Kirby joins fight for Redfern’s Keeping Place

Former High Court Judge, Michael Kirby joins former Australian National Museum Director, Craddock Morton in the battle to keep Aboriginal art collection, The Keeping Place, from becoming homeless.

The collection of contemporary and traditional Aboriginal art, artefacts, books, photographs and other memorabilia is currently located at Wilson Street, Darlington on the corner of Shepherd and Wilson Streets in the Old Rail Shed at Redfern but will soon be evicted from the site with no alternative venues currently available.

The new patron’s first priority will be to find corporate, government or private benefactors to purchase it as a whole and place it on exhibition in a new permanent home.

Mr Kirby said pledged his support to finding a new home for the collection and said the Keeping Place could serve as the seed for a larger collection of Aboriginal artworks, stories and histories and was “an invaluable cultural and educational resource for Australia and the world.”

“I hope that a proper solution can be found,” he said.

“Wherever it is placed, it ought to be placed with honour and properly safeguarded as an indication of the beauty of Indigenous art in Australia.”

Current custodians Gordon Syron and his wife Elaine have welcomed the support of Mr Kirby in seeking a place for the ‘The Keeping Place’ and hope the increased attention his presence will bring will help to secure a future for the collection.

Mr Syron is highly regarded as an artist and recently had one of his paintings presented to the Queen by Mr Kirby.

“Kirby really understands the importance of these works,” Mr Syron said.

“Right now they are just going to sit in storage. That’s not right, not with how much importance they have to the indigenous community. You wouldn’t do that to any other artwork.”

By Simon Black