PrintCulture in Transit
Culture in Transit brought together Australian born and newly arrived migrant and refugee young people who live or attend school in Maroondah to work with the workshop's arts therapist Victoria Schnaedelbach and multicultural youth orkers Kate Wide and Mel Jeffery to explore the concept of identity through various art mediums.
Object and symbol were used to make artworks that represented before, being and becoming; a suitcase of yesterdays and memories, a wearable t-shirt telling who I am today and my hopes, and flying into the future with a kite carrying wishes and dreams on the winds for tomorrows yet to come.
Documentary filmmaker Edwina Entwisle was also on board the summer journey, working with participants to make a short film about the process and underlying stories.
The project incorporated four stages, three of which involve story telling through different mediums and the fourth was used to plan and curate and exhibition of the works created.
During the project's first stage, participants used paint to create designs on suitcases, symbolising where they have come from and their past. 
In the second stage, group members had the opportunity to use textiles and material to create a t-shirt design representing who they are and what has influenced them most in life as they make the transition to adulthood.
The final art stage involved participants using craft materials and construction techniques to make and paint a kite. The kites symbolised each group member's expectations and hopes for the future.
Amongst these young people, many varied threads of transition, change and adjustment were evident in their small, and humble creative storied tellings. Small tellings of courage and big journeys borne of their short lives thus far.
For further information email Council's Arts Planning and Policy Officer
