I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was the winner of the Don Dunstan Foundation SALA Award for my work 'Mixed Race Sweater'.
More information from the Don Dunstan Foundation website below:
This award is for artists whose work explores social justice themes which align with the objectives and priorities of the Don Dunstan Foundation including:
The Don Dunstan Foundation Award explores art that aligns with social justice. Now, more than ever, we need to deliver empathy and compassion through many mediums, for those who live in different circumstances than us and the Foundation continues to drive outcomes for a more equitable society. In 2020, we were so pleased to see over 30 entrants whose art touched on many themes including homelessness, mental health, culture and migration. This year’s winner of our $1,000 cash award is Makeda Duong’s Mixed Race Sweater.
The Mixed Race Sweater showed that Australia’s multicultural society and it’s casual racism can lead to cultural anxieties. The sweater was poignantly knitted in the colours of both the Australian flag and the (south) Vietnamese flag to represent Makeda’s bi-racial background.
The bold wording throughout the piece communicated Makeda’s feelings of being caught in between cultures and had a strong effect on the judges, particularly comments such as ‘Are you Australian?’ and ‘But you’re not full Asian?’.
More information from the Don Dunstan Foundation website below:
This award is for artists whose work explores social justice themes which align with the objectives and priorities of the Don Dunstan Foundation including:
- Homelessness
- Mental health
- Migration (including cultural and ethnic diversity)
- The purpose economy (i.e. economic equality)
- Aboriginal economic empowerment and reconciliation
- Human rights
- Don Dunstan.
The Don Dunstan Foundation Award explores art that aligns with social justice. Now, more than ever, we need to deliver empathy and compassion through many mediums, for those who live in different circumstances than us and the Foundation continues to drive outcomes for a more equitable society. In 2020, we were so pleased to see over 30 entrants whose art touched on many themes including homelessness, mental health, culture and migration. This year’s winner of our $1,000 cash award is Makeda Duong’s Mixed Race Sweater.
The Mixed Race Sweater showed that Australia’s multicultural society and it’s casual racism can lead to cultural anxieties. The sweater was poignantly knitted in the colours of both the Australian flag and the (south) Vietnamese flag to represent Makeda’s bi-racial background.
The bold wording throughout the piece communicated Makeda’s feelings of being caught in between cultures and had a strong effect on the judges, particularly comments such as ‘Are you Australian?’ and ‘But you’re not full Asian?’.
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