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"Maḏayin" Opening Events

Join us September 22–24 for the Maḏayin opening events!

  • A museum gallery with blue walls and Aboriginal Australian bark paintings hang on the walls.

    Photo by Rob Strong.

  • A museum gallery with a high ceiling and white walls. On the wall are four large works of Indigenous Australian bark paintings.

    Photo by Alison Palizzolo.

Thursday, September 22, 12:30–1:30 pm
INTRODUCTORY TOUR
Maḏayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala
Join exhibition curator Henry Skerritt, assistant professor in the Department of Art and associate curator at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia, for a guided tour of Maḏayin. Please arrive in the Russo Atrium five minutes prior to the start time. No registration required.

Thursday, September 22, 7:00–8:00 pm
LIVESTREAM LECTURE
"Yolŋu at Heart: A Model for Intercultural Collaboration"
Kluge-Ruhe Director Margo Smith recounts the remarkable story of Maḏayin. The idea for this exhibition originated with Djambawa Marawili AM during his residency at Kluge-Ruhe in 2015. Over the past seven years, museum staff and Yolŋu knowledge holders worked together on the curation, bilingual catalogue, and digital resource, refining an approach to collaboration based on shared values and rethinking the ways in which Indigenous Australian artists and communities engage with museums internationally. Presented in partnership with the Humanities Research Centre, Australian National University.

Click here for the livestream link.

Please note that the second-floor Maḏayin exhibition galleries will be closed after 6:00 pm on September 22 to accommodate the livestreamed lecture. Join us online or in Gilman Auditorium on the lower level of the museum to watch the event!

Friday, September 23, 4:30–6:00 pm
OPENING CEREMONY AND RECEPTION
Join us for the official opening ceremony of Maḏayin led by a delegation of Yolŋu artists and cultural ambassadors from Yirrkala, NT, Australia, including remarks by honored guests. A reception will follow in Russo Atrium.

Saturday, September 24, 1:00–4:00 pm
COMMUNITY DAY
Kinship in Australian Aboriginal Bark Painting
Join this drop-in program to learn about how the Yolŋu in northern Australia express the power and beauty of their culture through the medium of eucalyptus bark painting. There will be in-gallery activities and art-making projects for all ages. No registration required for this free program.

Saturday, September 24, 2:00–4:00 pm
ARTISTS IN CONVERSATION
A conversation between Yolŋu artists about the practice of bark painting and the significance of sharing their artistic and cultural practices with audiences in the United States. Moderated by Kade McDonald, chief executive officer at Agency Projects, Melbourne; and Frances Morphy, honorary associate professor at the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at Australian National University. This program will be live-captioned and live-streamed on the Hood Museum's Facebook page.