Connecting and Interpreting : Story #2 from the ATASDA Collaborative Golden Cape

 

Connecting and Interpreting : Story #2 from the ATASDA Collaborative Golden Cape

The Golden Cape is a new collaborative project for ATASDA members. 50 present day members will each receive an image of one of 50 yesteryear members artworks, to use as a muse, to create new artwork based on the past. Inspiration can come from textures, colours, style, design, subject, culture or history of the original artwork. (from  https://atasda.org.au/50-years-of-atasda) 

The second story in this series highlighting the narratives behind the creative stitching on the contributions to the ATASDA  Collaborative Golden  Cape is a topical and poignant social commentary. 

As I contemplate what happens after the disappointing defeat of "The Voice " referendum, I think of the word  ‘Makarrata’, a multi-layered Yolŋu word understood as the coming together after a struggle. It involves truth telling.

A beautiful response by Karen Rivers, ATASDA member to the equally  thought provoking 2014 textile artwork by Dianne Carroll is a call to action for truth telling.  It is not  surprising  that Karen found inspiration from  Dianne's original  engaging work - an emotive appliqued, stitched and quilted wall hanging. 

Image  from ATASDA  archives - section of Dianne Carroll's work, Stolen Past 2014 

I mostly think of  the "Stolen Generations" as a regrettable and sad part of our history, but  Karen, in her exquisitely eco dyed and stitched work,  reminds us of current happenings and statistics . 

Image : Truth by Karen Rivers 2023 

Here are Karen's  own words about her evocative textile art .... 

My piece is about the ongoing atrocities which continue ... As of July 31st 2023...  26,000 First Nations children are not living with their families.

Religious groups, charities, foster care agencies, and government bodies are still stealing First Nations children. Children are being taken and given to non-Indigenous people, who are paid $50,000 - $80,000 per year to rear kids for assimilation.

Care for First Nations children need for change  means keeping them with their family, the people who love them and know what they need with financial support. For parents who are actually struggling, this means funding for childcare assistance, healthcare, welfare, free education, and decent jobs - not ripping families apart and restarting the cycle.

Essential requirement is real social funding for communities and families to live in dignity and build lives without shame, successive governments have instead continued Australia's decades of assimilation policies.

A friend who is a head lecturer in social work thought this practice ended decades ago. The general population has no idea this horrid practice is continuing every day.

The piece is about TRUTH.

The day I started working on this Willy Wagtails - Jitta Jitta started visiting my garden. These little darlings represent communication, conversations, so I feel they have become significant for this creation.

First Nations people sit in a circle to discuss and solve issues and I first experienced this when I visited Tranby in Glebe in 1975. I also have fond memories of watching the extraordinary dancing of The Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre also in Glebe in those early years of its growth. An amazing privilege.

As a white Australian with heritage from the other side of the globe I was fortunate to be reared in a family who loved & respected all people. My father grew up in Young - Wiradjuri country as it is now rightly named & dad often yarned to me about his Aboriginal friends, about what he learnt. When we walked in the bush he shared so much about nature.

As a mother of a wonderful 25 year old son whom I have reared with the same moral compass it saddens me beyond belief that First Nations people are not supported to rear their own children. The racism has disempowered so many with lack of education - work training- jobs - careers - independence - lack of identity.

Twenty six thousand children documented , numbered , clipped with a bulldog clip and filed away is not appropriate.

It must stop NOW.
We must all be on the right side of history.

Karen Rivers ..... 

Image : Textile art by Karen Rivers 

Thank you Karen for your contribution and to ATASDA for the opportunity for textile artist members to express their thoughts creatively to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ATASDA. 

The finished golden cape will be on display at various locations in Australia during 2024 -2025. 

Image Credits: ATASDA and Karen Rivers. 

Learn more about ATASDA 

See more of Karen Rivers'  work  on Instagram @jayka and @gumsandroses_inspiredbynature