The 2006 Australian Festival is excited to announce that this year's festival will showcase one of the oldest cultures in the world, the Australian Aboriginal, which will be featured in our Dream Time Village area. Joining us in Nashville will be Australian Aboriginal Artist - Joanne Reid from the Wiradjuri tribe in New South Wales and Australian Aboriginal Performer and Didjeridoo Teacher Lewis Burns, who was born and raised on the Talbragar Aboriginal Reserve near Dubbo in New South Wales. And to cap off Dream Time Village we will be hosting the Walkabout  Gallery, located in the San Francisco Bay. Walkabout Gallery hosts short term gallery openings of contemporary Australian aboriginal art in cities throughout North America.

Joanne Dunn (painting as Joanne Reid) is a Wiradjuri woman, born in 1965 at Lake Cargelligo in New South Wales, Australia. She now lives in Orange, New South Wales. Joanne is a self-taught artist, and during her career has developed her own style that often combines Aboriginal and European art forms. She is also experimenting with abstract pieces. 

Joanne started “Jemalong Art” (meaning ‘platypus’) in June 2000, prior to which she painted for 8 years with various Aboriginal organizations. 

In recent years, Joanne has held a number of exhibitions both in Australia and Nashville, Tennessee. She has developed her talents into a viable commercial enterprise with the assistance of the Parkes Forbes Business Enterprise Centre, a not-for-profit business advisory service... [Full Bio].

Lewis Burns was born at Dubbo Base Hospital in New South Wales, Australia, lived on Talbragar Aboriginal Reserve near Dubbo for his first 5 years, and grew up in several towns up and down the East Coast of Australia. He is a practicing Indigenous Artist Craftsman, Didjeridoo Player/ Performer, Teacher and Mural Painter. With performances in northern Italy, Minokamo, Japan, and the Joshua Tree Didgeridoo festival in Southern California, Lewis has taken his art and culture to a world-wide audience.

In 2004 Lewis was a participant on Discovery Channel's Monster House "Discovery House". Lewis also was a consultant & participant on Discovery Channel's Monster House "Outback House" in Los Angeles, CA. Lewis also provided consulting on the hit stage production "Daisy In The Dreamtime" at Anson Ford Theater Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA...[Full Bio]

Much of Australia endures a very harsh climate with uncertain rainfall. When water holes dried up, game became scarce, or because of some influence of the Dreaming, the original settlers reverted to their nomadic ways and simply moved on following their song. The new settlers called this ‘going walkabout’.

The Walkabout Gallery, located in the San Francisco Bay Area is also a nomad. Walkabout hosts short term gallery openings of contemporary Australian aboriginal art in cities throughout North America. By doing this they bring this exciting new art to the whole continent. Being nomads, they have low fixed overhead costs making the art very affordable.

The Australian Festival welcomes Joanne, Lewis and Walkabout Gallery. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people in Tennessee to get a close up and hands-on look at the incredible culture and breathtaking artistry of the Australian Aboriginal. For more details visit www.dreamtimevillage.com