The fate of a treasure trove of indigenous art stored in North Eveleigh is looking bright following negotiations
between its owners and the Redfern-Waterloo Authority.
The owners, artists Gordon and Elaine Syron, claimed they
were facing possible eviction by the RWA, which owns the site where the
collection is stored. The Syrons said the RWA had helped the couple assemble
the collection in an RWA warehouse at North Eveleigh.
The RWA had been paying the couple since October 2007 to
catalogue the works so they could be offered to prospective buyers interested
in keeping the collection intact. It was hoped a home in the local area could
be found for the collection of over 1000 works, where they could be displayed
to the public. However the Syrons were unable to finish the catalogue by the
agreed deadline because they could not cope with the technical aspects of
cataloguing the work. They [RWA] are now going to let us stay until we have
finished the catalogue, said Mr Syron. Hopefully we will have it finished soon.
RWA CEO Robert Domm said the RWA was still supportive of the
cataloguing project and finding a suitable home for the collection.
The site where the Syrons have been working is due to be
sold as part of the redevelopment of the North Eveleigh
rail yards. There was never any suggestion they would be evicted from the
temporary premises, Mr Domm said.
Rather we always made clear that it was temporary and they
would eventually need to vacate, we have now advised they will have to relocate
by February next year.
Mr Syron said community group REDWatch had organised
volunteers from non-profit organisation UNILINK, who specialise in building
library networks and catalogues, to assist with the cataloguing process
The Syrons said they still hoped to find a home for the
collection somewhere in Redfern, such as an indigenous cultural centre.
Mr Domm said he was committed to offering assistance to the
Syrons so the collection could be kept intact.
Photo: Gordon Syron with his historic collection of
indigenous artworks. Photo: Phil Rogers
Source
Central 27 August 2008