Save Black Fella's Dreaming

Letter from Clover Moore to Minister for the Arts Frank Sartor

3 May 2007
The Hon. Frank Sartor MP
Minister for Arts
Level 34 Governor Macquarie Tower
1 Farrer Place
Sydney NSW 2000

Dear Minister
URGENT – Black Fella's Dreaming Museum
I write on behalf of Gordon and Elaine Syron to request your help to maintain their substantial art collection in public hands and public access.
Gordon and Elaine tell me that they have been unable to financially support this collection from their own resources as it increased in size over time. I understand that the collection includes some significant works by Indigenous artists including Gordon’s work, and reflects the progress of Aboriginal art in Australia.
The Black Fella's Dreaming Museum collection includes:

• A rare collection of traditional bark and dot paintings;
• A collection of contemporary and political paintings on canvas and Belgian linen; and
• A large collection of carvings and sculptures from all over Australia.

I understand that the collection is to be auctioned on 9 May by Bonhams and Goodman’s Auction Rooms.

Could you please urgently review help to maintain this collection as a whole, in public hands and on public view, and inform me what action you have taken?

Yours sincerely
Clover Moore
Member for Sydney

Update on Save Black Fella's Dreaming Campaign

The Save Black Fella's Dreaming Campaign has been running for three months now and we have only one week to go before the auction on Wed 9 May 2007!
It's been a rollercoaster ride and I've been fumbling along in the dark, making lots of mistakes, handling obstacles (like sick children and sick computers) but we've still kept the ball rolling. And we've got good news for you!!!

The auction is going ahead but Gordon and Elaine have been able to pull many pieces out. More than half of the collection is still in the care of Gordon and Elaine Syron, including an impressive book collection. There are 300 lots being auctioned, with more than one item in each lot, which gives you an idea of how large this collection is. Bonhams and Goodmans have produced a fantastic catalogue which can be viewed online, click on the link below. The introduction by Margo Neale is an especially good read. http://www.bonhamsandgoodman.com.au/auctions_catalogues.php?auction=132

There wasn't enough time to table the petition in parliament before the auction. We've returned to calling it a 'Supporters List' and it will be included in a submission to the current Senate Enquiry into the Indigenous Art and Craft Sector. The initial idea for creating a supporters list was to consolidate all the people who wanted to help, to generate public awareness and support, media attention and find a wealthy philanthropist or two!
We have almost achieved this. We have The Koori Mail published an article on the auctioning of the Museum on 25 April, page 15. The Sydney Morning Herald also published an article by Paul Bibbi on 11 April, page 11. I have been liaising with the 7.30 Report and we hope they will air a story before the auction next week. The National Indigenous Times should be doing a follow up story on what happened at the auction and where the pieces will end up (hopefully in a museum in Redfern!)
Best of all, because we posted a copy of the petition on the Black Fella's Dreaming website, I received an email from a businessman interested in purchasing some of Gordon's work. He has since been in a stream of communication with Gordon and Elaine, has viewed the collection at the auction house and has asked Gordon and Elaine to circle the most important pieces in the Bonhams and Goodmans catalogue so he can try to buy them and donate them back to the museum!!
That's exactly what we were hoping for. Fingers crossed, let's hope he can outbid other buyers and we find a few more kind souls who will go to the auction for the same purpose – to buy these special pieces and donate them back to the Aboriginal Nation.
Our ultimate hope is that the collection will be put back together. Gordon and Elaine have been talking to the leaders of the
Redfern/Waterloo Redevelopment, which already includes plans for a culture centre and museum and can provide a safe and nurturing home for the collection.
Attached is the latest copy of the 'Supporters List' and 'Comments from the Petition'.
Thanks again for your support, big and small. It has made a difference and has led us to the place we're in now. It's a scary, unknown place. This coming week will be an anxious one, but we're feeling confident that something good will happen.
All the best to you all,
And Kind Regards,
Tania Syron.

