Thank you Uncle Greg, Uncle Bruce and Michael for that welcome.

I recognise the Barramattagul of the Dharug people as the traditional custodians of this land and acknowledge their sustainable culture that survived unchanged for thousands of years. And I also recognise the successive waves of migrants who have come to our great continent and, along with our Aboriginal Australian peoples, helped make Australia a great nation.

May I welcome our special guests:

The Hon Virginia Judge – Minister for the Arts. Minister for Fair Trading

The Consul General of Canada – Mr Tom MacDonald and his wife Susan

Lindy Hume, Director of the Sydney Festival

Josephine Ridge, CEO of the Sydney Festival

John Montgomery, Chairman of Events NSW

Clr Scott Lloyd, Clr Mike McDermott, former Lord Mayor Clr Paul Barber, former Lord Mayor Clr Julia Finn, and Clr Glenn Elmore

Bruce Gale, Chairman of Parramatta’s ATSIC Advisory Committee

Ladies and Gentlemen.

I am delighted to be here tonight at the Artists Studios to welcome you all this opening of this exceptional exhibition.

The Artists Studios have been one of the pillars of Council’s arts and cultural strategy. The Studios not only increase opportunities for artists and residents of our city to participate in the arts but to also support the outcome of creative production as a key to building a resourceful and innovative community.

The creative partnerships that continue to be initiated and delivered from the Artists Studios have produced numerous positive outcomes for our city and the way we are perceived. For example the Artists Studios’ international residency program has been a wonderful opportunity to open a tangible and active dialogue beyond Parramatta with the rest of the world. The numerous exchanges of ideas and cultural understandings have begun to ripple our collective thinking through our city and our community.

Today, this landmark exhibition forms part of this program. Bear Witness of the Iroquois nation is the inaugural artist for the Urban Indigenous Artist Exchange, a three year partnership with the Canada Council for the Arts.  Just as exciting, this is Bear’s first visit Down Under and his first solo exhibition.

Over the next few years, this exchange will continue with aboriginal artists from both nations swapping their residencies in order to explore each other’s indigenous associations.

Firstly congratulations to my new mate Bear - this exhibition is the remarkable result of Bear’s three month residency here at the Studios. The exhibition draws out a number of interesting parallels between indigenous cultures from both countries particularly in relation to the stereotypical representations in media and popular culture. 

It is this narrative that is so important to foster. Recently I had the pleasure of attending a luncheon kindly hosted by the Consul General of Canada, Tom MacDonald to welcome a number of visiting Canadian artists to Sydney including Bear.

Now, I must confess I love our Commonwealth cousins, the Canadians. Having family and godparents who are Canadians also help tremendously toward my personal fondness of Canada – her people and her country. But I was particularly struck by the great enthusiasm of the Consul-General to continue the established bilateral relations between both nations and in particular to explore new opportunities for arts and cultural projects to promote greater linkages between Canada and Australia for artists, not just in Sydney, but in Parramatta. The Consul-General clearly is most wise, far-sighted and prophetic.

I would like to acknowledge the Consul-General and his Consulate staff for all their assistance and support in being able to make this project happen and particularly the opportunity to build on this relationship over a number of years to come.

Just as human beings, we often see through the eyes of others as windows into their souls. For a few years now, Council continues to be vigilant of every opportunity to capitalise on our existing and continuing investment in our local artists and creative people, so that they become our eyes that help us see the world more vividly, but also for the world to see Parramatta’s inner soul and beauty.

The inclusion of this project and exhibition into the 2010 Sydney Festival, along with other activity such as Saturday night’s blockbuster A R Rahman in Parramatta Park has without doubt raised the profile of our Parramatta as a natural and experienced host for world famous artists, and their programs and events.

The exciting announcement recently that Parramatta will soon host in November this year a new major South Asian Festival for three years, simply confirms Parramatta not just on the national stage but on the world stage.

We continue to be grateful to Minister Virginia Judge for her ongoing support and the NSW Government through Arts NSW for their support to our key programs and to the Artists Studios and Riverside Theatres.

Whilst we have the foundations of strong and vibrant arts facilities, Parramatta will continue to pursue measures to expand creative opportunities befitting of a national and international city.

With that, it is my great pleasure now to formally introduce our special guest for this evening the Minister for the Arts, the Hon Virginia Judge to now open this exhibition.

Thank you!

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