Selling Yarns: Australian Indigenous textiles and good business in the 21st century

Articles - 29 September 2006

Selling Yarns: Australian Indigenous textiles and good business in the 21st century

Possum skin workshop, Cheryl and Tamsin Craft Australia was involved in the hugely successful Indigenous textile conference Selling Yarns: Australian Indigenous textiles and good business in the 21st century held in Darwin to coincide with the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (TNATIAA). The conference began with a day of workshops, artists' talks and showcase sales.

Work from all around Australia was on display for purchase by participants and passers by. Held on the lawns of Territory Craft, adjacent to the Museum and Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT) this event showcased some of the most exciting textile and basketry work being produced by Indigenous artists in Australia. The following two days of the conference continued to inspire and inform delegates, many of whom had travelled great distances from remote communities to be part of the events and present their work.

An overview of the program

The workshops

Seeing artists making their work is a dynamic way to gain an understanding of how a piece of art work comes to be. To be able to share that experience with the artist in a workshop environment is truly inspiring. The handling and managing of awkward materials such as Pandanus leaves, used for baskets, gives an immediate understanding of the complexity of the craft and an instantaneous appreciation of the final product. It was these ideas that motivated the conference convenors to hold pre-conference workshops and artists' talks.

Weaving workshop - Clara from Bula'bula Aboriginal Arts Corporation at Ramingining

The workshops were also a forum for the delegates to share their experiences and gain a deeper knowledge of the work being discussed during the two day conference. Six workshops were held that covered techniques originating from different parts of Australia. These included Possum skin cloaks with Vicki Couzens and Treahna Hamm; Shell and seed threading with Mavis Gananbarr, Rose Mamuniny and Alice Whish; Spinning a Yarn Pitjantjatjara Way with Pantjiti McKenzie from Ernabella; Cloth figures and doll making with Nalda Searles and Jean Riley; Pandanus coil weaving with Clara and Marley from Bula'bula Aboriginal Arts Corporation at Ramingining; and Tjanpi basketry lead by Kantjupayi Benson and friends from Blackstone Community - makers of the prize winning Toyota.

Having a yarn

Audience The Makers' Forum was held on Saturday afternoon concurrently with the workshops. In this forum artists discussed how they have negotiated traditional practices with introduced materials and techniques to develop new and innovative outcomes. Perspectives from remote communities through to those of the urban dwellers of Australia were presented. I had the opportunity to catch Bobbie Ruben's talk, a Darwin based textile artist, where she presented images of work she has been doing with the Babbarra Women's Centre in Maningrida.

The women in this community have been extending their screen printing skills, and with Bobbie, developing new designs that are screen printed onto cotton. Many of the fabrics are sold as lengths, however the Babbarra Centre also designs a range of clothing and accessories, most of which were sold out during the conference. Other speakers at the Makers' Forum included Vicki West, artist from Tasmania; Alice Whish, jeweller and teacher from New South Wales; Louise Partos, Manager of Bula'bula Arts in the Northern Territory; Jennifer Martiniello, writer, artist and academic from the ACT; Lyndy Delian, artist, writer and musician also from the ACT; and Carol Hanlon, Manager of Belmont BEC Inc. - Small Business Centre Belmont in Western Australia.

Talk the talk

Richard West - Keynote speaker Sunday was the first day of the conference. The overall aim of the two days was to present new developments in Australian Indigenous textile practice that showcase solutions for social, artistic and economic sustainability within the field. The conference opened with the keynote address by Dr Richard West, Director of the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian Institute. His talk was informative and set the tone for the conference.

Key to his presentation was an alert to the danger of using the western art/craft dichotomy to define the economic value of Indigenous cultural production. Such separation is not a feature of Indigenous work and this artificial imposition creates difficulties for the social sustainability of cultural practice. Dr West also provided a valuable international comparison with which to evaluate the developments in Australian Indigenous textile practice. A stand out example of Australian innovation included the presentation by Hilary Furlong and Pantjiti McKenzie from Ernabella, discussing a new collaboration between the centre and a rug company from China to produce floor rugs inspired by the Ernabella batiks. This example epitomised the innovative approach taken by many of the art centre coordinators who are finding ways to value add to the artworks that have been core products and enhancing economic returns by such ventures.

The second day explored business opportunities and models Australia wide. The speakers addressed government support and funding, copyright issues, small business endeavours, partnerships, export opportunities and options for a more sustainable future practice. Ron Morony, the General Manager of Indigenous Business Australia, IBA, gave the keynote address for the day. He discussed the range of support programs offered by IBA to encourage innovation and sustainability for Indigenous communities. IBA also supported the conference by funding a bursary used to assist Indigenous people to attend the conference.

Indigenous participation was vital to the aims of the conference - it facilitated greater exchange between artists in remote communities and enabled a much needed forum for professional interaction. This was also a valuable point for artists who are interested in greater intercultural collaborations. This area of practice was elaborated on by the presentation from Kay Lawrence and Nici Cumpston who addressed intercultural collaborations based on the Weaving the Murray program, a project undertaken over several years that included Indigenous and white perspectives of land use and culture around the Murray River in South Australia.

The outcomes

Some of the key points that emerged from the conference included the need to;

Establish an Indigenous cultural product authentication process that sees the valuing of local production. Too many imported items are passing for Indigenous works.
Institute a resale royalty bill for Australian artists that sell works on the secondary market. This is particulalalry relevant for Indigenous visual art and craft.
Encourage cultural collecting institutions to purchase, present and promote Indigenous craft and design work that is new and innovative. Such institutions can educate the public to appreciate this work as an evolving practice, not only as an anthropological survey.
Support greater research and published material about Indigenous craft and design practice.
Facilitate more opportunities for Indigenous artists working in isolation and in regional areas to network with their colleagues, share information, engage in critical debate and discuss new possibilities for Indigenous textile promotion.
Increase the general public's perception of the artistic value and collectable nature of textile and basketry work produced by Indigenous artists. There is more to Aboriginal art than dot paintings.
Support Indigenous cultural activities, such as textile production, as a means of ensuring social and economic sustainability within remote communities.

Selling Yarns developments

Details about the conference are still available on the website http://www.sellingyarns.com This includes biographical information on the speakers and a synopsis of their presentation at the conference. New developments to the site will include transcripts of the papers and presentations made by the speakers. The papers will provide an online resource to the range of information and links provided during the conference and will serve as a valuable and dynamic resource for all interested in Indigenous textile practice.

Catrina Vignando
General Manager, Craft Australia
September, 2006