Murrup Laarr translates as 'Ancestral Stones' in Wadawurrung. This artwork by Dr Deanne Gilson is located in the North Gardens Indigenous Sculpture Park. The park is a significant project for the City of Ballarat and features works by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists, celebrating the richness and diversity of culture and telling important cultural stories. Dr Deanne Gilson is a Wadawarrung Traditional Custodian and established artist. She installed the first artwork commissioned by the City of Ballarat for the Sculpture Park in early 2019. Murrup Laarr is a contemporary artwork consisting of a traditionally-built stone hut in the middle of a circle of basalt standing stones, marked with ceramic plates reflecting the stories and symbols of dreaming, memory, ceremony.The artwork is of aesthetic and cultural, social and spiritual significance to the people of Ballarat and to Wadawurrung peopleA traditional hut made from river stone and stacked rocks, with the hut surrounded by large basalt rocks with plaques featuring unique designs on stoneware plates imbedded into them. Murrup Laarr (Ancestral Stones), 2019 / By Deanne Gilson / Wadawurrung people have always used stones to mark places of ceremony and important business. The stones are the holders of memory and knowledge, Country and Spirit. They mark the cosmos and seasons. They follow the sun, marking the summer and winter solstice, important dates for planting and harvesting and telling stories of past, present and future. / The stones are alive and still present. Murrup Laar has been created using local basalt stones to tell Wadawurrung stories of dreaming, memory and ceremony. / “Creating Murrup Laarr (Ancestral Stones) at this time has placed Aboriginal people and practices back on Country and created a place to tell our stories. I am very honoured to have had this opportunity. An Aboriginal stone circle existed in Ballarat pre-colonisation; by putting back what was lost throughout colonisation I pay homage to my ancestors, past, present and emerging”/ – Deanne Gilson, March 2019 murrup laarr, wadawurrung

Created for Ballarat Apron Festival to present Ballarat's Aboriginal history, to be displayed along side the Festival's Ballarat Apron. Oil painting on handmade treated canvas apron. Two large thick cotton ties at waist and loop for neck. marlene gilson, ballarat, wadawurrung, aboriginal

Waa Waa – Crow Feathers is a painting from Aunty Marlene Gilson’s 2022 exhibition ‘Bunjil Wour Kun Ya – Spirit of My Ancestors’. This work tells the story of Waa-Waa, the first Wadawurrung to see a white man, Matthew Flinders and his crew surveying the southern Australian coastline near the You Yangs on 1 May 1802. Speaking to Wyndham Art Gallery’s curatorial framework themes of Foregrounding, Habitat and Localism, the work portrays in Wadawurrung lore the first sighting of a European and acknowledges Australian First Nations peoples original and ongoing connections with land, history, politics and knowledges of place. The scene is overlooking the You Yangs which is deeply connected with the local place and habitat of the Werribee Plain. Aunty Marlene Gilson is a Wathaurung (Wadawarrung) Elder living on country in Gordon, near Ballarat. Marlene Gilson’s multi-figure paintings work to overturn the colonial grasp on the past by reclaiming and re-contextualising the representation of historical events. Learning her Wathaurung history from her grandmother, Gilson began painting while recovering from an illness. The artist’s meticulously rendered works display a narrative richness and theatrical quality akin to the traditional genre of history painting. Gilson, however, privileges those stories relating to her ancestral land, which covers Ballarat, Werribee, Geelong, Skipton and the Otway Ranges in Victoria. Often including her two totems, Bunjil the Eagle and Waa the Crow, Gilson’s paintings not only reconfigure historical narratives, but display her spiritual connection to Country. australian first nations art, cultural story, australian painting, wathaurung, female artist

Aunty Marlene Gilson is a Wathaurong (Wadawurrung) Elder who lives on Country in the Ballarat area. A self-taught artist, Gilson has received considerable acclaim and attention for her painting of historic encounters, in particular with regard to the retelling of events in which early colonial depictions excluded First Nations people. Marngrook Football depicts the first game of Australian Rules football played between Ballarat and Geelong while a parallel game of Marngrook takes place within view.

