Selling Yarns

Australian Indigenous textiles and good business in the 21st century

 

Speakers

Thisbe Purich: Biography

Artist and Cultural Interpreter,

Thisbe Purich was born and grew up in the bush just outside of Darwin. Supplementing a degree in anthropology from UWA with an interest in arts practice she has over 15 years experience working with Indigenous arts and crafts.

Purich worked initially at the Northern Territory Aboriginal Community of Imanpa teaching textile art. Following this she was employed as the Arts Coordinator for the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunyutjatjara Women's Council where she taught a range of art room based activities across a number of communities.

In 1995 she introduced basket weaving to Ngaanyatjarra women through a series of workshops held in remote Western Australia. These workshops evolved into the major social enterprise Tjanpi Aboriginal Baskets which she went on to coordinate for 10 years. Purich was the art coordinator at the time of the Telstra Prize winning Tjanpi Toyota made by the Blackstone Weavers.

Thisbe is both artist and cultural interpreter. She speaks fluent Pitjanjatjarra and has strong relationships with women across the NPY Lands. She is currently living on her block in Darwin developing the infrastructure for a future artists' colony and does freelance work for Western Desert communities.

See also: Abstract of Thisbe Purich's paper:
Tjanpi Aboriginal baskets: A (very big) family business