Shooting Stars art exhibition, Art with the Stars, opens at Carnarvon Library and Art Gallery

A program empowering Indigenous girls has again shot for the stars, this time delivering a unique artistic project connecting community and culture.

A Shooting Stars art exhibition consisting of eight projects across six different locations has come to fruition, opening in Carnarvon.

Shooting Stars is a program targeted for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander girls in WA and SA, currently reaching more than 1200 girls and young women.

As part of the program, Shooting Stars staff organise yarning circles with participants, communities and local steering committees to gain feedback.

In 2019 one of the Shooting Stars steering committees suggested a local cultural project, with two key outcomes — allowing participants to connect with and learn more about their culture, identity and community through art or storytelling and that the work be shared with non-Aboriginal community members who could learn more about the local Indigenous culture.

From there, Shooting Stars applied for pilot funding and the Art with the Stars project was born in 2021.

The project saw Shooting Stars participants connect with a local Aboriginal artist, with the exhibition bringing together artwork made across eight different projects at six different sites, including Carnarvon, Halls Creek, Mullewa, Collie, Fitzroy Crossing and Perth.

In Carnarvon, a painted papier-mache project was delivered by Bonni Ingram, while a basket-weaving project was produced with Esma McMahon. Rodelle Battle and Rebecca Councillor worked together on a mural project on two walls at the local Mullewa school.

The Art with the Stars project has been funded through Lotterywest and the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

The exhibition runs until November 25 at Carnarvon Library and Art Gallery.