A new exhibition showcasing the artwork of four generations of one Victorian Aboriginal family leads the NAIDOC Week celebrations at Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Melbourne Museum.

The exhibition, Ngujarn and Nakun: Our eyes, Our footprints, presents a diverse range of works – from woodwork and grass baskets to paintings and quilts – by Albert and Rachel Mullett, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Through the art of the Mullet Family, the exhibition explores cultural connections to Country and shared history and experience. The family’s footprints, now spread across Victoria and Southern NSW, still follow the foundations laid by Ngujarn and Nakun (Grandmother and Grandfather).

“This is a rare opportunity to show a broad collection of works from different generations of one Aboriginal family,” said Caroline Martin, Manager of Bunjilaka. “The Mullett Family is an amazingly talented network of artists, and we are proud to have these works displayed as part of Bunjilaka’s NAIDOC Week program.”

NAIDOC Week (5 – 12 July) is an important event celebrating the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. In 2009 the week’s theme is ‘Honouring Our Elders, Nurturing Our Youth’. Ngujarn and Nakun: Our eyes, Our footprints opens on 10 July, as a part of NAIDOC week celebrations at Melbourne Museum, and will run until 8 November.

Other NAIDOC Week events at Bunjilaka and Melbourne Museum include:

Ask the experts
Bring along objects and images from your own Indigenous collection, and let Melbourne Museum’s experts give you advice on identification (what it is), provenance (where it is from) and dating (how old it is).
Where: Discovery Centre, Lower Ground Floor, Melbourne Museum
When: Sunday 5 July, 2009, from 11am to 5pm

Blak Fella Films
Watch a showcase of short films from the 2008 Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival, including Cannes award winner Warwick Thornton’s short film Nana, Backseat by Victorian Aboriginal filmmaker Pauline Whyman, Yolgnu Guya Djamamirr: The story of the Chooky Dancers and the very beautiful Bollywood Dreaming.
Where: Bunjilaka, Melbourne Museum
When: 5 to 12 July 2009, from 10.00am to 5.00pm

Milarri Garden Cultural Tours
Join a tour of the Milarri native plant garden at Bunjilaka to learn about artefacts produced using plant materials, food fibre and medicinal plants, and watch an eel feeding demonstration.
Where: The Milarri Garden, Melbourne Museum
When: Wednesday 8 and Thursday 9 July 2009, at 2pm and 3pm

Gunditjmara – Moving Forward
Learn about the Gunditjmara community project Gunditj Mirring Keeping Place at the Lake Condah Mission site with Damien Bell, the Project Manager for the Lake Condah Sustainable Development Project.
Where: The Age Theatre, Lower Ground Floor, Melbourne Museum
When: Tuesday 7 July 2009, 5pm to 8pm

Melbourne Museum, Nicholson Street, Carlton. Open 10.00am to 5.00pm daily. Admission: $8 Adults, children and concession FREE.  For further information, visit museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseum or phone 13 11 02.