The artist behind the Sydney Swans 2018 Indigenous Guernsey is NSW artist Cheryl Davison. Her mother's family are Walbanga people from Eurobodalla and the Ngarigo people in the Snowy Mountains region. Her family is also connected to the Wallaga Lake Aboriginal community.
Davison’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Much of her knowledge comes from the elders in her community and her interpretation of these stories.
The Sydney Swans engaged Davison following a connection made through the club’s Reconciliation Action Plan committee and Blak Markets – a hub for Indigenous businesses that exhibits locally at Bare Island, NCIE in Refern and the Overseas Passenger Terminal in The Rocks. Blak Markets provides development and training opportunities for young Aboriginal people.
Lyndsay Urquhart, Curator with Blak Markets, took the Sydney Swans on a private tour of her exhibition that was held on Bare Island at La Perouse in November 2017. The exhibition showcased artworks from La Perouse and Warlukurlangu Art Centre in Yuendumu with the theme Fire (Warlukurlangu) and Ocean (Gadu).
“After spending some quality time with the works, Cheryl Davison and her dazzling, unique and culturally rich artworks won their hearts, and that began the process of engaging Cheryl to become the next designer of the iconic Sydney Swans Marn Grook guernsey,” Urquhart said.
“As my first job as an independent curator, I am so thrilled that the Sydney Swans have given this opportunity to such a deserving artist, based on a work that we hung with such joy and pride in my first exhibition.
“I wish the Sydney Swans every success on the field and off the field wearing and promoting their new guernsey and hope that the story of one of my own totems, the Guunyu swan, as told through Cheryl Davison's artistic language, is spread and celebrated far and wide.”
Davison said it was a huge privilege to be given the opportunity to design the guernsey and represent her community.
“I am just very proud and honoured to be a part of something that’s so big in Australia, it means so much to be given the opportunity to design Sydney’s Indigenous guernsey,” Davison said.
“Art has always been about getting into hearts and minds; getting Aboriginal culture in all hearts and minds to show people how beautiful our culture is. These games that are played (during Sir Doug Nicholls Indigenous Round) shows people that we are a part of this game.
“The players who will be running out in the jumper inspire young people to ultimately do better for themselves in life – to be the best sports person they can be, the best artist or to achieve the most in everything they do in life.
“For me, I feel that is what I’m a part of, and that’s what it represents to have the players wear the black swan for Marn Grook.”
CLICK HERE to purchase tickets to the 2018 Marn Grook at the SCG match against Carlton.
