Speeches
Thursday, 25 August 2022
Community Living SALA Exhibition Myriad
Rod and I are delighted to be with you for the opening of the Myriad exhibition, as part of the SALA festival.
One of the great pleasures of returning to Adelaide is the opportunity to engage with the vibrant South Australian arts community.
For me, to see how much it has flourished and diversified in the 36 years I was away.
For Rod, to experience for the first time the extraordinary creativity that has made our state and our city a leading light in the global arts scene.
Since arriving last year, we have taken every opportunity to visit exhibitions and galleries, to attend performances and festivals, and to meet artists and performers, not only here in Adelaide but also in the regional and rural areas we have visited.
A very special aspect of the arts is the opportunities and rewards it affords to members of our community living with a disability.
Rod and I are, both separately and jointly, proudly patrons of organisations in both spheres, and it is wonderful today again to be with Community Living Australia.
I particularly enjoyed the vibrancy and community spirit at the All Abilities Festival at Murray Bridge in April.
Friends.
Through the medium of art, we can tell stories, we can express our emotions, we can depict something that we found wonderful or moved us, and we can share and communicate these experiences to others.
Already, in what we have seen, Rod and I can feel this spirit at work here today, and we look forward to viewing the exhibition more closely a little later.
It is also clear that the artworks on display have been created with pride and with ability.
Whether you are exploring artistic expression as a recent endeavour or are more accomplished in your creativity, I hope you have found the experience rewarding.
The short stories accompanying the artworks by the six featured artists provide a fascinating insight into who you are and what inspires you.
It assists us in understanding your inspiration and why you have chosen to express yourself in the way you have.
I congratulate and thank all the artists for sharing their talent with us.
Myriad is now in its fourth year and is the largest collaborative SALA exhibition showcasing the artwork of people living with disability.
I thank SALA and Community Living Australia for providing this opportunity for artists to exhibit their work and enable a wide audience to appreciate the skills, potential and artistic talents of people living with disability.
By exhibiting here in the State Library’s Institute Building for the first time, I have no doubt that the exhibition will gain increased exposure and prominence.
And I hope this increased exposure and prominence will nurture and develop an understanding among all who view it: that different abilities make South Australia a more diverse, a more inclusive and a better community.
As Governor, I intend to use my role to support in any way I can both the disability and the arts sectors in South Australia.
To that end, it gives me great pleasure to declare the exhibition open.