Traditional Ecological Knowledges in Textile Designs of Northern Australia

Abstract

Aboriginal Screen-Printed Textiles from Australia’s Top End presents the work of contemporary Australian textile artists working at five Aboriginal-owned art centers in the Northern Territory: Tiwi Design, Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association, Injalak Arts and Crafts Aboriginal Corporation, Bábbarra Women’s Centre, and Merrepen Arts, Culture and Language. This book traces the history of textile screen printing at these art centers, from its beginnings in the late 1960s to its recent emergence as a vibrant contemporary art form for Aboriginal expression. A profile of each art center is followed by representative artworks. Essays by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal scholars, curators, and practitioners discuss the history, inspiration, and practical processes underlying these striking creations; the ways screen-printed textile designs express the artists’ cultures, identities, and connections to lands; and the art centers’ collaborations with fashion and interior designers. Show more