Join Jo Bowers, PhD, on The Artist Journey as we explore the deep connections of kinship, art, and community.

Discover how Indigenous traditions, art therapy, and the Corroboree Circle inspire resilience, healing, and authentic relationships in our modern world.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction: The Meaning of Kinship 01:19 – Health, Relationships, and Resilience 03:16 – The Artist Journey & Host Introduction 03:22 – Where to Find Us & Sponsor 04:12 – Art as Life: Indigenous Perspectives 06:55 – The Yellow Rose: Friendship and Art 08:00 – Art as Sacred Medicine & Community Healing 28:08 – Closing Thoughts: Custodianship, Empowerment, and Community

Keywords

art, kinship, community, Indigenous culture, Corroboree, healing, art therapy, resilience, relationships, Jo Bowers, Oz Fine Art, art as medicine, family, connection, empowerment, artist journey, sacred art, storytelling, mental health, creativity, custodianship

 

Transcript

[00:00:00] In our modern world, we talk about networks and contacts and followers, but what about kinship? What about the enduring connections that humanity has nurtured for millennia under the stars, around the circle, around the hearth of the family? Kinship is really the heart and soul of human connections. What have we done with kinship in the modern world?

[00:00:34] We've replaced it with follower counts. How joyful. Well, there is another way. And we can make the choices that we need to make to encourage real and genuine connections. This show is about the Corroboreeee Circle, the places where we meet and share authentic human [00:01:00] bonds of friendship. This is about the nature of art itself as a form of custodianship that is of our mutual responsibility to take care of ourselves and each other.

[00:01:15] This is the story of the circle. Our health science tells us is intimately connected to the quality of our relationships, to the depth of our connections. These are the enduring qualities that sustain us, that give us meaning and purpose and a sense of place. These connections not only define our identity, but they provide for us a sense of resilience, our ability to cope with the stresses of life and the challenges of the modern world are.

[00:01:48] Intricately linked to how strong our relationships are in our day-to-day life. These are the forms of friendship and kinship that strengthen [00:02:00] our mental health and our capacity to cope. These are the ways that we survive the vagaries of life in society, losing jobs. Having to move homes, the loss of a loved one without intimate connections, without solid friendships, without family that we can rely on.

[00:02:22] These major challenges in life become almost unbearable in indigenous cultures. There is an ancient and wise teaching, a living truth, that art and lifestyle are never separated. They, they are one and the same. They are in kinship with each other. In our experience of family, community, and sacred country, there's a coming together of all of the parts of our lives.

[00:02:54] There's a sense of community, there's a sense of sharing and of a [00:03:00] bond that is stronger than even the ties of blood. The Corroboree in Indigenous Cultures is a gathering place of song and dance of story. This is the Artist Journey. I'm your host, Jo Bowers PhD. Our show appears natively on Oz Fine Art YouTube Oz Fine Art Collective on Substack and Apple Podcasts.

[00:03:27] Our sponsor is. OzFineArt.Au. An artist scholar, practitioner inspired project that combines artfulness transformational agency and the sacred business of nurturing relationships in our interconnected world. Please join our community by visiting our home at ozfineart.au.

[00:03:53] Please consider acquiring one of our beautiful artworks. And do remember to join our [00:04:00] community bimonthly, periodical. We so look forward to seeing you. Thank you so much.

[00:04:09] In indigenous cultures, art was never meant to be some painting hanging on a wall. Art was part of life and remains to be this day. This is a dynamic and moving process. This is an expression of family, culture, and community, a connection with the sacred country. Art is a place of gathering. Art is the song and dance that's shared around the fire.

[00:04:42] Art is the song that expresses our hearts, our desires, our dreams, and our stories of origin. Art is the lifeblood of the family. Art in this sense is a personal expression that's shared amongst a [00:05:00] community, not a commodity so much to be sold on the open market or to be devalued by having a price tag attached to it.

[00:05:08] But art is, in this sense, a sacred object, a sacred artifact of a living culture. And this is true. Today, just as much as centuries past and even in our modern world, we can appreciate art in this deeper connection that it provides for us, this deeper sense of purpose, identity, and place. These truths are certainly not lost on us today when you join an art class or.

