Local Artist helps bring NAIDOC week to life for at the City of Armadale

As part of the City’s NAIDOC week celebration for 2024, a competition was held for local artists. The Art Business Development Competition encouraged local emerging artists to submit a design that included the theme for NAIDOC Week 2024- Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud and to include their connection to the Armadale region as part of the design.

This is a City founded and led initiative, to encourage and support local Aboriginal artists and create opportunities to develop their talents into a viable business.

The City is delighted to announce Caitlin Schnaars from Seville Grove as the winning artist, for her artwork called ‘Fire’. Caitlin’s artwork drew inspiration from her grandfather and his unwavering strength, his sharing of their culture, and the inspiration from the natural landscapes like the Armadale Hills that have been ever present for most of her life in and around the City of Armadale.

Caitlin’s artwork was used to design the NAIDOC Week uniform that City staff will wear. Included in her prize, Caitlin won a Business Development Package through the Western Australian Indigenous Tour Operators Council (WAITOC), which includes 40 hours of mentorship and a $5,000.00 development budget.

Caitlin said: “I’m honoured to have won this competition, as it is very special to receive this validation that my art has meaning to the wider community. I’ve been an artist for as long as I can remember, and this has reignited my passion to continue creating and sharing my art. I am really grateful for this award and opportunity.”

City of Armadale staff will wear a uniform featuring Caitlin’s design, as a celebration of NAIDOC Week and local art.

Mayor Ruth Butterfield said: “Congratulations Caitlin. We look forward to showcasing your winning design during NAIDOC Week as we celebrate together as a community. It’s wonderful to see so many talented local artists in the City, and we are proud to create and drive initiatives that give local artists an opportunity for wider impact and exposure.”

After successfully working with Caitlin in the leadup to NAIDOC Week, the City is interested in commissioning Caitlin for some further work on a specialist project.

The full transcript that accompanied Caitlin’s winning submission is below.

“My inspiration for the drawing comes from a close relationship with my grandfather throughout my life, his unwavering strength to get through whatever life threw at him while also being a father figure to myself and my sister. This is a celebration to the culture I inherited from him and I am proud to be his granddaughter, I will keep the fire burning I promise. The background represents the things I love about Armadale, the hills that I stare at while daydreaming as a passenger in the car, Minnawarra park and the many other creaks that my mum would take us to as kids for a day out, and the community of Armadale itself as its where I've lived for most of my life. I hope you enjoy my artwork and the meaning behind it.”