The Nara Dreaming Exhibition, which opens on Friday, is a finalist in the 2016 Community HART Awards.

The awards are run by Reconciliation Victoria in partnership with the Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA) and Bank Australia.

Winners will be announced in a ceremony at the Koorie Heritage Trust in Melbourne on Mabo Day, June 3.

Both the exhibition and the awards ceremony coincide with National Reconciliation Week, which runs from May 27 to June 3.

Nara Dreaming Exhibition spokeswoman Anne Conway said the organising committee consider their initiative to be reconciliation in action.

“Without the meetings, lectures and polarisation – just a group of people who are getting along just fine and working side by side,” she said.

It is a cross-cultural exhibition, showcasing both Indigenous and mainstream art in a variety of forms, including live performance, sculpture, painting, craft, woodwork and workshops.

The organising committee is a mix of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, including Anne Conway, Robyn Davis, Eddie King, Trina Dalton-Oogjes, Bill Whitbread and Herman Oogjes. 

Reverend Davis said winning a Community HART Award would mean others appreciate and recognise the event and its contribution to reconciliation.

“It is always nice to hear that you have done a good job,” she said.

Her works will be among those on display at the seventh annual Nara Dreaming Exhibition, which opens at 6.30pm on Friday at Avisford, also known as Bill’s Shed, in Lockwood.

Rev Davis said each of her artworks had a story. That of the one pictured, Healing, is about going from dark into light with the help of a supportive community.

“That is the only way you heal – we can’t stay in the darkness,” she said. 

She encouraged people to search for the cross she embeds in each of her works – a sign of her faith.

The Nara Dreaming Exhibition will run from 10am until 4pm from Saturday, May 21, until June 5.

Proceeds of the exhibition will support New Horizons Welfare Services in Bendigo.

A special event, Sunday Arvo at Nara Dreaming, will take place at Avisford on May 29 from 1.30pm.

Performers include Marc Leon, KandL, Anne Conway, Ken Jones, Dennis and Ann Murray, and some dingoes. 

Entry to the exhibition and Sunday Arvo event are by donation to New Horizons Welfare Services. 

Avisford is located at 1023 Calder Alternative Highway in Lockwood.