[00:05:44] Join a local ceramic association, or when you engage in a painting course or you visit a gallery, or you explore a new artist that you didn't know before, you [00:06:00] are instinctively involving yourself in this ancient tradition of. Reconnecting to the heart, to the soul of family and community, to the humanity that you share.

[00:06:13] When you explore and learn about art, you are literally appreciating the soul of humanity. And, and as such, there is so much. To learn and so much to appreciate and enjoy in this artistic journey. Moving from a sense of isolation and even loneliness through reconnecting with art, especially with others, is really at the heart of what we're on about.

[00:06:44] And in this sense, I share one of. Dwayne Wannamarra's paintings of the yellow rose. This painting is especially poignant for me because it came out of a conversation I had with Dwayne [00:07:00] that I challenged him to paint a, picture of a rose that was really realistic. And that I was struggling at that time to do this myself.

[00:07:11] I wanted to see how would he paint a rose, and I knew that his painting skills in the realism side of painting were a bit stronger than mine. And so I asked him to do this. And the, a result of the painting was poignant for me of the solitary, beautiful yellow rose representing friendship.

[00:07:33] Especially, and that he painted this rose coming out of the conversations that we had was very powerful for me. This was born out of a playful conversation, but at the same time, it expressed the depth of love and caring and of consideration in our friendship over many years. And so this social connection, this deep.

[00:07:57] Spiritual bond that we share [00:08:00] through art is a form of sacred medicine. It is literally a way of healing the soul, healing the mind from our innate sense of a loneliness and isolation that we get stuck into like a rut and getting ourselves out of this. Sometimes takes a fair bit of work, a fair bit of effort, and really I've found that making that process easier, uh, is, is central to what really art and sharing art with others is all about.

[00:08:37] It provides a third element in therapy. There's this principle of the third element, which always. Is an enabler is a way of facilitating change and development and growth. The third element in therapy is that part that is inserted into the process that makes things easier [00:09:00] and or more enjoyable. That makes learning more approachable, more interesting, and more innovative, more creative.

[00:09:10] The third element enables us to engage in a process of stepping out of our limitations and moving towards our possibilities. This third element is really the process that art provides in so many ways as a therapeutic element in our lives. Also, a medium of education and a process of moving forward in learning and development and in relationships.

[00:09:42] Art is something that we share in the sense that is a way of learning together, of bringing our insights into community and family and moving these. These realizations forward in ways that art [00:10:00] expresses moments in our lives. Events and, and celebratory times and places of deep grief and loss art expresses an almost.

[00:10:13] Becomes a symbol of those times and memories. And so this process accumulates over time and grows and becomes even more important as the years go on. This is really, I suppose, at the heart of what the ancient cultural traditions speak about in the seasonal gatherings of the family of, of the wider clan.

[00:10:39] Every year we would have a. Big family reunion, and they were wonderful times of gathering on the beach where our grandparents and our parents would all get together, and cousins and the whole clan, the whole tribe would be there. And what a beautiful event. Such [00:11:00] powerful memories for me and these gatherings really came to symbolize.

[00:11:08] A special time each year that we would look forward to, and that would sustain us through the darkness of winter. That would give us a sense of hope that sharing and remembering those times together would. Create laughter and joy when we would share the stories of what we did together on the beach and how we prepared beautiful meals and how we sat together under the stars around the fire and told stories, and heard songs played by members of the family on their instruments and, and, and their beautiful voices.

[00:11:46] These moments these times would combat the isolation that would remind us of our humanity on one hand, but of our deep connections, of our identity, our sense of [00:12:00] place, our place within community, within country. This is part of the Powwow. This is part of the custodianship that emerges through the Corroboree.

[00:12:11] This is our sense of mutual respect. And of taking care of each other through good times and through hard times. And art becomes an expression of this in the sense that this is an artifact of the power of our relationships, of the sacredness of our bonds. This is why community in this modern and social world that we are in now, we really thank you so much for having time with us.

[00:12:43] We value your time and your, your consideration of these themes that we share in this show. This is the artist journey. And I am your host, Jo Bowers, PhD. Our community is so central to our [00:13:00] lives, and so we reach out in this modern way and we reach across the screen to you in your life, in your home. And thank you so much for being with us.

