yapang Arts Placements

Renae Lamb is a proud Wiradjuri and Wongibong woman, deeply rooted in the rich cultural heritage of her ancestors. As the visionary founder of Midnight Dreaming Dance Studio and Midnight Dreaming the Label, Renae dedicates her life to preserving and promoting Indigenous culture through the arts and storytelling. A distinguished Jack Ma scholar in 2019 and an alumnus of Newcastle University, Renae holds a degree in Arts with a minor in Education and a major in Global Indigenous Studies. This academic foundation fuels her passion for cultural expression and underscores her commitment to authentically representing Indigenous narratives.

In 2023, Renae's storytelling skills earned her the prestigious title of runner-up in the Greater Bank Storyteller competition. Her artistic prowess is reflected in numerous commissioned murals and artworks, a testament to her role as a significant contributor to the community. Renae’s Midnight Dreaming Dance Studio was proudly sponsored at the First Nations Space at the Creator Incubator in 2024, positioning her as a beacon of cultural preservation. In the same year, she was selected for the 2024 Melbourne Indigenous Global Runway, proving her influence extends even into the fashion world.

Renae joins the MAC yapang team as our 2024 yapang Arts Placement, and in this role she will be guest curator of the late Uncle Jim Ridgeway's exhibition Story Country, which draws from the permanent collection.

Jessica Meriki Tobin - yapang Arts Placement 2023

Jessica joined the MAC yapang team for a yapang Emerging Curator Placement. Her placement included curating the 2023 yapang Emerging Art Prize finalist exhibition and working with the judges Sebastian Goldspink and Toby Cedar to select the winner and highly commended artists.

A Rhythmic Acknowledgment for Walking Experiences

This soundscape was created during the lockdown in September 2021 as part of his yapang Arts Placement by Adam Manning (born on Awabakal Country with Kamilaroi kinship). A Rhythmic Acknowledgment for Walking Experiences is based on four different sound sources.

These sounds sources include natures rhythms, clapstick corroboree rhythms based on the Gumberry Jah song, the ambiguous rhythms of the digeridoo, and an improvised clapstick rhythmic response to MAP mima’s Awabakal Country. These four sound sources are triggered by those walking past the sensors along the northern wall of the MAP mima building. The sound sources take a symphony-like approach; meaning each sound source has been created to blend with the next, and the speed at which those walking past will determine how one experiences this rhythmic acknowledgment.

The rhythms performed by Manning on the clapsticks have been specifically captured to reference rhythms from early documented NSW corroborees (rhythms that once echoed out on our lands) or as modern rhythmic responses to Country.   

Read more about A Rhythmic Acknowledgement for Walking Experiences.

Gammin: a story of young mob in cyanotype

A yapang Arts Placement project led by Aboriginal mentee Wanjun Carpenter with students from Clontarf Academy, Toronto. Coordinated by Joanna Davies Visual Arts and Public Programs Leader.

This collaborative exhibition at the Museum of Art and Culture, yapang celebrated the supportive relationships these young men share through a love of sport, playful interaction, and a connection to their culture.

It highlighted the importance of mateship, kinship, and belonging, while exploring unique ways of artmaking. Cyanotype is the original sun-printing process, and this exhibition was produced through a series of outdoor workshops, using the natural resources of the sun, the lake, the rain and the natural landscape.

Read more about Gammin: a story of young mob in cyanotype.