NEWS
Celebrating the special moments of 2023
As anyone who works in community arts and cultural development knows, behind every completed artwork, event or project, there are numerous moments of connection, recognition and understanding.
And so, as the end of the year approaches, we thought we’d take you behind the scenes, to experience some of those moments that were special to us in 2023.
It was so hard to pick just one highlight for this year. Easily the biggest would be commencing my role in May this year and being supported by such a warm, welcoming, dedicated and skilled team, doing such powerful and humbling work, and learning so much with all our incredible communities.
But otherwise a few moments stand out, such as the Cultural Induction led by Geri Hayden (our AAG Chair) along the Canning River, explaining the significance and usefulness of local plants, trees, birds, wildlife, and pointing out the tangible proof of the living culture and generations-old practices amongst our suburbs.
Our first Now Sounds Hedland scoping trip was another; seeing our brilliant artists, Optamus and Flewnt, weave their magic with the talented young participants, who within one workshop had created a whole rap with beats.
A third was the well-needed and deserved opportunity with Making Time to connect with our peers and sector, reflecting, discussing, networking and regrouping; making the time to ask ourselves “why do we do what we do?” and, by way of answering that question, getting a chance to indulge in doing what we do.
There have been too many project highlights to mention. What stands out, however, is the people who have joined our CAN FAM.
We were fortunate to have Monica Kane return to us and help hold the team together while we transitioned to new leadership. I can’t thank Mon enough for that.
We also have a stellar team of producers — this year we welcomed Gia Hilditch, Lidia Castro, Irma Woods, Luisa Mitchell and Elisha Rahimi into the project family. We also welcomed back Nduta Gathoga who emigrated from Kenya to be back with us after 2 long years away!
Long Nguyen and Nina Levy have been the missing pieces in our MarComs puzzle — I am not sure how we functioned without them.
Finally we welcomed our new CEO Danielle Antaki into our family, who joined our wild little gang with grace and calmness.
9 new faces in one year! So many inductions that I almost know the process off by heart — but oh so much love. I can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for us all.
So many highlights this year, but if I had to pick, it would be our Making Time symposium at Midland Junction Art Centre. I not only had the privilege of hosting the event, I assisted my sister to deliver a clay workshop – so much enlightenment, creativity and fun. My gratitude cup was filled that day.
My other highlight was travelling to the Eastern Wheatbelt to visit 88 year old Badajaling Elder Winnie McHenry with Geri Hayden, Sharyn Egan and Dot Winmar to scope out a significant, on-country cultural project for 2024 – Unfinished Business ( Working Title). This project will be the realisation of a dream for all of us!
There are so many things to choose from but I think my biggest highlight was coming back to CAN after being away for 2 years.
I'd been living in Australia for many years when the pandemic hit and I travelled back to Kenya early on to be with family. It was really hard to leave and then the Australian borders closed and I was unable to return.
Being able to maintain my relationships with people at CAN, in particular Miranda, who is not just a colleague but a friend, made it so easy for me to slot back into the team.
Finally making it back to CAN and getting into Place Names Melville – such a meaningful project that aligns with my passions around preserving cultural heritage and revitalising language – felt so natural and organic, like the stars had aligned.
It was such a privilege to work with the Noongar community on the Place Names Melville project. Rich with meaningful stories, great artwork and vulnerability, the important work the community is doing is so valuable in sharing culture and providing a legacy through language and art.
Our Making Time event is always one of my favourite days of the year because I get to take a moment to make and create. This year I particularly relished Jack Collard's empowered moment on stage; Flewnt’s candid and comfortable telling of his journey into hip-hop fame and the value of community engagement in his life and work; learning about the 3 essential elements of a Kanga garment; weaving with Sharyn Egan and creating clay creatures with Mandy White… just an amazing day!
Working at CAN with such a passionate and talented group of people makes every day fulfilling, inspirational and rewarding. I always learn something new.
Working at CAN has been a unique and inspiring experience in 2023.
Engaging with diverse cultures taught me to appreciate each community's unique contributions to Perth's social landscape. In each workshop, I witnessed dialogue uniting people from different backgrounds. Collaborating with these communities has broadened my perspectives and highlighted their resilience in the face of adversity. The strength displayed by community members in each project is truly inspiring.
In 2024, I am determined to continue contributing and supporting them to the best of my ability. My time working at CAN has been transformative, reinforcing my belief in the power of art and cultural diversity to shape a harmonious and thriving society.
