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About
Rights on Show 2009,
is the fifteenth annual Human Rights art award and exhibition, hosted by Darwin Community Legal Service [DCLS]. Rights on Show facilitates creative dialogue about Human Rights for professional and non-professional artists and celebrates art as a vehicle for social justice and change. The exhibition is open to artists of all ages across the Northern Territory and over the last four years has also received international entries from East Timor, Thailand, Burma and Indonesia. The exhibition is open to all mediums of art and in 2009 a new awards category has been created for Multi-media / Short Film entries.
Each year a theme is chosen. This year's theme is Working Together for Human Rights. We invite artists to address this specific theme or any other area of Human Right of interest to them. Artists are welcome to submit artwork about any aspect of Human Rights and social responsibility. Some themes are linked to the United Nations International Year. Last year's theme was Planet Earth which encompassed issues of sustainability, climate change, resource distribution, and environmental refugees as well as other local, national, and international environmental and human rights issues.
Rights on Show also has two awards categories for schools, Primary School Award and Secondary School Award. Schools can submit artwork as a school group or for individual students. A staff member of DCLS is available to visit schools and deliver a workshop around Human Rights and around the exhibition's theme. The purpose of these workshops is to stimulate creativity and discussion among students thus providing a great opportunity to increase awareness of Human Rights issues and engage students in a critical and creative discussion.
Aims and Expected Outcomes.
In celebration of the United Nation's International Human Rights Day on 10 December 2009, Rights on Show aims to encourage artists and community members to discuss and identify Human Rights issues that affect the local, national and international community. This creates community connectedness and allows communities in the Northern Territory to reflect on, and feel part of, the global Human Rights community. The opening and awards presentation celebrates social cohesiveness and has been an engaging social gathering for entrants, their families and the wider Darwin community.
Rights on Show retains is primary focus as an exhibition exclusively focused on Human Rights. Held in the foyer of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory, Rights on Show exhibits in a unique art venue. The involvement of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory is also a great symbol of the commitment of the NT to promote social justice and Human Rights. The venue also provides Darwin citizens with an opportunity to admire and enjoy one our local facilities and tourist attractions.
Participation by professional and non-professional artists ensures that a diverse range of views and expressions are captured by the exhibition. Rights on Show also receives entries from remote and regional areas of the Northern Territory providing an opportunity for the perspectives and opinions of artists from these areas to be communicated within the Darwin community.
For many emerging artists Rights on Show is an opportunity to exhibit which can be difficult in a city with limited gallery opportunities.