The Petition

Please read. To add your name to the petition below send your details to tanialeeturtle@gmail.com   Don't add your name to the list below, I'll do it for you!
visit  www.myspace.com/saveblackfellasdreaming
visit www.blackfellasdreaming.com.au  

The Blackfellas Dreaming Museum is a large and overwhelming testimony of Australian History through Aboriginal eyes. And it easily moves people. 
Gathered by an Aboriginal man, Gordon Syron, an urban Aboriginal art pioneer, it is one of the largest Aboriginal owned collections that is not connected to any institution. The art works are currently being catalogued for a Bonhams & Goodmans auction with a date set for 9 May 2007.  This collection should not be spilt up and sold off to private collectors overseas. It should be a National Treasure, placed safely in the hands of Aboriginal people and remain on public view.
Steve Strong,  Mullumbimby High School teacher states;
"I recently took a group of year 11 students to Blackfellas Dreaming Museum.
We arrived at 11 o'clock and the next time I checked it was two o'clock.
We spent three hours in this 'shed'. No-one complained or found this a task, in fact, I had to force these students to leave.
A brilliant experience for any teacher/student who is serious in their attempts to understand Aboriginal culture. In my eyes such an excursion is
mandatory, not optional."
The museum is running out of time. The more support we have the easier it will be to gain the neccessary funding to save the collection.

Aboriginal Culture should remain under the guardianship of Aboriginal People,  in safe keeping for the future generations.

A promo DVD of the collection is available upon request.
Please circulate this email. To join the list of supporters, send your name and position to <tanialeeturtle@gmail.com> . If you had visited Blackfellas Dreaming Museum in Bangalow, please write a short statement about your experience.

**Comments appear on  www.myspace.com/saveblackfellasdreaming

Tania Syron, Campaign Coordinator.