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future). The colours of this cloak refer to natural pink ochre and indigenous flowering plants on Wadawurrung Dja. The pink ochre is sourced by Deanne Gilson at Black Hill in Ballarat, Victoria. Men also made woven dilly bags to hold their possessions in. The basket making was an ongoing aspect of daily life for Wadawurrung people and often done in cooler months when the weather was too bad to go outside. Many women and family groups had their own style and techniques that were traded amongst other groups. Wadawurrung women had a particular stitch they used and incorporated elaborate symbols into the basket designs. Tammy Gilson’s weaving represents this stitch. This cloak pays homage to them and the changing seasons as they created, particularly the cooler months leading into the warmer season when several gum blossom flower. This cloak was worn once by artist Deanne Gilson at a formal opening at the Art Gallery of Ballarat in 2022. A Welcome to Country ceremony was performed while wearing it.Pink native flower in baskets motif on a pink background on outer cloak, pink and white diamond and circle design in lining. Solid black trimming. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung dja, first nations art

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future). The black swan cloak refers to the black swan of Geelong and Ballarat were the swan has had its own fight to survive during the early colonial years where white swans were introduced by colonisers and the black swan fought back as they do not naturally get along. The wave pattern is taken from a traditional shield pattern held in the Melbourne Museum, South Eastern archive collection of shields. The wave refers to the water and travelling across water to fish, hunt and survive. This cloak is about survival, water, and the swan living on the water. It also refers to a contemporary dance of Kunuwarra the black swan, which was performed by a group Wadawurrung women (including artist Deanne Gilson) for Tanderrum (Melbourne – Naarm) in 2016. The dance is available to watch on youtube.Black swan, heart motif with water design on outer cloak, female figure and red native flower design on lining. Solid black trimming. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, first nations art, wadawurrung dja

Transfer drawing made at Wunggurrwil Dhurrung Community Centre, and screen printed at Negative Press. public art, australian first nations art, printmaking

My name is Deanne Gilson and I am a proud Wadawurrung woman living on my ancestral Country around Ballarat in Victoria. My practise aims to highlight and bring back traditional women’s symbols and ceremonial practises that reference the lived experience of my ancestors. By reviving traditional marks found on artefacts and women’s business, I am forming links with past ancestral knowledge so that is not lost and continues for the future generations. My art practice relies heavily on the use of symbols and form as a metaphor for the body. I have worked as a full-time artist for over thirty-five years. Many artworks tell stories of the spiritual aspects of culture and myths. Dreaming and Songlines, further creating a yarning space, bring the gap towards reconciliation and healing for my people and others through shared sharing stories. A main focus of my art practice tells the birthing tree and scar tree stories and how Wadawurrung women have evolved and survived, since before and after colonisation. The old symbols find new life, connecting to the contemporary ones, further connecting us all to this Country we all call home.Yaluk, Beep, Murrup, meaning Water, Country, Spirit, incorporates the traditional mark of the wave pattern (often found on wooden shields) used by my ancestors, along with the basalt plains across Wadawurrung Country. By depicting the interaction between the Water and Country, I use ancestral knowledges that are not seen but intuitive to myself, while juxtaposing them against the ancestral stone circle knowledges, embedded with the DNA of our stories. The ochre is reclaimed as real, it is marni-beek, meaning Country, in particular the white ceremonial ochre, often seen on the painted-up figure and used today to reconnect back to our ancestral memory. Reclaiming what was lost through colonisation, but still present in our Dreaming that flows on today through the water spirit. Country has no time limits and water connects to our bodies, which are made up of water. We as a clan, are still here today, living and being on Country, our ancestral spirits live on through us. The original painting is a contemporary account of using ochre to reclaim ancestral knowledge and to be part of the ceremony that is yaluk, beep, murrup. wadawurrung, deanne gilson, water, country, spirit, first nations art

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future). The circle and diamond pattern are ancient symbols used by Wadawurrung people dating pre-colonisation on possum skin and kangaroo skin cloaks, other artefacts like spear heads (carved), wooden shields, stone tools and caves were painted with blood, ochre and bound with grass tree sap, black wattle tree sap and kangaroo fats. The diamond pattern was a strong design used by men on shields and women on baskets and adornments. Shields were taken from the tree in the colder months when the tree was cold as the wood came off cleaner. Ochre colours of red, white, yellow and charcoal were often used to colour in and decorate the skin side of possum skin cloaks, wooden shields, spear heads, baskets and some coolamon bowls.The design for this cloak has been simplified from the original artefact design.Cloak with black and white diamond and circle design on outer cloak and coral and white line pattern within lining. Trimming is solid black. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung, first nations, cloak

