{"id":10239,"date":"2021-02-12T19:07:34","date_gmt":"2021-02-12T19:07:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=10239"},"modified":"2021-02-12T19:07:34","modified_gmt":"2021-02-12T19:07:34","slug":"new-annual-brings-city-to-life-with-busy-opening-weekend-of-cultural-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2021\/02\/12\/new-annual-brings-city-to-life-with-busy-opening-weekend-of-cultural-events\/","title":{"rendered":"New Annual brings city to life with busy opening weekend of cultural events"},"content":{"rendered":"

City of Newcastle\u2019s inaugural festival of arts and culture will officially get underway today with a mix of live music, quirky theatrics and thought-provoking visual and performing art.
\nThe first iteration of New Annual offers an eclectic and dynamic program running from 12 to 21 February, kicking off with a packed schedule of free and ticketed events this weekend.
\n\"Guraki
\nNewcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes said more than 100 individual event sessions including over 50 free activities throughout the 10-day period will allow everyone to experience the fun and festival atmosphere of the City\u2019s newest flagship event.
\n\u201cIn 2019 we embarked on an ambitious journey to create and deliver a first-class cultural festival, which will one day become a leading arts event on the national calendar,\u201d Cr Nelmes.
\n\u201cFunding from Create NSW has assisted with the planning and delivery of this inaugural event, including the commissioning of five festival-specific works from local artists and companies, and we thank the NSW Government and the Minister for the Arts Don Harwin for their support.
\n\u201cMonths of planning and hard work will culminate this weekend in a dynamic event with broad appeal, attracting new audiences to the wealth of talent that exists within our thriving grassroots arts and cultural scene.
\n\u201cOur focus for the program has been to provide a mix of free and ticketed events, which will ensure every member of our community can enjoy the New Annual experience, and I can\u2019t wait to see everything it has in store for us.\u201d
\nNew Annual\u2019s 10-day program will feature more than 100 artists involved in dance, live music, art displays, exhibitions, talks, workshops and community activations.
\nThe opening weekend includes a fantastic line-up of ticketed shows as well as plenty of free events in the city, such as the Olive Tree @ New Annual market in Civic Park, the first of the Locally Made and Played live music shows across 16 Newcastle venues and family-friendly Up and Up street art workshops in Museum Place.
\nCr Nelmes said the festival offered a diverse and inclusive program, with City of Newcastle working collaboratively with members of local indigenous communities including Worrimai man Luke Russell, a member of the Guraki Aboriginal Advisory Committee, to ensure it also reflected Newcastle\u2019s rich indigenous culture.
\n\u201cNew Annual provides a vehicle through which we can tell our city\u2019s story, share our histories and understand our identity,\u201d Cr Nelmes said.
\n\u201cThe Awabakal and Worrimai communities have cared for this country we call Newcastle for more than 60,000 years and have carried rich and diverse arts and cultural practices and knowledge through many generations to contemporary life.
\n\u201cNew Annual is committed to working alongside the local Aboriginal community to provide a space to understand and celebrate the extraordinary contribution of our indigenous population to our city life.\u201d
\nOne of the spaces being used to explore these cultural practices will be the \u2018Pavilion of Sand\u2019 in Wheeler Place, where a range of free workshops led by representatives of the Worrimai and Awabakal communities and demonstrations will be on offer throughout the festival including net weaving, song and dance demonstrations and an Awabakal language workshop and storytelling.
\nAn exhibition of significant Aboriginal artists from around Australia, curated by Emily McDaniel, will be on show at Newcastle Art Gallery, while Speaking in Colour will deliver weaving workshops to create three sculptures inspired by the coastal landscapes of the Awabakal and Worrimai country.
\nNewcastle Museum will also provide an insight into traditional cultural life with its Nourishing Waters exhibition, which gives viewers a glimpse into the cultural practices and stories behind the fishing tree, spear and kuueeyung (traditional canoe) that are on permanent display.
\nThe exhibition uses a viewer\u2019s smartphone to deliver an augmented reality experience where they can see and hear how the Worrimai people worked in close community to fish for food in the rivers and bays of Mulumbimba (Newcastle).
\nThe augmented reality experience is voiced (partly in language) by Mr Russell, who said New Annual provided the perfect opportunity to share traditional practices with the wider community.
\n\u201cAs we continue to reawaken the knowledge and stories of the Worrimai people, we are thankful to have the continued support of City of Newcastle,\u201d Mr Russell said.
\n\u201cWorking towards the New Annual to showcase our old people\u2019s traditional practices has been another exciting step forward for us and City of Newcastle.\u201d
\nNew Annual\u2019s program has been designed with the flexibility to operate as a COVID-19 Safe event. To find out more visit\u00a0www.newannual.com<\/a>.
\nNew Annual – Opening Weekend FREE Events<\/strong>
\nSATURDAY 13 FEBRUARY<\/strong>
\nAll day<\/strong><\/p>\n