In 2004, the Australia Council for the Arts funded Arts Law to trial an Indigenous legal project. After six months of hard work developing policies and the framework for the project it was satisfying to see Artists in the Black officially launched at the Australia Council on 28 June 2004 by Ray Kelly, Director of the Australia Council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts department.
The launch was timed to coincide with the Australia Council’s Indigenous key stakeholders meeting. This made it possible for representatives from Indigenous arts organisations in Western Australia and the Northern Territory to be in attendance including the Association of Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists (ANKAAA), Desart, Goolarri Media, Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative, Magabala books and IAD Press to name just a few. Arts Law recognises the importance of working closely with Indigenous arts organisations, so it was wonderful to be able to meet with key stakeholders and to share with them the services that Artists in the Black will offer to the Indigenous arts community.
Other attendees included the Honorable Justice Levine of the Supreme Court of NSW and Chairperson of the Arts Law board, Stuart Palmer Arts Law treasurer and Delia Browne, former executive Director of Arts Law.
In addition to Ray Kelly, Robynne Quiggin, Arts Law board member and chairperson of the Artists in the Black reference group, and Blanch Lake, Arts Law Aboriginal Information/Liaison Officer, gave speeches discussing the role the project will play in the Australian Indigenous community both in terms of educating artists about their rights and providing legal advice and advocacy services.
The night was capped off with a performance by the Aboriginal dance group Descendance. One of the performers, whilst discussing the meaning of a particular dance, expressed the need to ensure that information and knowledge is shared. This is a guiding principle of the project, and through Artists in the Black, Arts Law looks forward to providing Indigenous artists and communities greater opportunities to access legal knowledge and information.
Arts Law has already noticed a marked increase in the number of Indigenous artists and organisations we are assisting since the inception of Artists in the Black. We are confident that this demand will continue to grow and are excited by the opportunity this presents to Arts Law to help the Indigenous arts community to develop its knowledge and understanding of its legals rights.
Artists in the Black staff Blanch Lake and Samantha Joseph, along with other Arts Law staff members, will be traveling to Western Australia and the Northern Territory to provide seminars and workshops to Indigenous artists and organisations. This will include visiting communities to discuss the legal problems faced by Indigenous artists and communities. The December edition of ART+Law will feature a report of these programs.
We would like to thank Artists in the Black reference group members, Robynne Quiggan, Kevin Dolman, Carol Innes, Senator Aden Ridgeway, Richard Frankland and Irene Watson for their valuable advice and input. Arts Law is also grateful to Terri Janke for her continued support of Arts Law and Artists in the Black.
Arts Law acknowledges the assistance of the Australia Council for the Arts in funding Artists in Black.
*Sam Joseph is Aboriginal Solicitor at Arts Law.
