Putting in the Colour: Contemporary Aboriginal Textiles [Paperback]

Mary-Lou Nugent (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2001

Aboriginal people have always worked with textiles. In communities all over Australia the weaving of native grasses and fibres has been an important part of the traditional economy. But in Central Australia and the Top End the concept of applying images and designs to the surface of fabric is quite recent. When batik and screenprinting techniques were introduced to Aboriginal communities in the 1970s artists responded eagerly, as they had to the availability of paints and canvas at Papunya, and an entirely new art movement arose. Striking in its freshness and vigour, it drew on the strength of traditional themes to improvise with compelling new interpretations. The Aboriginal textile industry, already grappling with the challenges of geographic isolation, cross-cultural negotiation and a fickle market, has not been spared the dramatic highs and lows of the industry as a while over the last twenty years. But the work has gone on. Skills have developed, techniques have become more complex - and Aboriginal people have continued to create stunning fabrics. In Putting in the Colour we make our way from Ernabella in northern South Australia to the Tiwi Islands of the Top End. We survey a broad sweep of styles encompassing exuberant handpainted silks and subtle batiks. And, most importantly, we hear the voices of the artists and their support staff, mapping their creative journey to the present day and projecting ways forward for their industry and their art.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Desart is the association of Central Australian Aboriginal art centres. The organisation consists of over thirty member groups situated in often remote Aboriginal communities across the southern part of the Northern Territory and the far northern regions of South Australia. Desart's primary objectives are to raise the profile of the art centres it represents and to improve equity and access issues for the artists working through these centres. Importantly, Desart's work also covers the commercial viability of the work being created by Aboriginal art centres, and its function extends to seeking and securing new marketing opportunities for Central Australian Aboriginal art.

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: IAD Press (March 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1864650281
• ISBN-13: 978-1864650280
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,246,341 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)