Nicky Winmar's stand against racism at Victoria Park inspiration behind new exhibition

ART and other works inspired by Nicky Winmar's defining on-field stance against racism are on exhibit at the National Sports Museum at the MCG.

Nicky Winmar Moment Exhibition

AFTER a torrent of racial abuse at the Collingwood St Kilda game at Victoria Park on April 17, 1993, Nicky Winmar turned to Collingwood fans, lifted his jumper to point as his skin and declared, "I'm black and I'm proud to be black".

AFTER a torrent of racial abuse at the Collingwood versus St Kilda game at Victoria Park on April 17, 1993, Nicky Winmar turned to Collingwood fans, lifted his jumper to point as his skin and declared, "I'm black and I'm proud to be black".

The striking moment not only helped stamp out the regular abuse at the footy but has inspired paintings, cartoons and street art around Melbourne.

A new exhibition at the National Sports Museum in the MCG commemorates the moment by gathering some of this work, including paintings by indigenous artists Hudson Dinah and Dan Kelly and cartoons by Rocco Fazzari and Peter Nicholson.

It also features a timeline of unseen photos before and after the famous image.

Victoria University sports historian Matthew Klugman said the incident was on par with the 1968 Black Power salute as a defining image for race and sport.

"A lot of striking moments for indigenous rights in Australia are forgotten but because it was on the footy field it reaches into a place politics and the courts don't get access to," Mr Klugman said.

The museum is located at Gate 3, MCG and is open daily from 10am-5pm.