[00:13:12] It is enjoyable for us to be with you, and we hope that you enjoy this process too. Please subscribe to our channel if you haven't already, and like, and, comment below please, if you're watching on YouTube. If you're listening on Apple Podcasts, we invite you to visit our website, Oz Fine Art au. A beautiful new website that.

[00:13:36] Explores the narratives and stories of our art, including the paintings behind me on the gallery wall here. And these paintings express many stories and and beautiful events in our lives that we share with others openly and. Would hope that you enjoy that and that you would visit our website and [00:14:00] get in touch with us and enjoy, this process.

[00:14:03] We also have a bimonthly periodical on Substack. You can also subscribe to that by visiting our website, OzFineArt.au. Thank you so much. There is definitely another layer to this. Deep movement of kinship that we share, and that is that when you choose to bring a piece of art into your life, you are entering into a relationship of respect and caring and support for the artist and the artist's family and their community.

[00:14:41] You're not simply making a purchase. You're actually engaging in a form of custodianship. That is forming a sense of relationship and of a co-responsibility and co creativity with the artist. Collecting [00:15:00] art is not simply about acquiring art. Collecting art is becoming a custodian. It is becoming a, a patron of the arts.

[00:15:11] And patrons of the arts are people who care deeply, who invest their personal resources into artists and to the artistic community. And these are people with deep and passionate of values. Becoming a collector and a custodian is a serious decision. It is a way of life. It's a value system that incorporates these ancient, ancient, ways of life and of, an insight into what is most valuable, even in a sense, what is our spirituality.

[00:15:50] It is making our sense of meaning in that we're, we are. Making central the purpose and place of art as part of [00:16:00] our lives to such a degree that we, we invest in it, we put our energy into it, we put our money at it, we give whatever we can to it, and it becomes a central part of our identity and our purpose, our sense of sharing within the human community.

[00:16:19] And this really, I think this is a form of sovereignty. Because custodianship above all is a form of an independence, but a, an acknowledgement of our interdependence, our reliance on each other in community and of the, the realization that when we pay forward. We are doing the deepest work. When we give, we receive, when we open up, we learn the most and we, we give forward.

[00:16:58] And it makes such a big [00:17:00] difference for the people that we in relationship with, for those artists, their families, for our friends and families who see and enjoy and participate in this artistic. Journey. This is moving out of a passive role as well, I think, and it is about a, a tremendous sense of empowerment and of self-actualization that is of, of moving forward with our own sense of agency, our ability to make choices and become active in the role of an art custodian.

[00:17:40] You're not just owning a painting, you're. Nurturing its story you're carrying forward. It's it's narrative and its history. You're being part of a communal history and how that is shared amongst others. And there's this tension always [00:18:00] between the, the deeply personal layers of a story, the way that an artwork expresses an artist's own personal life.

[00:18:09] Their family, their depth of culture and their spirituality, and yet this is always counterpoint in some sense, to sharing that in the social milieu, in the social environment, these values, these personal aspects of art can form attention a kind of uncomfortable space because it's difficult sharing our personal lives in this.

[00:18:38] Social environment, and this is part of the innate tensions and creativity of the artistic process. And rather than looking at this as losing as a form of loss, as a form of. Of, sacralizing what is sacred [00:19:00] amongst individuals and in community. There is a sense that we can reframe this and understand this in a deeper sense that the empowerment that comes from sharing our deep personal and human stories can enhance our, our personal and familial.

[00:19:23] Stories that this can enhance over time. Our sense of empowerment within our family and community. This is a healing process that happens as art becomes expressed, shared, and then reflected upon where the, the sale of that art becomes. An expression of empowerment becomes an expression of feeding back energy to an individual artist, to their family, to their community, and this becomes a, a [00:20:00] affirming and a, a powerful way to support those individuals in their artistic journey.

[00:20:08] And of course communities around the world have found new ways to actualize this sense of sovereignty in their artwork and the way that they present the artwork to the wider world. And this is really important because our defining how we value our art ourselves in relationship to the wider quote unquote market is, is an important step.

