Womxn, gender non-confirming, trans and agender artists support centre, Girl Space, have just raised $2,700 for The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s Alliance and Sisters Inside through an Instagram raffle held last month.
Girl Space teamed up with the local Adelaide arts and maker community to put together three prize packs worth over $5,000, with one hundred per cent of the money raised donated to NATSIWA and Sisters Inside.
NATSIWA aims to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women to have a strong and effective voice in the domestic and international policy advocacy process, while Sisters Inside is committed to changing the unjust social structure.
Girl Space co-founder, Hannah Southcombe, says the organisations were obvious choices for Girl Space to support.
“Both organisations work in advocating for women’s rights in policy and the justice system,” she says.
“Their current campaigns work toward addressing systematic issues and probe the deep-rooted causes of race discrimination and poverty in Australia”.
After putting a call-out on Instagram for Adelaide artists to be involved in the raffle, founders Laura and Hannah were overwhelmed by the response.
“The support of this fundraiser from our community was fantastic. It filled our hearts to see the outpouring of support for Sisters Inside and NATSIWA through the fundraiser,” she says.
Tattooist Lily Pook-Ryan, also known as @B_U_S_H_W_O_M_A_N_ on Instagram, contributed one of the largest prizes of the raffle — a $500 tattoo voucher.
“I am always so grateful to be part of any Girl Space event! The community-orientated drive that is the focus of all the events that Girl Space organise is EXACTLY what the world needs more of,” Lily says.
Since Girl Space held their first exhibition five years ago, they have become a staple organisation for women and non-binary artists in Adelaide by hosting exhibitions, workshops and community events.
While Hannah says it’s hard to pinpoint a specific event that stands out, she says Girl Space’s Goddesses event was a definite highlight.
“During that month-long exhibition we hosted a flash day with Poko Ono, raising money for Milo’s Top Surgery, and Black Rainbow: an advocacy platform for LGBTQI Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. We also hosted a workshop with Sarah Burley from the Tittclub,” she says.
“I think over the whole month of that exhibition we were able to make such a connection to all aspects of the community, which at the end of the day is the most rewarding thing.”
Although COVID-19 has put a halt on many Girl Space projects, Hannah assures us they have plenty of plans for the future as South Australia starts to go back to normal.
Featured Image by Chloe Sincovich
Upside Adelaide 