project, they’ll have a taste of professional work under talented artists, a chance to see the industry up close and, hopefully, a spark that catches into careers in the arts.
“For Council, this is another step in our work towards Reconciliation, providing funding and art spaces to showcase First Nations art, stories, culture and history.
“Thank you to these students for taking part, and to Graham for this incredible work.”
In his artist brief, Graham said that painting helped to connect him to his culture.
“My great, great grandmother, Lydia Briggs, lived at Coranderrk Aboriginal Station. Her daughter, Lizzie Edmunds, was my great grandmother,” Graham wrote.
“I love painting to keep culture alive and paint the way I feel about being a Koorie person. If we didn’t paint, we’d lose our culture and stories.
“The tank artwork depicts the river blackfish and the short finned eel, both species significant to the cultural and ecological life of the Yarra Ranges.
“Native fish species are threatened by the introduction of exotic fish species, overfishing, land clearing and the disturbance of river systems, including bushfires and snag removal.
“Caring for Country includes caring for waterways, and the individual species that make up a living system.”
This water tank art project was coordinated by Yarra Ranges Council with assistance from Murrup Biik Public Art, Upper Yarra Secondary College and The Garage Signshop.
For more information about the project, and to view the location of other artworks in this series, visit Yarra Ranges Council’s Water Tank Art Page.
