Three local Aboriginal artists have been chosen to produce unique artworks for the new Tamworth Mental Health Unit, due to be installed next year.
The artworks will enhance the purpose-built facility, which is designed to provide a welcoming, safe and supportive mental health service for adults and young people in the New England and north-west regions of NSW.
Amy Hammond's sculptural work “Gamilaroi Yinnar" will transform the main entry atrium into a welcoming arrival space at the new health facility. Amy is a multi-skilled artisan whose practice and career centres around cultural storytelling. She is a member of Yinarr Maramali, or 'made by Gamilaroi woman's hands', a group with extensive experience delivering a wide range of creative projects including cultural weaving, exhibitions and collaborative works.
Large-scale graphic artworks will feature on walls and glazing throughout the building, created by artist Tess Reading, a Gomeroi woman, graphic designer and photographer. Tess uses art to share stories and explore innovative ways to share knowledge, from acrylic painting to animations.
Audrey Trindall, a proud Gomeroi woman with over three decades of experience working in Aboriginal health will lead sessions with Aboriginal staff and community to incorporate language and cultural interpretation in wayfinding signage in the new unit.
Following the public call for expressions of interest in the project, local Elder Uncle Neville Sampson helped Health Infrastructure to assess the applicants.
In the coming months, the successful artists will begin research and consultations with staff and the community. The artworks will be created and installed next year, with the new health facility due to be constructed by the end of 2025.
Health Infrastructure's Arts in Health program guides the inclusion of arts into the NSW healthcare system to improve patient, staff and carer experiences in health services. The commissioning of artworks is carried out in collaboration with NSW Health staff and the community.
There will be more opportunities for both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists to submit artworks for use in bedrooms and communal spaces, with further information to be shared as the project progresses.
The new Tamworth Mental Health unit is being built on the Tamworth Hospital campus and will replace the current Banksia facility.
The new Mental Health Unit will include:
The project is being delivered by Hunter New England Local Health District and Health Infrastructure as part of the NSW Government's $700 million Statewide Mental Health Infrastructure Program.
For more information on this project, visit: https://hneinfra.health.nsw.gov.au/projects/tamworth-mental-health-unit
Quotes attributable to Minister for Mental Health Rose Jackson:
“I'm really pleased to announce the selection of these local indigenous artists whose works will create beautiful and welcoming spaces in Tamworth's new mental health facility, giving it a unique local identity.
“We know that integrating art, storytelling, dance and music into our health facilities can promote healing and provide a more positive experience for patients, staff and visitors.
“The arts program will help create culturally safe spaces for Aboriginal communities and is another positive element of this new state-of-the-art facility as we work to improve health and wellbeing outcomes in the region."
Quotes attributable to artists:
Amy Hammond:
“I'm proud and excited to be part of such a meaningful art project that is deeply rooted in Gamilaroi storytelling and community wellbeing."
Tess Reading:
“I'm looking forward to working with hospital staff in creating artwork that will add cultural significance to this important new health facility."
Audrey Trindall:
“I will be working closely with hospital staff and the broader Aboriginal community to ensure the local language is well represented around the new building."