Colours of the Country III: The Alice Springs Beanie Festival

9 October - 29 November 2015

The Alice Springs Beanie Festival is a community- based event that began in 1997 with a ‘beanie party’, organised by Adi Dunlop.

In the early years, the festival was run by a group of friends on a volunteer basis. The core group has slowly grown into a committed band of beanie-ologists.

The festival was organised to sell beanies crocheted by Aboriginal women in remote communities. It has grown into a fun event where Aboriginal and non- Aboriginal artists share their culture and exhibit together. The festival is unique because of the incredible amount of community participation. The festival’s aims have always been to develop Aboriginal women’s textiles, promote womens' culture and the beanie as a regional art form, as well as promote handmade textile arts.

In 2004 after much deliberation, the festival incorporated. The official aim of the Association have grown to : (a) Promote community participation in the arts, (b) Develop fine art, (c) Reduce poverty and dependency by developing artistic and entrepreneurial skills,
(d) Promoting reconciliation.

Why beanies?
Hand made beanies have long been valued in Central Australia. They are often colourful and individual in pattern and style. Everyone, no matter who they are, needs a beanie to enjoy the outdoors during our crisp, cold winter nights.

Centralian craftspeople from remote areas and Alice Springs have taken up the challenge to raise beanie making into a distinctive regional art form. Beanies can be given distinguishing characteristics and decorated with seeds, various fibres and embellishments. There is no limit to the shapes, textures, colours and patterns that are evolving. They are ideal for the tourist market, being light and inexpensive.

Central Australia now has a national (indeed, international!) reputation for the production of quirky beanies.

Colours of the Country III, the third touring exhibition of the popular Alice Springs Beanie Festival  demonstrates the growth of the beanie as an art form over the years, and the imagination, creativity and fine craftsmanship presented in each piece. The exhibition also highlights work produced by Indigenous artists from the Central Desert, who are regular collaborators in this cross-cultural event.

Colours of the Country III: The Alice Springs Beanie Festival is an Artback NT touring exhibition.

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