Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV) congratulates Lella Cariddi on the significant achievement of being awarded the prestigious Ambassadors Award in 2016 for her work in the multicultural arts sector. The Ambassador Award recognises achievements of exemplary leadership in the promotion of Victoria’s cultural diversity.
Lella has demonstrated exceptional leadership in the promotion of Victoria’s cultural diversity through the articulation and implementation of a vision that captures our unique history for the benefit of the whole community. Lella’s project, “What Happened at the Pier?” has engaged many ‘memory keepers’, people who arrived through the Princes Pier in the immediate post-war years and forged a life in Victoria.
“Lella is outstanding volunteer with Multicultural Arts Victoria, whose contributions have significantly advanced community relations and diversified our creative developments within Victoria’s culturally and linguistically diverse communities.” stated George Lekakis AO Chair Multicultural Arts Victoria
Lella’s first initiative with MAV began over a decade ago when she pioneered a regular World Poetry at Federation Square series. She has since tirelessly initiated some of the most innovative arts collaborations between contemporary dancers and visual artists, uncovering new talent and fostering cross-cultural exchange.
Three years ago, MAV invited Lella to curate a forum and exhibition at the Piers Festival, to collect the stories of our many memory keepers, exploring the history of our state’s significant migrant population who came to Australia via Princes Pier. Herself is a migrant who arrived in Australia in 1955 via Princes Pier in Port , Lella passionately expanded on this invitation to become one of the most extensive social history projects on this topic, uncovering and honouring Victoria’s diverse social, economic and political histories of migration: ‘What Happened at the Pier’.
“Lella has made an outstanding and inspirational contribution our community through her amazing project ‘What Happened at the Pier’. These stories are rich and must be cherished – they talk about the foundations of multiculturalism in Victoria and remind us of the extraordinary contribution migrants have made in building this State.” Jill Morgan CEO
Highlights of ‘What Happened at the Pier’:
Individual Community Consultations in: Carlton, Diamond Valley, Doncaster, East Melbourne, Eltham, Immigration Museum, Ivanhoe, Knox, Lalor, Lower Templestowe, Mill Park, South Melbourne, Watsonia and Whittlesea
Exhibition ‘Memory Keepers Recall the Past’ at Diamond Valley Library, Greensborough
http://multiculturalarts.com.au/event/memory-keepers-recall-the-past/
Live Readings by Memory Keepers as part of the City of Port Phillip’s ‘Painting the Port’
http://multiculturalarts.com.au/event/paintingtheport-livereadingsfromwhatp2/
Exhibition ‘Memory Keepers Revisit the Past’ at East Melbourne Library, East Melbourne
http://multiculturalarts.com.au/event/memorykeepersrevisitthepast-eastmelblibrary/
Exhibition ‘Recalling the Journey’ at Emerald Hill Library and Heritage Centre, South Melbourne
http://multiculturalarts.com.au/event/whatp2-recallingthejourney/
Exhibition ‘Memory Keepers’ at Backspace Gallery, Ballarat
http://multiculturalarts.com.au/event/memorykeepers-ballarat/
Short film ‘Reading the Wind’ featuring Memory Keepers in What Happened at the Pier, part of Piers Festival 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iso0ZfJ9qmY
Exhibition ‘Journeys of Migration by and about local Memory Keepers’ at Eltham Library, Nillumbik
http://multiculturalarts.com.au/event/whatp2-nillumbik/
Exhibition ‘Sailing into History: Displacements and Arrivals’ at Museo Italiano Co.As.It., Carlton
http://multiculturalarts.com.au/event/sailingintohistory/
Media enquiries
Katrina Lin
Marketing, Development & Communications Officer
Multicultural Arts Victoria
Katrina.Lin@multiculturalarts.com.au
T +613 9188 3681