Selling Yarns

Australian Indigenous textiles and good business in the 21st century

 

Papers

Possum Skin Cloaks: Reviving and reclaiming cultural practices of South Eastern Australia

Session: Success stories 2:30 - 3:45 pm, Monday, 14 August 2006

Treahna Hamm

Artist,

Abstract

In 2001, Debra and Vicki Couzens, Treahna Hamm and Lee Darroch decided to produce replicas of the traditional cloaks to revive and reclaim cultural practice. The journey included museum and cultural research, using cultural protocols for permission to reproduce the cloaks and using methods to adapt traditional practice into contemporary practice in order to continue the cultural legacy of their ancestors.

The artists have collaborated with the National Museum of Australia (Tooloyn Koortakay), the Victorian State Government/City of Melbourne (Birrarung Wilam), the Commonwealth Games committee/Regional Arts Victoria (State-wide Possum Skin Cloak Project) and Craft Victoria (South Project), projects of Victorian cultural significance including major projects promoting textiles.

Couzens and Hamm will deliver a presentation based on project history of partnerships with regional, state and national organizations and outline intellectual property, copyright and moral rights issues which have impacted on previous projects; also the benefits of working towards positive outcomes with Government and organizations to the benefit of arts and cultural practices and Indigenous artists in South Eastern Australia.

See also: Treahna Hamm's biography