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future).The sacred banksia tree was a favourite for Wadawurrung people. Flowering before deep Winter, the banksia was used for spear making and other wooden tools. The sap was drunk as a sweet drink and the seed pods used for water straining and fire sticks. The banksia tree flowers at the time when fire sticks farming is practiced marking the days before the coldest days and nights and the hotter days.White, orange, and yellow banksia design on outer cloak, yellow and white circle and diamond design in lining. Solid black trimming. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung dja, first nations art, cloak

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future. The white ochre was used to create the feather pattern. White ochre is deeply connected to spirit or ‘murrup’ as we call it in language. The ochre is used on our bodies in ceremonies to paint our body up and is also placed on graves when someone passes. The white ochre is our most sacred connection to our ancestors and is used to celebrate both life and death. I source the white ochre from the You Yangs and only take what I need for ceremony and my painting.White and black feather motif with yellow eye design on outer clock, brown feather motif in lining. Solid black trimming. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung dja, first nations art, cloak

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future). Bunjil the eagle used to be a man called Karringalabil. As a man he created the first man and woman out of bark from the sacred manna gum tree and clay from the river bed. He created the plants, animals, mountains, waterways, sky and under Country. After which he turned himself into an eagle. He has two wives, Kunuwarra the black swan sisters. After he completed all of creation he flew up into the sky at Lal Lal Falls and he now watched over us as a star in the night sky and as an eagle by day.Brown, red and white tone feather motif with yellow eye design on outer clock, red and black diamond and circle design in lining. Solid black trimming. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung dja, first nations art, cloak

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future). Waa the Crow Totem Cloak (Waa represents our ancestors watching over us). Waa and all the birds get their names by the sounds the bird makes.Blue feather motif with blue star background on outer clock, blue and black feather design in lining. Solid black trimming. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung dja, first nations art, cloak

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future. The murnong was one of the main food sources for First Peoples before colonisation as it grew right across Wadawurrung Dja. The introduction of the sheep and cattle saw the murnong eaten roots and all and it quickly became less plentiful. The tubers were eaten raw or roasted on a fire. Water could be added to make a paste for small children to eat. The woman’s wooden digging stick that was used to gather and harvest plants was often buried with the woman for her afterlife and is considered sacred women’s knowledge. All parts of the plants and trees were and still are honoured as sacred medicine, healing plants and bush food knowledge.Yellow flower and female figure motif on black background on outer cloak, black and white diamond, and circle design in lining. Solid black trimming. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung dja, first nations art, cloak, murnong

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future). This cloak represents a traditional shield and stands for strength, resilience and standing proud. It protects us as we move forward. The gold represents the gold fields of Ballarat and Golden Plains shire. It also represents fool’s gold (pyrite) as First People had no use of gold, instead the people are the gold.Black, white, and red stripe design with flower and stem motif on outer cloak. Lining is a red and white stripe motif. Trimming is solid black. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung dja, first nations art, cloak, murnong

Standing proud, still here, the spirit of ten ancestral matriarchs adorned in contemporary ceremonial cloaks. Representing our women past, present and future, her Spirit, our culture, our Country (spelt with a capital for its importance and this is part of First Peoples protocols on acknowledging Country, our strength, our resilience and healing towards a sustainable future). Deanne states that this is her favourite season and she loves painting the small orchids as they flower after the cold season begins to clear.Black cloak with pink and purple toned flower motif on outer cloak, purple and black diamond, and circle design in lining. Solid black trimming. Cloak is machine sewn and handstitched with hand stitching on shoulder seam.deanne gilson, wadawurrung dja, first nations art, cloak, murnong

"Aunty Marlene Gilson is a proud Wadawaurrung traditional owner and Elder. Her multi-figure paintings work to overturn colonial narratives by re-contextualising the representation of historical events. Learning Wathaurung history from her grandmother, Marlene began painting in 2008 as a form of therapy, while recovering from an illness. She has received considerable accolades and most recently exhibited a series of works in the Sydney Biennale (2018). The artist’s meticulously rendered works display a narrative richness and theatrical quality akin to the traditional genre of history painting. Marlene has developed an extensive body of work which relates to her ancestral lands which covers Ballarat, Werribee, Geelong, Skipton and the Otway Ranges in Victoria. Marlene was invited to create a new work for the Darebin Art Collection that either related to the City of Darebin or her traditional lands. She chose the subject of Bundoora Homestead for this new commission and has included First Nations people alongside colonial settlers and members of the Smith Family enabling an opportunity to reflect on the incredible history of Bundoora Homestead and its surrounds. This painting brings Aboriginal people and Colonialists into the one space living harmoniously and in doing so reminds us that reconciliation may be a possibility. ""We visited Bundoora Homestead and farm, what an amazing place. In my research I found that Mr Smith built a stone hut for the Aboriginal people to stay when they visited. They bred cattle and horses, Wallace being the greatest sire in Australia and is buried on the property. They had three gardeners and four children, which I have painted in the garden with Mr and Mrs Smith seated watching the children play. Thank you for allowing me to look into the history of John and Helen Smith. I hope I have captured their life and amazing Homestead and surrounds. 31.8.18"""

