9 July, 2013 10:00AM AEST

Local artist displays work for the first time

Stalls in the Mildura mall including health information, Indigenous dancing demonstrations and local artists displaying their work were all part of NAIDOC Week celebrations for 2013.

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Among the hand woven baskets, paintings and photographs from one local artist were small ceramic Emu's and Echidna's, complete with real feathers and quills.

Local artist Katrina Doolan was displaying her work for the first time and explains how she made the delicate ceramic animals.

"If there's a road kill on the road I'll pick the old road kill up and take the quills out of it and sometimes if there's an injured one on the road we'll pick it up and take it home and eat it," she says.

For Katrina art began through an Aboriginal project at Sunni TAFE in Mildura and she is now completing a University degree in the same area.

Sitting on a bench seat in the Mildura mall Katrina speaks about the importance of NAIDOC Week for her.

"Getting out and meeting people you know people that you don't see every day like our people. A lot of people stay home and don't get out in the community and it's bringing the community together," she says.

There's a slight feeling of nerves because Katrina says this is the "first time that I've promoted my work to the whole community for everyone to see what I do."

"A lot of people know that I'm an artist but they don't know what sort of art I do.

"Down the river where I grew up I've used all the objects that I found down the old campsite in my photography works and my prints," she says.

As we sit right in front of Katrina's art work she admits that she is a nervous person and when someone approaches to glance over, she says it doesn't bother her.

"Nah I don't care what they think about it but I like it, it's my work, it's come from me and I reckon it's good," she says.

More stories from the ABC on NAIDOC Week can be found here