*Supporters of the Blackfellas Dreaming Museum Collection;*

Linda Burney, Member of Parliament, Canterbury , Patron of Blackfellas Dreaming Museum (non-financial)
Clover Moore M.P., Lord Mayor of Sydney, Patron of Blackfellas Dreaming Museum (non-financial)
Terry Cutcliffe, Director, Addison Road Gallery, Marrickville Patron of Blackfellas Dreaming Museum (non-financial)
Noel Tovey, Theatre Director, officially opened the museum in 2004
**Carole Johnson, Founder NAISDA Dance College and Bangarra Dance Theatre, Australi
Michael Franti, International Musician, San Francisco
Marcelle Hoff, Councillor, City of Sydney
The Hon. Dr. Meredith Bergmann, Sydney
Steven Gunther, Director, Gestalt Institute 
Dr. Vivien Johnson, Lecturer COFA, University of NSW
Dr. Janie Conway-Herron, Lecturer, School of Arts & Social Sciences, Southern Cross University
Michelle Arens, Art Collections Manager, University of New England
**Dudley Leggett, Chairman of Directors, Sustainability Research Institute, Australia
Faye Nelson, Director NAISDA, & ex-director of Aboriginal Arts Board, Australia Council
Sheryl Connors, Senior Curator, Aboriginal & Torres Straight Islander Art, Australian Museum , Sydney
Keith Munro, Aboriginal Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
Brenda Croft, Senior Curator, Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Art, National Gallery of Australia, Canberr
Caroline Martin, Manager, Bunjilaka, Museum of Victoria
Susan Syron, Aboriginal Education Liaison Officer, Cheltham High School , Taree, NSW
Harry Callaghan, Dirsector, Ghinni Ghinni Youth Services, Taree, NSW
Bronwyn Bancroft, Aboriginal Artist, Sydney
**Karla Dickens, Aboriginal Artist, Bangalow
**Darren Cooper, Aboriginal Artist, Cooperskooricreations, Redfern
Tim Ives, Aboriginal Artists, Byron Bay
Yondee, Aboriginal Artist, Western Australia
**Mark Gerada, Artist, Chippendale.
Kristin Coburn, Artist, Sydney
Reg Lynch, Cartoonist / Artist / Curator, Sydney
**William Currie Colket, Software Engineer , U.S.A.
Doreen P. Colket, Public Accountant, U.S.A
Dr. Meredith B. Colket, III, Fellow, United Technologies Research Centre, E. Hartford, CT USA
Jill Brogan, Guerrilla Management, San Francisco
**Aku Kadogo, Director, Black Theatre Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan USA
Avil Alba, Education Director, Sydney Jewish Museum
Roslyn Sugarman, Curator, Sydney Jewish Museum
Mary Scholl, U.S. Consulate, Sydney
Dominic Kanak, Indigenous Green Councillor, boondiboondi Bondi Waverley Ward
Jacqui Houston, Editor, Indigenous Law Bulletin, Indigenous Law Centre, Faculty of Law, University of NSW.
Jason Glanville, Programs & Strategy Director, Reconciliation Australia
Gary Highland , Director, ANTAR - Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation
Chris Graham, Editor, National Indigenous Times
Stephanie Britton AM, Executive Editor, Artlink Magazine
Debra Cole, Bay FM99.9
Mungo MacCallum, Freelance Journalist
Tess Hilleard, Freelance Journalist, Stroud
Angie Abdilla, Aboriginal Filmmaker, Sydney
**Sienna Brown, Producer, Pine Street Films, Sydney, Australia
Pandora Nguyen, SBS Television
Rebecca Ingram, Documentary Filmaker, Byron Bay
David Ingram, Film Production Designer, Vaucluse
**Graham Storey, Passionate art lover, Black Fella's Dreaming Website viewer, Sydney
Affie Adagio, Family Therapist, Sydney
Derya Han, Psychologist, Sydney
Maggie Hanson, Writer, Sydney
Ian Shaw, Public Servant of Victoria
Ernie Eason, ex-Prison Officer of NSW Corrective Services 
Cindy Watson, Manager, Readback Books, Darwin
Andreea Maddox, Drea's DreamShops, Sydney
Carolyn Ienna, Entertainer, Sydney
Daphne Hardin & Jean McKenzie, Real Estate Agents, Darlinghurst
Trish Griffiths, Events Manager, Port Macquarie, NSW
Luke Psywalker, D.J., Byron Bay
Ffrancis MacDonald-Ingram, Welsh Story Teller, United Kingdom
Connor Calhaun, Aboriginal Dancer, 8 years old, Canterbury , NSW
Emma Beckett, Awabakal Pre-School, Newcastle
Narelle Miller, Families First Program, Mindaribba Local Aboriginal Land Council
Delece Manton, Manager, Warlga Ngurra Newcastle
Janice MacAskill, Warlga Ngurra Newcastle
Sue Slee, Warlga Ngurra Newcastle
Shandalee Saunders, Kup-Poon-Dee Raymond Terrace
Tony Cameron, Men's Worker Kup-Poon-Dee Community Services Raymond Terrace
**Sharon Taylor, Indigenous Early Education Person
Sabine Wagnre, Carries Place, Maitalnd
Anne Hayter, Port Stevens Youth Options Coordinator, Raymond Terrace
**Jenny Campbell, Aboriginal Education Worker
Steven Strong, Teacher, Mullumbimby High School, Mullumbimby, NSW
Margaret Wilkinson, Assistant Principal & Chair of Indigenous Education Committee, Clovelly Public School
Vanessa Fitzgibbon, Teacher, Clovelly Public School
Paula Bertoli, Teacher, Rose Bay Secondary College
Stephen Friend, Solicitor for Black Fella's Dreaming Museum
Hillary Bone, Solicitor for Black Fella's Dreaming Museum, Brunswick Heads, NSW
Eric Nair, former employee, Black Fella's Dreaming Museum
Lyn Stark, former employee, Manager & Curator, Black Fella's Dreaming Museum
Jules Tweedy, former employee, Black Fella's Dreaming Museum
Anne-Marie Anderson, former employee, Black Fella's Dreaming Museum
Christopher Kitchener, Concerned Citizen, Bangalow
Jim Mann, Dept of Medical & Molecular Biology,
University of Technology, Sydney
Rachel Kitchener, Website Designer for Black Fella's Dreaming,
Student, Melbourne University, Victoria
**Irene Perkoulidis, RMIT student, Victoria
Cathryn Kriewaldt, RMIT Lecturer, Victoria
Alice O'Brien, Student, Hobart University , Tasmania
Benjamin Joseph Dynan, Student of Sustainability, Victoria
Sara Kitchener, Student, Macquarie University, Sydney
Stephanie Hope, Law Student, University of NSW
Amy Maguire, PhD candidate and tutor, School of Law, University of Newcastle
Mairtin A. Mag Uidhir, Administration Assistant, Fees and Scholarships, University  of Newcastle
Robin Smith, Business Owner & manager, Bondi Community Night Markets
Aina Ranke, Deeply Concerned Citizen, NSW
Chris and Peg Bilkey, Concerned Citizens.
Alan Wilkinson, Concerned Citizen, Beuro of Meteorology, NSW
Elizabeth Burke, Concerned Citizen, NSW
Sinddy Ealy, Concerned Citizen, NSW
Jeanette Searle, Concerned Citizen, Disability Services, Rockhampton
Jessica & Michael Hamilton, Parents & Concerned Citizens, Rockhampton
Joan Flynn, Mother of Koori Kids, Canterbury
Chani Rooney, Mother of Koori Kids, NSW
Samantha Hudson, Scotland
Matt Thomasson, Scotland
Tania Syron, Mother & Concerned Citizen, NSW

