Orange’s Marley McLean wins inaugural LiveBetter First Nations Art Prize

Orange local Marley McLean was all smiles at the news on Monday that he was the Open Category winner of the inaugural LiveBetter First Nations Art Prize.

The new prize, launched this year by the not-for-profit provider of aged, disability and community services LiveBetter, asked artists to incorporate the themes of “Relationships, Respect and Opportunities” into their designs.

Eighteen-year-old Marley’s work “Foundation” was the chosen winner of the $5,000 Open Category. His work features a central papier-mâché “mountain” with surrounding elements depicting the diversity and unity of people across Australia.

“The communities, on the sides with all the different people, they're showing they have a relationship and they all built up of different people and different relationships with the three people sitting near the mountain showing they tolerate each other, that they have a relationship and they respect each other,” explained Marley.

“The tracks, the possum feet, emu feet, kangaroo feet coming away from the mountain, showing each people's different stories and pathways,” he continued.

“And this, on the side,  it represents mountains, but also waterways showing other people's country…. There’s so many different cultures and over 120 different nations of Aboriginal people so me showing this doesn't just represent me, it represents other people too.” 

While obviously pleased to have found himself $5,000 richer, Marley said he’s happy knowing his art is appreciated by others.

“There's so many different artists and then we have all our different styles and I'm not going to sit here and say, I'm the best out of all,” Marley said.

“This artwork it gave people smiles and it just brought a lot of people together. So I want to put myself out there to help and just give people a smile.”

The new First Nations Art Prize is part of LiveBetter’s Reconciliation Action Plan and provides a platform for First Nations artists to share their art and culture with the wider community.

Other winners were Trish Button of Nambucca Heads, who won the $2,000 LiveBetter Staff and Customer Category, and Lori Lampton of Lithgow, who won the $1,000 Junior Category.

The judging panel included: On Country Program First Nations Foundation Project Manager, Destiny Dewis; Booroongen Djugun CEO, Kylie O’Bryan; Member for Barwon, Mr Roy Butler; LiveBetter President, Dr Peter Mangles; and LiveBetter CEO, Natalie Forsyth-Stock.

Marley’s and the other prizewinners’ works will now be displayed across LiveBetter’s premises and feature in their marketing materials.