Confident artists build cultural identity
The idea of building cultural identity is one of the driving forces behind the work of artist Jennifer Kemarre Martiniello OAM.
A multidisciplinary artist specializing in glass, Ms Kemarre Martiniello is also a writer and a poet, and an administrator and advocate for Indigenous communities and artists. For all that she has done and contributed she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in June.
“Cultural identity of a nation is created and maintained by its artists. If you help individual artists work on those things for themselves, they grow the confidence to go on and become mentors in their communities and become artists of renown themselves in some form.” She says that is why supporting artists is critically important. It helps everyone to fulfil their dreams.
Ms Kemarre Martiniello considers that her award is a signal to the wider community. “It’s a signpost that here is an Aboriginal woman who has grown up from a working-class background being true to her passions and done what she needed to.”
“That’s why recognition is important,” she says, “because it allows the wider community to see your achievements and understand what is possible.”
Ms Kemarre Martiniello acknowledges her family’s role in building her career and giving her the tools to succeed. “I had a wonderful family with generations who supported me. I had parents and grandparents who inherently adhered to the traditional Aboriginal concept that you allow a child's spirit to grow them because it's your spirit who knows who you are. I was allowed to grow with a great deal of freedom in that sense, but with a great deal of encouragement as well.”
“It's been a very varied creative journey all through my life. For last 40 years I've also worked in being an advocate in the creative arts for writers and artists, mostly Indigenous people and Indigenous communities.”
She says that doing the creative work herself and helping others to realise their talent and potential are both needed in the arts sector. Although she says she rarely realised her contribution to an individual’s development at the time, she now reflects that, “… with a little bit of mentoring spasmodically over time they are now achieving incredible things, wonderful things. And it's truly breathtaking.”
Ms Kemarre Martiniello says she was very surprised to learn that she would be honoured through the Order of Australia. “I had no idea that anyone nominated me … it gives you a little bit of a pause for thought … you know, do I deserve this? What have I done that so worthy of this? … So it's very humbling to realise that there are people around you who have decided that what you do is worthy of an honour.”
In considering the impact of the honour, Ms Martiniello says it will offer a model of “a way of being” to her family and community. “(Having) role models in the family is really important. Traditionally, we have something called Grandmothers Law ... Grandmothers are senior Law women who have a great deal of importance in passing down their knowledge and setting examples. It means that now the grandchildren and great grandchildren will be able to look at me and say, well, this is what she did so that we could do it too. It really gives your family’s generations permission to shine. Most people don't feel they have permission to shine.”
Nominating others is a key part of developing visibility around achievements. “Since I've been nominated, I've been thinking quite broadly about the people I know who do amazing things who are deserving of an honour, and who are creating pathways for other people who are just doing their thing. There's quite a few. So I think I'll be doing a few nominations.”