Comments about the Collection

*Comments from the Save Black Fella's Dreaming Petition* 

"The time has come, to say fair's fair"
Aku Kadogo, Director, Black Theatre Program, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.   

"I truly believe we need to keep this museum open for all to see. I support you 1000000000000000+ %".
Sharon Taylor, Indigenous Early Education Person.    

"You have My support  for Black fella Dreaming."
Darren Cooper Of Cooperskooricreations! 

"This concerns me deeply as it reminds me of the tragedy of the Carrolup collection of artworks prepared by stolen children in WA and I believe the Syron collection should remain under Indigenous guardianship." Aina Ranke, Deeply Concerned Citizen

"Good luck....the spirits may come alive and work in elaine and gordon's favour....crossing all fingers." Karla Dickens, Aboriginal Artist

"The Blackfellas Dreaming Museum is a very unique collection, lovingly collected from all parts of the country and as such is reflective of not just one indigenous group, but many.  It's an important collection that needs our support so it can survive for future generations of all Australians to experience and to enjoy."
Sienna Brown , Producer, Pine Street Films, Sydney, Australia. 

"I have visited the Museum in Bangalow on a number of occasions and found it a unique, and fascinating record of art and artifacts that illustrate usual aspects of modern aboriginal culture and presents an important perspective on the tension between aboriginal and white australian cultures."
Dudley Leggett, Chairman of Directors, Sustainability Research Institute, Australia. 

"And in the face of Climate Change...a little bit more of an Indigenous world view will go a long long way. This collection is about connection to land and Survival!"
Tania Syron, Save Black Fella's Dreaming Campaign Co-ordinator. 

"I really hope you are able to save the museum as it should be an Aboriginal icon."
Graham Storey, passionate art lover and regular viewer of the Black Fella's Dreaming website. 

"I support the museum, our heritage should not be sold off."
Jenny Campbell, Aboriginal Education Worker

"BFD had been around for many years before I stumbled upon it. I was fortunate enough to be part of the creation of it's Bangalow Museum/Gallery in 2004. The process of creating a space to display and appreciate all of these amazing historical moments was one of the most enjoyable I have ever had. The people involved were filled with so much commitment and love towards the collection, and this emanated throughout the 'shed' and poured into the people who came to it, and those who they then spoke to about it, and so on. It is the most 'real' experience I as a white fella have had with the artistic expression (contemporary and traditional) of Indigenous Australians. This place is important and has got to stay!"
Irene Perkoulidis, RMIT student, Victoria 

I am writing in support of "Black Fellas Dreaming Museum". An establishment like this is important for so many reasons - for art, for culture, and for the dream that the true history of this land will one day become a normal part of everyone's lives. Honesty creates peace, honesty allows for true justice and honesty will allow for looking after this land the way it deserves to be.
Mark Gerada, Artist, Chippendale NSW