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                    narrm ngarrgu Library and Family Services

                    Interior of library
                    Designed to invite reflection, learning, ceremony and play – the artworks at narrm ngarrgu Library and Family Services celebrate the rich contribution First Nations people make to the life of the city, share stories of Country and speak to the impact of colonisation.

                    ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​We have worked alongside Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Elders, artists and community to reflect their knowledge systems and bring the new Library and Family Services centre next to the Queen Victoria Market in the city to life by drawing on deep knowledge systems.

                    narrm ngarrgu (pronounced nahrrm narr-GUW), which translates to 'Melbourne Knowledge' in Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung language, features a dedicated children's library, a new family services centre, bookable spaces and a community rooftop terrace. The building is also home to a suite of artworks combining integrated public artworks by Maree Clarke (Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta, Boon Wurrung and Wemba Wemba) as well as curated contemporary artworks, and heritage items found on site during construction.

                    Maree Clarke was commissioned to produce a suite of artworks that tells the First Nations story of the narrm ngarrgu site. Integrated throughout the building, the artwork features cultural references, native plants and animals and seasonal colours, all creatively interpreted to provide opportunities for reflection and learning about their significance to Wurundjeri people and Kulin culture. Maree collaborated with artist Hillary Jackman, designers and artisans from Artery Cooperative as well as the project designers to create richly layered immersive environments. 

                    Main Library

                    ​A series of large-scale lenticular light boxes welcome visitors to the library. These artworks represent the Kulin seasons through language and visual references of native plants and animals.

                    Visitors are then invited to locate themselves ‘on Country’ – a gesture of inclusion – in the main library, with carpet design themed around ‘Walking on Country’ and featuring contour maps of the five Kulin nations.

                    Children’s Library

                    ​The carpet for the Children’s Library features plants and animals endemic to Wurrundjeri land. The artwork motifs are colour-coded to signify Wurrundjeri seasons and provide children with an opportunity to learn through their search for matching species in the hallway, or to sit and play among the clusters of plants and animals in season-themed zones within the library space.

                    The passageway leading to the Children’s Library also features the same carpet as well as mirrored glass featuring an immersive forest environment depicting local plants and animals where children can see themselves reflected in the native landscape.

                    Vinyl flooring in the Children’s Library multi-purpose room features local aquatic animals from the local bay.​

                    Roof terrace

                    ​On the roof terrace children can play on a 6 metre-long eel trap. The playground’s soft fall area features patterns which complement the indigenous planting.​​

                    A coolamon, cast from a giant burl and made in collaboration with Palawa man Nicholas Hovington, will be used for smoking ceremonies on the roof terrace.

                    ​Curated artworks​​​​

                    Project curator Dr megan evans was assisted by Maree Clarke to select a number of contemporary artworks from Council's Art and Heritage Collection. New commissions and acquisitions, including a selection of photographs of 1990s NAIDOC protests taken by Maree, also sit alongside the integrated artworks throughout the building. Heritage items, on loan from Heritage Victoria, which were found on the narrm ngarrgu site during the building’s construction are also on display.​

                    Artist bio​​​​

                    Maree Clarke is a Yorta Yorta/Wamba Wamba/Mutti Mutti/Boonwurrung multi-disciplinary artist and curator. She has contributed to contemporary arts and First Nations cultural sectors for over 30 years. 

                    Maree was commissioned to paint the first ​green and gold tram for the Koorie Heritage Trust in 1988 and later became curator of the Trust where she took on a strong mentorship role. She has been affirming and connecting young people to culture ever since, by leading the way for promotion of Southeast Aboriginal artistic diversity and excellence. Maree often works collaboratively and focuses on regenerating cultural practices using new technologies and cross-generational methodologies.  

                    Maree Clarke has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally, and in 2021 was the subject of a major survey exhibition Maree Clarke – Ancest​​ral Memories at the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne 

                    Maree was the recipient of the 2020 Australia Council Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Fellowship, a finalist for the 2023 Victorian Australian of the Year, and was also awarded the Yalingwa Fellowship for a Senior First Peoples artist who has made a significant contribution to contemporary art and culture in Victoria. 

                    Maree is a collaborator with the University of Melbourne’s Living Archive of Aboriginal Art & Knowledge, a pilot program which is recording, digitising and documenting Maree’s broad practice with the aim to conserve and make accessible the collated materials to community and also won the Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture 2023.​
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