As part of Mamre’s commitment to reconciliation, we are partnering with local Indigenous artists and businesses. We unveiled a wonderful new artwork, created by Leah Cummins of Bunya Designs, for National Reconciliation Week 2023.
How Leah brings stories to life
Leah is a strong Mayi-Kulan and Kalkadoon woman from NW Qld. She finds inspiration in her cultural identity and brings the stories of her country and people to life in her art.
“I pay respect to the ancestors who give me these stories in my creativity, to share my culture that transcends words and draws people into wanting to learn about First Nations people. I paint both traditional and contemporary art using storytelling in every art piece to educate and teach every one of my people’s culture,” Leah said.
Mamre Exploring Culture
Leah’s bold, intricate and vibrant digital design incorporates all of Mamre's brand colours within the artwork, which she called Mamre Exploring Culture.
In this video, Leah talks about what inspired her to create Mamre Exploring Culture and some of the Aboriginal symbols she included.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itPmX0fVBBo
A warm welcome to Mamre’s Brisbane office
Mamre is proud to have commissioned this piece, which welcomes customers, families, staff and visitors to our office in Windsor. It serves as a visual reminder of our ongoing commitment to reconciliation and to strengthening connections with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
Indigenous artwork can be an education and engagement tool
Jesse Green from Yilay assisted us in commissioning the artwork by introducing us to Leah. Yilay also printed the wall decal mural, which emblazons our reception area.
Jesse is a proud Butchulla/Woppaburra/Gunditjmara man, born and raised in Brisbane. Jesse and his partner Kirrily, a proud Gumbaynggirr woman, started Yilay, an Indigenous-owned apparel, promotions and signage company.
“Yilay is about bridging the cultural knowledge gap between corporate Australia and the broader Indigenous community,” Jesse said.
“We use Indigenous artwork as an educational and engagement tool to help educate corporates and mainstream Australia on Indigenous values, beliefs, cultural practices and protocols. With every job, we produce stories from the artist, this enables us to showcase and respect the cultural knowledge and vision the artist is trying to portray.”
Artwork installation timelapse
And finally, a thank you to Heath Cleary Signs for installing this beautiful piece of art. In this great video we captured a timelapse of the installation process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvJlMGgTzAU
Future plans with Indigenous artists and businesses
We are looking forward to working again with Leah, Jesse and other local First Nations business owners in the future, with more exciting plans ahead as part of our commitment to reconciliation.