What a year it has been! An absolute highlight has been returning to CAN in September after being on parental leave. The love, support and grace I've felt in returning has been huge. Being able stay gently connected during my time away and then receiving a big CAN welcome on returning has been a wonderful experience.
Since returning, I've been humming new lullabies in Belmont and decoding Noongar place names in Harvey. To come back and connect with both long-standing and newer colleagues, communities and artists has been such a joy.
My 2023 highlight was hearing and recording stories from Elders in Place Names Melville, during the decoding process in which we unpacked the original meanings of 16 Noongar placenames.
It was an honour to listen to Noongar Elders speaking Noongar language, remembering the old stories passed down to them by their grandparents and great-grandparents, and telling yarns of the activities they associated with each place, such as hunting and camping.
Seeing how much joy and pride comes from intergenerational connection and relationship building is one of most moving aspects of this project.
Having joined the CAN team in late August 2023, I’m surprised at how many highlights there have been already. I think my favourite, though, happened at Making Time, when Noongar artist Sharyn Egan gave a roomful of artists and arts workers a small weaving project to work on while we listened to the morning’s panel discussions.
As the first panel discussion began, accompanied by the whisper of string on raffia emanating from more than 100 pairs of hands, you could feel people’s cortisol levels drop and an industrious calm descend on the room.
As a maker, I am familiar with the soothing effect of hand-making, but I love the idea that crafting can be used in a professional context, bringing the experience of the arts into a conversation about the arts. I believe it's this type of innovation and attention to detail – grounded in care and compassion – that is what makes CAN's work so special.
A highlight of this year has been seeing young people light up in Hedland during the Now Sounds workshops when they write some lyrics or record a rap and they realise, "Hey I can actually do this… and maybe I'm actually pretty good at this?" One young boy who recorded some raps back in September said he'd be at the next workshops in October. As promised, he was waiting there for the team before the workshop even started with the workshop flyer in his hand.
Connecting with artists in regional communities who share CAN's vision for community arts, and experiencing the synergetic moment of inspiration that washes over us in that moment, is always a highlight too!
A highlight of 2023 for me was the launch of the music video clip and track Your Way at Event Cinemas in Innaloo, as part of Youth Weel 2023. The launch was the culmination of the first iteration of CAN's Now Sounds, an intercultural dance, music, spoken word and video project that brings together young people from First Nations and multicultural communities.
During the project young participants worked with artists Optamus (Scott Griffiths), Flewnt (Josh Eggington), Mubanga Culture (Mubanga), Anesu, and Jayla Davey, to develop skills in beat-making, lyric-writing and rapping, dance, choreography, performance and music-video making, while collaboratively producing the song and music video Your Way.
Seeing all the participants’ excitement at how fabulously the Your Way music video turned out was so beautiful.
Spending the better part of 2023 working towards the Making Time event in Midland – CAN's one-day conference celebrating creativity and the power it has to transform places, spaces and people – a highlight for me was having a moment during that day to reflect on what was around me.
Having a building full of people connecting, creating, and listening, as well as being surrounded by support and care from fellow staff and partners, was a really special moment after an intensive and challenging year.
I've been working with CAN for just over half a year, and it has been such a great experience so far. Being a multipotentialite, I really enjoy the variety of tasks while working as CAN's Arts Administrator.
This includes the doll making workshop at Reconciliation WA Walk where I took and edited photos of the dolls made by the attendees, the Ngaluk Waangkiny Giveaway for NAIDOC week where I distributed over 1000 copies of the book, and the Making Time 2023 conference where I got to meet all the brilliant people in the industry and assisted the panellists. Hearing the participants' positive feedback and seeing them sharing the photos and videos was just amazing.
The highlight of 2023 was travelling to Broome with Elisha and Danielle to meet with different artists and community members living and working in the Kimberley region. I loved having the space for creative and open conversations with the community, asking about their ideas for community arts projects, and you could tell that the people we met really appreciated it too.
For me, it showed CAN's deep investment and trust in the capacity of the communities we work with and I deeply appreciate the work the team has done (over many years) to make something like the Broome scoping trip happen.
Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm
PO Box 7514 Cloisters Square WA 6850
King Street Arts Centre
Ground Floor
357–365 Murray Street
Perth WA 6000
08 9226 2422
admin@can.org.au
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