CELEBRATING INDIGENOUS CULTURE: NEW ARTWORK ON CAMPUS

Kaplan Business School is proud to have partnered with emerging Indigenous artists through Marra Dreaming to create a single, commissioned artwork made up of six individual paintings - each representing one of our campuses across Australia.

As part of our ongoing recognition of Indigenous culture, KBS engaged Marra Dreaming to create an artwork celebrating the diverse communities in which our campuses are located.

Each campus is represented by a distinct painting that incorporates the traditional name of the land and the nearby river or water body.

When combined, these paintings form the complete artwork:

The campus locations as represented from left to right:

• Perth (Boorloo) - Swan River (Derbal Yaragan)
• Adelaide (Kaurna Yerta) – River Torrens (Karawira Pari)
• Melbourne (Naarm) – Yarra River (Birrarung)
• Sydney (Gadigal) – Darling Harbour (Tumbalong)
• Gold Coast (Yugambeh Jagun) – Nerang River/Coral Sea (Neerung)
• Brisbane (Meanjin/Kallindarbin) – Brisbane River (Maiwar)

Each campus will receive their respective paintings to be displayed for students and staff.

These paintings will be installed ahead of NAIDOC Week 2025 (6-13 July) and will remain on display for all to enjoy.

Marra Dreaming is an Aboriginal Community Centre located in Salisbury, South Australia. As a not-for-profit, they have been running programs, providing cultural workshops and painting murals for over 20 years. Their centre also provides emerging Indigenous Artists with a gallery to sell their artwork to the public.

This is the story of the artwork as told by the artists:

“This painting represents Kaplan Business School across Australia and the people in the Kaplan Communities.

The Blue sections of the artwork represent the flowing of water like the flowing of knowledge across individuals, organisations, places, time and generations.

It also emphasizes the fluid, adaptable, and ever-changing nature of knowledge, mirroring the way water finds its path and adapts to its environment. It also acknowledges the important water sources of each area that Indigenous people have relied on for thousands of years. To all Indigenous people, water is a sacred source of life and represents that protecting water is passed down from generations as an intergenerational responsibility.”

This commissioned artwork is just one part of our broader Indigenous Engagement project, which includes multiple initiatives across KBS.

We look forward to sharing more details about our other plans in the near future.