AIME is making space for young people like Maddie Williams.
Maddie's artwork 'Escalation' will be the World Hoodie Day featured artwork and be worn by people that want to walk on the bridge with AIME to alleviate educational inequity. We really hope that's you!
From the words of Maddie
"This artwork shows how quickly things can escalate and how a community can be as one.
The bushfire season had a devastating effect on land of the Wiradjuri people and many of the other mobs in the affected areas. The names and meeting places depicted around the edges represent the affected mobs. After the crisis of the bushfires, coronavirus followed, putting us all into lockdown for a period
and spreading panic, fear and sickness.
For many Aboriginal communities, this meant complete lockdown of many towns to protect their elders and the community as a whole.
During this time, the death of George Floyd on 5 June occurred, which caused worldwide outrage. Shortly after the video was shared in the media, the Black Lives Matter movement started to rise once again."
About the artist
Maddie is a proud Wiradjuri and Torres Strait Islander descendant. Her artwork was inspired by her family experiences during the devastating bushfire season of 2019/2020. Combined with her experience and reflections about the COVID-19 pandemic, in particular the lockdown earlier this year.
The shapes, colours and forms allowed her to explore feelings and separate them from body.
It is a powerful piece depicting the far-reaching effects of the devastating bushfire season this year as well as the compounding effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A LITTLE BACKGROUND
At its heart AIME is a 17 year old organization on a mission to alleviate educational inequity.
From our origins working to connect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander high school kids in Australia with mentors and educational support, AIME now has a presence in 52 countries globally.
In order to create a fairer world, and as part of this expansion, we take action to tackle inequity in multiple areas.
One of these areas is the structural inequity kids from outside the margins face in art.
This year, we are dedicating the space on our most iconic asset, the hoodie, as a mobile art gallery.
The goal is to create the space for young artists from marginalised backgrounds to be ‘seen’ by the world and have the same access to opportunity that others enjoy, with the hoodie working as a tool that creates space for these young artists.
HOODIE DAY
Hoodie Day has been running for 10 years.
It is a day that highlights and educates people about the inequity of kids pushed outside the margins, that exists in Australia and the world.
The hoodie is a symbol of people coming together, from different walks of life, to meet in the middle, imagine and make a fairer world.
This year Hoodie Day will fall on the 11 August 2021.
Our focus for 2021 is on the structural inequity kids from outside the margins face in art.
We are calling this: Making Space.
Working together, we make space in unexpected, necessary and valuable ways that will bring marginalised kids and artists together.
THE HOODIE
Some people are given space. Others have to make their own..
We are turning the space on our most iconic asset, the hoodie, into a mobile gallery.
The goal of the hoodie is to show that there is space for young marginalised artists to have the same access to opportunity that others enjoy.
HOW CAN YOU MAKE SPACE?
- Buy a hoodie
- Offer your time, knowledge and experience and sign up to become a Mentor to build a fairer world!
- Make some space on your website, email list, social media
Draft copy to share message
(Add image of you wearing the Hoodie and/or Maddie holding her art and/or the Hoodie)
I am inspired by the work AIME has done in helping alleviate educational inequity for thousands of Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander young peoples and communities. So, I am MAKING SPACE for AIME mentee & 2020 ‘Artist in Residence’ MADDIE WILLIAMS and I hope you’ll follow and create a connection to her story and hundreds and thousands of others like her that AIME will be opening up opportunities for. A proud Wiradjuri and Torres Strait Islander young woman, Maddi's artwork 'Escalation' depicts the resilience of her community in the face of devastating bushfires and the outbreak of a global pandemic. Selected as the featured symbol of AIME’s Hoodie Day starting August 11 2021, it will be worn by people from all backgrounds across Australia, coming together to alleviate educational inequity. If you can, consider supporting AIME’s critical work by purchasing a hoodie using the link below and be a part of the movement as we continue building a fairer nation for us all by MAKING SPACE for more of us:
https://shop.aimementoring.com/products/making-space-hero-hoodie
(PS: AIME left social media for good in 2019 to focus on being good Mentors and showing youngsters that you can still build strong connections away from the pressure on your phones. If you have managed to crack the code on how best to use social media to connect with your audiences and want to #, feel free to #AIME and #HoodieDay21).
"On behalf of our staff and the kids we help, thank you for your support. Together, let’s keep changing how this world works."
Jack Manning Bancroft, AIME Founder