A prominent artwork celebrating Aboriginal custodianship and timeless connection to land and water will welcome patients, visitors, and staff to the new Tweed Valley Hospital.
Aboriginal artist Frances Belle Parker has been selected for a major public art commission to help create a vibrant, welcoming, and culturally safe environment for all hospital visitors, in particular our Aboriginal community members.
Located at the main entrance of the new hospital, the colourful glass artwork will present an attractive and inclusive space, a theme that will be carried through all levels of the hospital and the surrounding grounds.
Frances Belle Parker’s artwork, designed in collaboration with creative team
Collide, “The Path We Take” was selected for its originality and connection to the hospital site, portraying the local coastline and elements of Bundjalung Dreaming Stories of Gudgin and the Three Brothers.
A proud Yaegl artist, Frances said her artwork is a homage to the Bundjalung country on which the new Tweed Valley Hospital stands, as well as the coastline and landscape, which is the caretaker of the creation stories for the area.
Frances’ artwork was selected from a shortlist of four Indigenous artists by a panel comprising representatives from the Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council, the Northern NSW Local Health District, and the project architects.
The announcement of the artist for this significant Aboriginal artwork comes on National Sorry Day, ahead of National Reconciliation Week, acknowledging the importance of listening to and learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stakeholders, partners, and community members as HI plan and design culturally safe health facilities across NSW.
The construction of the Tweed Valley Hospital main hospital building is nearing completion with commissioning to follow in late 2023.
The new development, along with the
Arts In Health program, is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the culture and history of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the region.
For more information on the Tweed Valley Hospital development, visit the
project website.