Chapter II
Visions for Past Elders Voices
Sean James Cassidy started facilitation of the Centacare Three Rivers Project in April 2008, which involved the Wiradjuri people of the Darling, Bogan, and Lachlan River regions of central western NSW.
Cassidy conducted workshops to discover new talent and reinvigorate the interest of more experienced artists. He organized two exhibitions of the indigenous art of the regions, one at Forbes and the other at Bourke. These exhibitions were happening in a time of extended drought and economic hardship in the region. The Forbes exhibition in November resulted in the sale of 33 percent of the displayed work, at prices well above previous sales in the central west. On the same night as the Forbes exhibition, an exhibition to promote art in the Philippines was being held at Amanda Zappia's home in central Manila. These events were proof of the solid and stable relationship growing between the participants representing the two cultures.
The Bourke exhibition was held in the main street of the town from 6.30 to 9.30 p.m. The main street had not been opened at night for a decade, because of the high crime rate in the town centre precinct. The exhibition was very successful and promoted a positive atmosphere, attracting a large audience from different backgrounds and socioeconomic groups.
In February 2009, Cassidy went to Manila and Sagada to discuss the possibility of exhibiting Filipino works in Australia.
In March, Cassidy presented a plaque to Parkes Shire Mayor Cr Ken Keith, from the Mayor of Sagada, to thank the town and surrounding villages of Parkes Shire, for their support in establishing the Sagada cultural hub.
In May 2009, charity events organiser, John Pizarro, president of the Parkes Rotary International Club, approached Cassidy with a view to build on relationships between Filipino and Australian artists. Pizarro wanted to foster the relationships that he believed were representative of the vital interests of Australia in the Asian region.
In June, Cassidy curated another Centacare exhibition at Forbes. At this time, Centacare had commenced the setting up of small business plans for artists following the success of the 2008 exhibitions. Cassidy also worked with groups of victims of domestic violence and the Strong Young Mums support network.
Cassidy set up exhibitions at Parkes, Lake Cargelligo and Narromine for National Aborigine and Islander Day Of Celebrations (NAIDOC).
In October 2008, an Australian Embassy-sponsored exhibition in Manila celebrated the successful development and completion of the Sagada kiln, as well as the indigenous people whose work had made all this possible. The event, which was part of the Indigenous Month celebrations throughout the world, was organised by Tina Fernandez, ArtInformal director, and Capati.
Cassidy completed his contract with Centacare in December 2009.
Capati decided he would visit Australia in 2010 to cement relationships between the artists of the two countries, and to encourage the development of an exhibition in Parkes featuring Australian and Filipino works. This exhibition would subsequently fund a similar event in the Philippines. Meanwhile, Pizarro offered Rotary support to send artists involved in the central west Three Rivers Project to the Philippines for a cultural exchange with indigenous artists connected to the Ub Ubbo project.
Members of Ub Ubbo and the Pizarro-led Parkes Rotary agreed that an exhibition entitled Melodies of Woven Light involving the work of artists from both countries, would open in Parkes in the second half of 2010.
This group also selected the artists to visit the Philippines in 2011, namely Scott Turnbull and David Newton. These two indigenous artists, and Scott Sauce Towney, Lola Black, and Lindsay Kirby donated work to be sold at the Melodies of Woven Light exhibition.
Lope Bosaing donated a large portion of the income from his farm and art activities to the development of the Sagadan cultural hub, especially the gallery and bathroom.