A brand-new mural created by Indigenous artist and proud Yuwibara man, Kimba Fatiaki, will be the highlight of a cultural space at CQUniversity's Mackay Ooralea campus.
The purpose of this space is to offer a safe and welcoming environment for staff, students, and community members to come together and connect.
The project was made possible through funding from the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) by the Queensland Government, with the Mackay Regional Council overseeing its administration.
Melissa Taggart, the Indigenous Student Wellbeing Project Officer at CQUniversity, took the initiative to bring this project to life and commissioned Mr Fatiaki to create the mural.
"For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, a culturally safe environment is one where they feel safe and secure in their identity, culture, and community," Ms Taggart said.
"It is my hope that this space can bring peace and calmness to all and be a place where staff, students and community can have time out from their busy days to sit peacefully and reflect in a space where everyone can be themselves and relax."
Ms Taggart collaborated with fellow staff, students, members of the community, and Traditional Owners, the Yuwibara peoples to workshop ideas and to commission mural artist Kimba Fatiaki, who returned to his country (Yuwi) to paint the mural.
"Being able to create on country and reconnect with the Traditional lands has become a new learning perspective on life, and I have loved being home in the open spaces of rural east coast Mackay as a "Yuwi Yuwi" Artist," Mr Fatiaki said.
Mr Fatiaki, a self-taught artist since childhood, has always been passionate about creativity, particularly inspired by nature and wildlife.
Through his art, he explores ideas of location and significance using minimalist macro designs. The mural he created on the CQU Mackay Ooralea campus is titled 'To Think Big'.
"I created white, transparent meeting place circles depicting a place of learning for all cultures, and I wanted to exemplify that all doors are open, through thinking and looking after our land – our turtles, the water ways of salt and fresh water – to remind us not to destroy our country, so that all can enjoy it," he said.
The Regional Arts Development Fund is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Mackay Regional Council to support local arts and culture in regional Queensland.
RADF Committee chair, Councillor Fran Mann said the committee had been very supportive of the theme of the mural and hoped it would inspire students, staff and the community.
"We'd like to congratulate CQU Mackay and artist Kimba Fatiaki on this amazing addition to the campus that will undoubtedly be a meeting place and a conversation starter for the university community," Cr Mann said.
"The committee was also very pleased to see the collaboration with Yuwi to ensure this site complimented and respected the culture of our region," she said.
