They include “The Singing Quilt” project, an indigenous youth services directory and the Southern Highlands Art Studio Trail.

The Singing Quilt brought together eight choirs to perform a specially commissioned work written and conducted by Robertson composer Andrew Ford.

As part of project to develop a directory of culturally appropriate services, Aboriginal youth attended art workshops with indigenous artists.

They came up with the idea of a “credit card” format featuring the Aboriginal flag and a montage of artworks produced at the workshops, available only to Aboriginal youth.

Artworks from the workshops were shown in a Youth NAIDOC Art exhibition at Wingecarribee Council and another Aboriginal community exhibition.

For the Southern Highlands Art Studio Trail, 18 artists from Colo Vale to Robertson opened their studios to show the work of more than 60 artists.

More than 100 people visited each studio over the two days of the open weekend. The project was undertaken in partnership with Tourism Southern Highlands during the Wine Art and Roses Festival.

The Wingecarribee projects are among more than 50 submitted for the awards, run by the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW.

LGA president Genia McCaffery said the awards gave councils a chance to showcase their unique cultural projects and highlight their commitment to promoting and celebrating culture in their communities.

For the full story see the Southern Highland News, Friday, February 27