Deanne Gilson is a Proud Wadawurrung woman, emerging Elder, cultural educator and award-winning visual artist from Ballarat, Victoria. Deanne works primarily in painting, fabric/textile design, clay installation and digital imagery. She explores the colonial disruption of her Wadawurrung family, looking at how the male and female gaze has and still does impact her matriarchal women. With an art practice that looks at the objectified, Deanne has found ways to cope with trans-generational trauma through art. Deanne is the first Wadawurrung artist since colonisation to revive lost cultural knowledge found specifically on her ancestral artefacts, consisting of four marks that define her family. Along with re-telling her mother’s Creation Story and the stories based on today’s lived experiences concerned with the physical and spiritual experience. Deanne has been developing her multidisciplinary practice in regional Victoria for almost 35 years and has shown across the National Gallery Victoria and the Koorie Heritage Trust. Post Preston, After the Bushfires, Our Country, Plants and Animals Need Healing is winning work in the 2021 Koorie Art Show.

Dr Deanne Gilson is a proud Wadawurrung woman living on her ancestral Country of Ballarat. Her award-winning multidisciplinary art practice has spanned forty years full time creating through painting, clay (sculptural installation), fashion & textile design, photography, drawing and recently being recognised at the Koorie Heritage Trust for her work as a Blak Jewellery Designer. Celebrating her continued living culture through art and design that revives traditional marks used by Wadawurrung family, contemporary ceremonial business and including oral stories like her Creation Story. She depicts many indigenous plants, trees, birds, often painting endangered species to highlight the importance of taking care of the land and all living things. Working with the notion that time is traversed and all is connected through layers of Dja (Country), from the Cosmos, to Sky to Under Country. Alongside the issues faced by Aboriginal women stemming from the white male and female colonial gaze. Matrices and images made by the artist at Wunggurrwil Dhurrung Community Centre, and editions printed at Negative Press. Edition of 4 + A/P. Printed by Trent Walter at Negative Press. public art, australian first nations art, printmaking

Dr Deanne Gilson is a proud Wadawurrung woman living on her ancestral Country of Ballarat. Her award-winning multidisciplinary art practice has spanned forty years full time creating through painting, clay (sculptural installation), fashion & textile design, photography, drawing and recently being recognised at the Koorie Heritage Trust for her work as a Blak Jewellery Designer. Celebrating her continued living culture through art and design that revives traditional marks used by Wadawurrung family, contemporary ceremonial business and including oral stories like her Creation Story. She depicts many indigenous plants, trees, birds, often painting endangered species to highlight the importance of taking care of the land and all living things. Working with the notion that time is traversed and all is connected through layers of Dja (Country), from the Cosmos, to Sky to Under Country. Alongside the issues faced by Aboriginal women stemming from the white male and female colonial gaze. Matrices and images made by the artist at Wunggurrwil Dhurrung Community Centre, and editions printed at Negative Press. Edition of 4 + A/P. Printed by Trent Walter at Negative Press. public art, australian first nations art, printmaking

Marlene is a proud Wadawurrung artist, who currently lives in regional Victoria. Gilson’s multi-figure paintings work to overturn the colonial grasp on the past by reclaiming and re-contextualising the representation of historical events. Learning her Wathaurung history from her grandmother, Gilson began painting while recovering from an illness. The artist's meticulously rendered works display a narrative richness and theatrical quality akin to the traditional genre of history painting. Gilson, however, privileges those stories relating to her ancestral land, which covers Ballarat, Werribee, Geelong, Skipton and the Otway Ranges in Victoria. Often including her two totems, Bunjil the Eagle and Waa the Crow, Gilson’s paintings not only reconfigure historical narratives, but display her spiritual connection to Country. Matrices and images made by the artist at Wunggurrwil Dhurrung Community Centre, and editions printed at Negative Press. Edition of 4 + A/P. Printed by Trent Walter at Negative Press. public art, australian first nations art, printmaking

