EarthWeave - Tracey Sarsfield

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Canberra Glassworks: 3 to 10 July 2011

EarthWeave, showcased at the Canberra Glassworks, was officially opened by Dr Louise Hamby, Lecturer, Research School of Humanities and the Arts, Australian National University (ANU) on Saturday 9 July 2011.

Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre manages an internship program that supports emerging curators and practitioners, communication and public relations graduates and administrators to develop skills and experience in arts management. In 2010 the Billabong Aboriginal Development Corporation sponsored Tracey Sarsfield to undertake a curatorial internship at the Centre. Tracey successfully completed the year long internship, which provided her with a hands on experience in curatorial practice and arts administration and culminated in the exhibition, EarthWeave.

Canberra based Indigenous artists Lyndy Delian, Jenni Kemarre Martiniello, Belinda McDowell and Renee Smith were invited to explore their connection to the land through the medium of glass. Each artist responded to Sarsfield’s exhibition rationale.

Land is a significant symbol and defining aspect of Indigenous cultural identity.
Earth reflects the artist's personal connection to and expression of the land.
Weave traces the history of Indigenous art, craft and design reflecting on the evolution from traditional process to contemporary developments.

EarthWeave has afforded the artists a forum for new expression and bridges the gap between traditional, cultural and modern practice. In exploring their association with land, the artists stimulated an immediate connection to their heritage, by using recollections of story, memory and experience to reinforce this connection.