Workshops & Tours

Identity and Connection to Country Workshop

Donna presents a refreshing and positive workshop that explores a person’s connection to country, whether they are indigenous or non-indigenous, children or adults, women or men.  The focus of her workshop is to take each person through a process of exploring their own identity in relation to their connection to country through the use of symbols and individual expression.  As part of the process, each participant takes part in crushing the ochre rocks, mixing the ochre powder to make a variety of paints, and then creates their own painting that represents their identity.  To do this, Donna talks about the importance of symbols in indigenous art, that are interwoven to create stories.  The workshop is tailor-made to the group, and can be light-hearted and place more emphasis on painting with ochres, or can have more depth and emphasise identity development and life enrichment.   

Enquiries - click here

Ochres in use

Indigenous and Diversity Murals Workshop

For the past 6 years, Donna has worked with many groups to develop Murals for special occasions, particularly events such as multi-cultural festivals, University Diversity Weeks, Children’s festivals and a range of conferences.  A Mural is a large painting on a wall, ceiling, or other large surface.  The purpose of a Mural is to enable participation toward some common theme or vision, while being created where people live and work and carry out their daily lives.  As such, Murals are seen as very effective tools of social emancipation and often try to attract public attention to social issues.  Murals, however, date back to prehistoric times such as the paintings on caves and rock faces.  To develop an indigenous or diversity Mural, Donna first liases with festival organizers or community groups about the vision they would like to have represented.  She then works on a large canvas, painting a background colour and border to represent this vision.  She then brings this to your event and facilitates people’s interactions with the canvas, usually in the form of handprints or painted symbols.  The completed canvas can then be displayed as a commemorative piece in your community or organization. 

Enquiries – click here

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Aboriginal Culture and History Tour  

Length of Tour: 1 Day
Tour Dates: Departs daily EXCEPT Sunday
Cost: $165 per person (2-6 people)
Departures from Toowoomba: Hotel Pick-up
Departures from Brisbane: Our 1 day tours begin after the arrival of the first bus from Brisbane (from Roma Street Bus Interchange).  We can then pick you up directly from the Toowoomba Bus Interchange, Neil Street.

Includes:

• Transfers to and from accommodation
• Aboriginal Culture and History Tour with Artdigenous
• Bush Tucker Lunch

Overview:
Depart Hotel by mini-bus to Picnic Point, Toowoomba’s most famous look out.  Here you will be given a brief overview of the day ahead.  Proceed to Duggan Park to view Multuggerah Mountain, and hear the story of the Aboriginal warrior, Multuggerah, and the story of ‘One Tree Hill’.  Also hear how a group of Toowoomba school children lobbied to have the traditional name of the Mountain restored.  From Multuggurra Mountain you will drive 25kms North-west of Toowoomba to The Gummungurru Stone Arrangement Site, the most intact stone arrangement site on the Eastern Sea Board. 

When you arrive at the site, you will experience a Bush Tucker Lunch and can spend time in the sites new Teaching and Learning Centre.  Depending on the availability of Traditional Owner and Site Caretaker, Brian Tobane, you will either take a guided walk through the Gummunjurru site, where Brian will show you a range of stone formations, each having different aboriginal significance; view the site from the viewing platform with indigenous artist, Donna Moodie, and then take part in one of Donna’s ochre painting workshops.  Return to Toowoomba where you will have the remainder of the afternoon at the Toowoomba Cobb & Co Museum.  Here you can have a guided walk through the museum or sit and relax in the museum’s own café.  You will then be taken back to your requested drop-off point.

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