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Sea Country: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the book Sea Country. In this picture book, Aunty Patsy Cameron shares the stories and traditions from her family’s seasonal life on Flinders Island in Tasmania. Find out when to pick ripe wild cherries, when the moon (mutton) birds fly home and how the nautilus shells smell ...

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The Mark of the Wagarl: Unit of work

This unit of work has been written to support the book The Mark of the Wagarl. The book tells the story of Maadjit Walken, the Sacred Rainbow Serpent, mother spirit and creator of the Nyoongar Country of south west Western Australia. The story shares how a young boy receives the Maadjit Wagarl for his totem. This unit includes ...

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The Nutcracker: primary and secondary school resources

The Australian Ballet's EduHub provides a range of resources about ballet including information on their productions. In this re-imagining of Tchaikovsky's the Nutcracker, the story of Clara is transported to 1950s Australia where the once famous Russian ballerina is reflecting on her past life and its triumphs and travails ...

Online

NGV Asian art

This is a series of PDF and multimedia resources that illustrate and interpret examples of Asian art. Intended primarily for teachers of Foundation through to year 10, the series consists of c.45 two-page PDFs with text and images that include paintings, ceramics, textiles, and sculptures, and 11 multimedia resources that ...

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Alexander Schramm: 'Adelaide, a tribe of natives on the banks of the river Torrens' 1850

This is a painting made in 1850 by Australian colonial artist Alexander Schramm depicting Kaurna people, sheltering under gum trees in Adelaide parkland. The painting is shown as an enlargeable image and in a video. Text onscreen gives information on Schramm’s life and practice as he is known for his sympathetic representation ...

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Daniel Walbidi, 'Kirriwirri', 2010

This is a painting by Mangala/Yulparija artist Daniel Walbidi (b1983) depicting his grandfather and grandmother’s country on his father’s side. The painting is shown as an enlargeable image. This work was exhibited as a part of the second National Indigenous Art Triennial, ‘unDisclosed’, at the National Gallery of Australia ...

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Australian collection

This database features a selection of Australian artworks from QAGOMA. The searchable database provides artwork images, background information about the artist and the artwork, classroom activities, a glossary of key terms and curriculum alignment information for teachers. Search results can be refined by theme, period, ...

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Indigenous Australian collection

This federated search from the QAGOMA database features a selection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks from the collection. The searchable database provides artwork images, background information about the artist and the artwork, a map of major Indigenous regions in Australia, classroom activities, a glossary ...

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What's that mystery instrument?

Watch this video to learn about a spooky sounding instrument called the theremin. How is it played? Listen as it joins the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to play music from the TV show Dr Who. Do you like the sounds it makes? Why or why not?

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What is Music?: What makes the music of Star Wars so iconic?

Star Wars begins with the biggest B-flat chord you’ve ever heard! John Williams’s fanfare is so iconic that people usually recognise what they’re watching without even looking at the screen. So, what informs the music and makes it so powerful? What techniques can you apply in your own compositions?

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Charles Conder: 'Hot wind' 1889

In the late 19th century symbolism was used in depictions of the Australian Colonial landscape. This example painted by Charles Conder was painted during the Victorian drought in 1889.How does the artist convey the heat of the Australian landscape in this image? What role does the female figure play in this painting?

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Conrad Martens: 'View from Rose Bank' 1840

Many early artists romanticised the Australian colonial landscape and did not always strictly paint what they saw. In this example Martens has given the landscape a decidedly Italian atmosphere, softening the colour palate and creating a more ‘civilised' view. Can you think of why the artist may be interested in changing ...

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BTN: Tiwi music: Keeping an ancient culture alive

Discover how music and dance are helping to keep the traditions of the Tiwi people alive. The customs and stories of the Tiwi people have been passed on to new generations through storytelling, song and dance. Many of the remaining languages of Australia's ancient Indigenous cultures are being lost. Today there is a race ...

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John Lewin: 'Reed warbler' 1805

Natural history illustrator John Lewin was the first professional artist to come to Australia as a free settler. His collected illustrations of native birds became the first non-government book published in the colony. How difficult do you think it was to identify and illustrate so many different birds?

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John Glover: 'Patterdale landscape with cattle' c. 1833

John Glover migrated to Tasmania in 1831, arriving on his 64th birthday. He is considered one of Australia's most important artists of the early 19th century and the colonial period. This piece was one of the first he completed after taking up a land grant in Patterdale on the Nile River. The pastoral scene depicts the ...

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Eugene von Guérard: 'Purrumbete from across the lake' 1858

Lured to Australia by the discovery of gold, Eugene von Guérard was the lead painter in the first century of European settlement. This piece is one of a pair that was commissioned by land owners Peter and John Manifold. Von Guérard was known for his mastery of landscapes, and his attention to detail and interest in the ...

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li-Maramaranja Dugong Hunters

The story of the Dugong Hunters, or li-Maramaranja, belongs to the Rrumburriya clan of the Yanyuwa people, who live along the Gulf coast of the Northern Territory. In this story, the dugong hunter Jurruji encounters trouble when he falls into a crevasse on an island in the Gulf of Carpentaria. This story from the Yanyuwa ...

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'The Rajah quilt' 1841

The Rajah quilt was made by female convicts on route from England to the colony of Tasmania in 1841. It consists of 2815 pieces of fabric and was presented to the Governor's wife upon arrival as a testament to the women's industry. The women learned these skills on the long journey to Australia on board their convict ship ...

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Kurdarrku: The Brolga

The dance of the Brolga is one of the most graceful in the world. In this Dreaming story from the Mambaliya-Wawukarriya clan of the Yanyuwa people, the Brolga's dance is recreated in stunning animation. The Brolga travels through the country west of the Gulf of Carpentaria, creating plains, wells, trees and lagoons. This ...

Online

TrackSAFE Education Primary School Resources: Year 3, Year 4 The Arts

This unit uses various arts practices as the stimuli for exploring the safety message of Stop, Look, Listen, Think. Students create woven artworks to incorporate safety messages; they collaboratively develop a play about safety; and explore rap as a music form and combined with dance convey a safety message in a performance.