QAGOMA ISLAND FASHION ON TOUR 2020

 

The Scenic Rim Regional Council is delighted to present ‘Island Fashion on Tour’, a Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) regional touring project for children and families.

QAGOMA

  • WHEN: Wednesday to Friday, 23-25 September; Wednesday, 30 September, and Thursday, 1 October. There will be four activity sessions (45 min each) at 9.45am, 11am, 1pm and 2pm. 
  • WHERE: Activity sessions will be held concurrently at The Centre Beaudesert and at the Boonah Cultural Centre.
  • WHAT: ‘Island Fashion on Tour’ features a range of free, hands-on art making activities created by QAGOMA in collaboration with Australian and Pacific artists, Grace Lillian Lee, Maryann Talia Pau and Ranu James, and Letila Mitchell.
  • HOW: This free program will be offered in 45-minute activity sessions and numbers will be restricted in line with COVID-19 regulations. A family unit can book a group of up to eight people. All children U13 have to be accompanied by an adult.
  • COST: FREE workshops, however, registration is essential. To register, please phone 5540 5050 prior to the session or, send an email enquiry to: thecentre@scenicrim.qld.gov.au. 

What to expect on the day

  •  All activity areas will be supervised and sanitised after each session. However, children U13 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
  • Hand sanitisers will be available throughout the venue for you to use.
  • Social distancing of 1.5m must be kept at all times; please respect each other and be guided by the venue staff so that we can keep each other safe.
  • If you are unwell on the day of the event, please do not attend the event, so as to keep others safe. We have the right to refuse you entry, or ask you to leave, if we feel that the health and safety of others may be at risk.
  • Grace Lillian Lee’s activity GET YOUR WEAVE ON encourages audiences to use simple folding techniques with strips of brightly coloured paper to create wearable accessories such as paper bracelets, neckpieces and head-pieces.
  • While Maryann Talia Pau and Ranu James’ activity ULA TAIM encourages the creation of elaborate neckpieces, wristbands and anklets using hand-drawn patterns and weaving with paper.
  • Letila Mitchell’s activity SASI, PERA, LAGI – OF THE OCEAN, LAND AND SKY invites children to create their own textile design using patterns created by the artist.

QAGOMA Island Fashion on Tour

‘Island Fashion’ at the Children’s Art Centre, Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane. Photograph: Katie Bennett 

 

The Artists

Grace Lillian Lee is a multicultural artist and descendant of the Meriam Mer people of the eastern islands of the Torres Strait. Lee’s woven necklaces and body sculptures are a modern interpretation of a technique she learnt from her mentor, renowned artist Ken Thaiday from Erub (Darnley Island). Thaiday who first taught her to weave with palm fronds — a technique affectionately referred to in the Torres Strait as ‘grasshopper weaving’, and one of the first to be taught to children.

Maryann Talia Pau is a Samoan-Australian artist and weaver whose creative practice encompasses a wide range of ventures from weaving workshops, designing and operating the Super Native brand, selling her handcrafted jewellery and presenting her work in museums and galleries. Weaving is something that is practiced widely across Pacific Island culture and it’s profoundly linked to Maryann Talia Pau’s cultural heritage. She describes herself as a maker and a storyteller, using weaving as a means of self-reflection as well as spreading a positive message to others.

Ranu James is a PNG artist and weaver based in Australia. In recent years she has been relearning the traditional weaving techniques of her family in the village of Gaba Gaba on the central coast of PNG.

Letila Mitchell is a Rotuman Fijian woman and the creator of RakoDesigns, a fashion and design label based in Fiji. The collective includes more than 20 dancers, musicians and fashion and textile designers. RakoDesigns clothing is hand-dyed and hand-printed with patterns that are often inspired by the natural environment.