[00:20:36] And it's important not just for us as individual artists, but as artists within community, within a collective, within a, within a sense of com communal evaluation of that art. And what I mean is there are, there are centers, there are, there are nonprofit associations that have been formed. There are.[00:21:00]

[00:21:01] Literally groups of artists that get together and share the burdens of, of selling their art in the marketplace and sharing the aspects of this, which there's so many, there's so many different layers to all of these issues and, and processes and steps involved in, you know, between. Actually making a piece of art and having it sold, in the, in the marketplaces is just an amazingly complex process in, in some sense, especially in our modern world.

[00:21:38] And so the more help we have to do these. Steps to have ideas of how to, how to proceed with this is so helpful and so important. And so this also expresses our sense that we need to come to terms with the value of our [00:22:00] artifacts, the value of our artwork, and, and this. Is a difficult process itself of learning and growth and discovery, and this also is part of the empowerment of the elders and the leaders within our communities that.

[00:22:20] In some senses, you know, this art journey and over the years, particularly through the colonization story, has disempowered the elders in so many ways, and we're turning this around over time. I think that communities are addressing these concerns in new and innovative ways. And it's so important that the authentication of the artworks and their certificates of authentication are central to this,

[00:22:52] this notion that art is grounded within a relationship to the artist [00:23:00] and that artist's sense of place and community and identity and the history of that artist within that tradition is so important. One of the deeply personal lessons that I've learned over the years is that the Corroboreeee and the Powwow and the seasonal gathering of the clan are meant to be teachings that help me in my

[00:23:26] times of deep isolation and of the sorrow and grief and loss that I have felt by being far away from family. And what comforts me in those times is this realization of connection. It is the custodial identity within me, within my spirit that has strengthened not because of anything that I have done or that I do per se, but because of the connections and the [00:24:00] acknowledgement that I have seen and witnessed by my family within my community.

[00:24:06] And this has given me. The teachings that I need to sustain my life, to sustain my work in the world, to enable me to help others, comes from this depth of, really, self-respect that I have learned by having been given that gift from others. And so I so appreciate that because it is a profound gift and it is something that has enabled me to accomplish amazing things over the years from getting

[00:24:42] higher degrees in the academy to publishing books, to being a teacher and a lecturer for many years to engaging in, therapy work as a psychotherapist and to make [00:25:00] beautiful art and see other people enjoy that. Art is a calling for me. It's not something I can choose to do. It's something rather that I can choose to respond to, that I can channel and allow.

[00:25:17] And nurture and support. And that's a sacrifice in many ways because when you put yourself out there, it's difficult. It's not that easy. And you have to come to terms with that. And there's a lot of steps along the way, a lot of issues that need to be dealt with. And I am doing it step by step. I'm getting there, but I'm not there.

[00:25:43] And I admit that I'm so human And this is part of our humanity. And I think this is really, you know, this is at the heart of it because it's the Corroboree and the Powwow and it's the cultural gatherings and it's the, [00:26:00] the moments around the fire, and the stories that we share- that enable us to understand how human we are and that we are all together human.

[00:26:12] And when you know that it deepens your sense of kinship deepens your feeling of connection. It gives you not only a sense of connecting with others and compassion for their struggles, for their stories, but their struggle and their stories inform your own sense. Well, if, if they can cope with that, I can cope with my little piece here and I can move forward with what I have to deal with as hard as it is for me.

[00:26:41] I can do it because I have that support, because I just acknowledge that, and, and that's the first step. I think it's the first, the middle and the last step to acknowledge that is really at the heart of humanity and it's at the center. The [00:27:00] centerpiece of artwork is how these beautiful pieces of art express our relationships, our humanity, our contingency, how that paint on the canvas and those gorgeous colors express the emotional vulnerability that we share.

[00:27:21] As human beings, the stories that mean the most to us and how that flower could express a depth of friendship, a depth of relationship, a beautiful moment in our story of being together and. This is just so powerful and I love it. I'm so glad that you're with us today. And if you've listened this far in the video, please do like, subscribe and comment below what of these artworks behind me here, for example, do you connect with, do you appreciate?

[00:27:59] [00:28:00] So thank you so much for being with us and have a great day.