Two galahs in a tree, is it taking flight or landing?

The exhibition features many native animals living within the Kanangra-Boyd to Wyangala wildlife corridor.

Goulburn region artist and Wiradjuri woman Jodie Munday is exploring humans’ relationships with ecosystems through a series of art workshops and culminating in a thought-provoking exhibition in Crookwell.

‘Fight or Flight’ seeks to question the viewers’ perception of native wildlife by tackling issues of irreversible damage to the environment caused by human activity.

Jodie is urging the viewer to examine how their actions can affect the landscape and to rethink their relationship to it.

“From an artist point of view, it is a lot easier to speak to people by showing the beauty of what we have. I hope through hands-on workshops and visual exhibitions that I will open the eyes, hearts and minds of people,” Jodie said

“I am so passionate about our country, our flora and fauna, our waterways and raising awareness of the many wonderful natural species, whether it be plants or animals, and the habitats and ecosystems they live within.”

Jodie was a finalist in the 2022 Goulburn Art Award for her illustration of two Galahs, the artwork titled ‘Fight or Flight’ captures the birds in a tree without a nesting hollow that is critical for the species survival.

The show includes drawings, paintings, weavings and mixed media works and artworks exploring the habitats of the Spotted Quoll and Eastern Water Dragon.

Each of the animals live in the Kanangra-Boyd to Wyangala wildlife corridor, an area that links around 319,000 hectares of land across the Southern Tablelands. Parts of it are expected to be impacted by major infrastructure projects planned for the region, including the raising of the dam walls at Warragamba and Wyangala.

“We are facing a crisis at the moment, as far as habitat destruction and native vegetation destruction which is leading to endangered species of iconic animals that are not anywhere else in the world,” Jodie said.

“If the plans to raise the Warragamba and Wyangala dam walls goes ahead, multiple species of fauna will be flooded forever, a lot of Acacia trees will die, and a lot of different species of gum trees. There are a lot of culturally significant places, scar trees, burial sites and trade routes will all be underwater, as well as convict and European places that will be lost.

“The exhibition is about these animals in the corridor, facing extinction due to habitat loss and flooding.”

Jodie is equally inspired by 10-year-old son, Samuel, who is naturally curious and connected to the natural world.

He is fascinated by dinosaurs, she said and is trying to understand how science helps us to discover facts about extinction, environment and history.

Jodie said, “he asked, ‘what if when I grow up, we only know what a platypus or a koala looks like from a book?'”

“It’s a question that a lot of kids would ask, but not so many adults,” she said.

K2W Inc and the Great Eastern Ranges is supporting the project with funding from the Australian and NSW Government’s Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund with the Southern Tablelands Arts and Country Arts Support Program.

Free workshops

Join Jodie at Crookwell Hotel Motel (Top Pub) on November 12 in an engaging, hands-on and free art workshop for kids and adults.

Jodie will use her cultural knowledge of the native plants, animals, habitats and ecosystems to connect the participants to the wonderful Southern Tablelands region and the native flora and fauna. Participants will work alongside Jodie using a variety of contemporary art techniques and new methods and materials including native fauna. All materials provided.

A free kid’s workshop will be held from 10am to 12pm, and for adults from 1pm to 3pm. Limited to 10 people.

Exhibition

‘Fight or Flight’ is an exhibition of thought-provoking artworks exploring the threatened species of flora and fauna in the Kanangra-Boyd to Wyangala corridor at Crookwell Hotel Motel (Top Pub) on December 9 from 6:30pm.

The artist, Jodie, questions the viewers’ perception of native wildlife and threatened species by tackling issues of habitat destruction through drawing, painting, weaving and mixed media works. The concept will be expanded with catering of native Indigenous foods like wattle seed, lemon and cinnamon myrtles and strawberry gum leaves all grown around the Kanangra-Boyd to Wyangala corridor.

For more information about the workshops or exhibition call or text Jodie on 0408 492 482.