March - meditation, meaning and mirrors

March moves towards meditations on the meaning of Easter - personified, in part, with the Stalwell Gift foot race and contemplations of the power of 30 or - the Power of 10, ten young Australian architects redesigning Town Hall.

Betrayal and rebellion, in 1808, are the focus of a Sydney exhibition about Governor Bligh. The ageless juxtaposition of death with the celebration of life is explored in Pedro Wonaeamirri's Pukkumani poles (Melbourne).

It is time to meditate on landscapes beautiful yet scarred, silent, yet peopled with characters of perserverance. Contemplation of contemporary life - through fiction in all its forms (Sydney) and 1980s visual arts (Brisbane) - is offered as a reflection in a Hall of Mirrors (Canberra). Strut's modern dance performance in Perth complements festivals in Hobart, Tilba Tilba, Bermagui and Candelo.

New and revised Australian Stories

Easter
Indigenous Architecture
Hill End Painters

Featured event

Del Kathryn Barton - Melbourne

5 March - 5 April 2008

Exhibition of the winner of the 2008 Archibald Prize. As well as painting, sculpture and drawing are an integral part of Barton’s practice. More...

Featured website

Michael Riley, Sights Unseen - Sydney

22 February - 27 April 2008

The National Gallery of Australia website showcases Michael Riley's Sights Unseen exhibition of black-and-white portraiture, video, digital media and film, currently at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. More...

News snippets

Design and architecture

culture.gov.au/news/design.htm

The Power of 10 - Sydney

13 March - 31 May 2008

Ten selected third-year Architecture students from UTS redesign the Town Hall in today's contemporary society. More...

Digital media and film

culture.gov.au/news/digitalmedia.htm

Flickerfest International Short Film Festival - National tour

January - 28 March 2008

Alongside Flickerfest, Australia's premier short film festival, are a number of special spotlights including The Bold, The Brave and The Best - 30 years of Australian Animation. More...

Festivals and conferences

culture.gov.au/news/festivalsandconferences.htm

Tilba Easter Festival - Central Tilba, New South Wales

22 March 2008

On Easter Saturday, the Tilba community runs a non profit festival of music, bush games, art shows, street theatre, circus workshops, craft demonstrations, puppet show and market stalls. More...

History and identity

culture.gov.au/news/historyandidentity.htm

Politics and Power: Bligh's Sydney Rebellion 1808 - Sydney

21 January - 27 April 2008

This exhibition of original pictures, manuscripts and printed works presents the story of the arrest of William Bligh, fourth Governor of New South Wales. More...

Indigenous arts

culture.gov.au/news/indigenousarts.htm

Pedro Wonaeamirri - Melbourne

4 - 29 March 2008

This is Pedro Wonaeamirri's sixth solo exhibition, in conjunction with Jilamara Arts & Crafts, Northern Territory and includes carved figures, Pukumani poles, paintings on linen and paper. More...

Language and literature

culture.gov.au/news/languageandliterature.htm

Contemporary Australian Fiction Festival – Sydney

29 March 2008

The festival celebrates Australian contemporary fiction in all its forms and features novelists, new writers, children's and young adult fiction, poets and playwrights. More...

Performance

culture.gov.au/news/performance.htm

Strut Dance, Schreibstück - Perth

20 - 22 March 2008

Choreographers from STRUT dance interpret this work by one of Berlin's most inventive artists, Thomas Lehmen - renowned for breaking the rules of conventional performance. More...

Resources and funding

culture.gov.au/news/resourcesandfunding.htm

Cultural Ministers Council (CMC) - Communiqué - Ministerial statement on the Creative Innovation Economy

29 February 2008

A statement by the CMC on the new Building a creative innovation economy report. CMC is inviting public comment on this report. More...

Sport and recreation

culture.gov.au/news/sportandrecreation.htm

Stawell Gift - Stawell, Victoria

22 - 24 March 2008

The Stawell Gift has been held in all but two years since 1878 and has developed into one of the most esteemed footraces in Australia and the world. More...

Visual arts and crafts

culture.gov.au/news/visualarts.htm

Hall of Mirrors: Anne Zahalka Portraits 1987-2007 - Canberra

23 November 2007 - 30 March 2008

Hall of Mirrors examines portraiture, representation and identity throughout Zahalka's celebrated career, which spans more than 20 years. More...

Websites - new

culture.gov.au/news/websites.htm

Australia Council for the Arts

The Australia Council for the Arts has a new website. In 2006-07, the Australia Council provided $156 million in total funding through 1799 grants, projects and initiatives to artists and arts organisations. More...

Portal news

Collections Australia Network (CAN) has become one of the programs adminstered by the Creative Industries and Online Resources section within the Culture Division of the new Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA).

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