Marlene is a proud Wadawurrung artist, who currently lives in regional Victoria. Gilson’s multi-figure paintings work to overturn the colonial grasp on the past by reclaiming and re-contextualising the representation of historical events. Learning her Wathaurung history from her grandmother, Gilson began painting while recovering from an illness. The artist's meticulously rendered works display a narrative richness and theatrical quality akin to the traditional genre of history painting. Gilson, however, privileges those stories relating to her ancestral land, which covers Ballarat, Werribee, Geelong, Skipton and the Otway Ranges in Victoria. Often including her two totems, Bunjil the Eagle and Waa the Crow, Gilson’s paintings not only reconfigure historical narratives, but display her spiritual connection to Country. Matrices and images made by the artist at Wunggurrwil Dhurrung Community Centre, and editions printed at Negative Press. Edition of 4 + A/P. Printed by Trent Walter at Negative Press. public art, australian first nations art, printmaking

“The sweet-smelling chocolate lily is a favourite of mine. It has a scent similar to that of chocolate and can be eaten raw and added to other foods as a decoration on top of cakes. I like it because it is a pretty little plant that you can’t walk by without noticing. The cabbage butterflies are ancestral spirits watching.” — Deanne Gilson In 'Karrap Karrap Beenyak — Flower Baskets of Knowledge', Deanne Gilson depicts dilly bags and baskets drawn from the South Eastern collection of artefacts held within the Melbourne Museum, and gifts from family and friends. They reclaim cultural knowledge, mixing tradition with the lived experiences of her ancestors and re-enriching her life with culture, Country and connection, through the creation of new art. The works highlight the use of Indigenous plants for healing and bush foods, and the Wadawurrung Creation Story and connection to Dja (Country). Dr Deanne Gilson is a proud Wadawurrung woman and an award-winning visual artist living and creating from her ancestral home of Ballarat in Victoria. Her multidisciplinary art practice interrogates the colonial disruption of her family and explores ways in which contemporary art can create a platform towards healing, acceptance and reclaiming cultural identity, often drawing upon traditional knowledges of her ancestors. The Victorian bush where Gilson grew up features predominantly in all of her paintings, alongside many Indigenous plants, trees and birds from her Creation Story. Gilson draws upon layers of tangible and intangible knowledge, she talks about the presence of the intangible as spiritual connections to Country and her ancestors, while the tangible knowledge reflects artefacts and other objects of daily Wadawurrung life. Her works portray a rich cultural history that continues to thrive and grow today despite the restrictions placed on her family by settlement. Gilson’s practice defines Aboriginal women’s business past and present through contemporary art. Traditional marks alongside contemporary marks, link her to the practices of Indigenous mark-making, especially that on her body when in ceremony. Stating that “all of my artworks are an extension of my women’s business and draw on ochre sourced from Wadawurrung Dja (Country)”. The white is used in traditional ceremonies, while the charcoal is a direct link to Gilson’s matriarchal line of her mother’s business. Gilson’s mother, Marlene Gilson, also an artist, gathers charcoal from her daily fire, passing this onto her daughter, extending upon the old and the new ways of sharing knowledge and connection to Country. Painting

Two invitation cards featuring the artwork 'Mount Warrenheip and Eureka Stockade' by Marlene Gilson. .1) Invitation to Eureka 160 Commemorative Events .2) Invitation to the Peter Tobin Oration presented by Ron Knowles. eureka stockade, eureka 160, kaaran koomen, marlene gilson, peter tobin oration

Set of two Newspaper clippings from The Courier, Ballarat, 8 July 2021 .1 - titled "Congratulations to the Ballarat Tramway Museum on receiving $1.2m from the Andrews Government for track replacement.". Item sponsored by Juliana Addison MP. Has a photo of 10 people alongside Geelong No. 2 at the time of the announcement. .2 - "First Nations Art on the move" - featuring a photo of a B class tram, by Deanne Gilson (local Ballarat artist) and Thomas Marks. Photo by James Morgan.art work, transporting art, b class

Single stem, silver candlestick with engraved, wide base.Under base: Guildford The Finest Silverware by Renown Engraved: To Sgts Mess 4/19 PWLH In Appreciatian From Members O.C.T.U 2/65, L Baker J Crabtree P Gilson T James G Partridge B Power H Rogers candleholder, sergeants mess, silver, presentations