INDIGENOUS artist Aunty Glenda Nicholls is making a strong impression with her contemporary twist on traditional artwork at The War Memorial in Canberra.
The Wood Wood resident was honoured to be commissioned by the For Country, For Nation project that pays homage to the Indigenous contribution in Australia’s war history.
Lead curator of the project, Amanda Jane Reynolds, said she’d been aware of Aunty Glenda’s work for some time and was delighted she had the opportunity to finally work with her.
“Aunty Glenda is a master of weaving and carries the tradition of feather flower making as well,” she said.
“When I thought about how we could carry the stories for the exhibition, she was perfect.”
Ms Reynolds said east coast Indigenous people signed up in big numbers, particularly during World War I.
They often travelled and changed their names to enlist.
Aunty Glenda submitted a piece entitled New Dawning that represents her memories of Anzac Day services growing up.
She also created a fishnet full of poppies to represent the women’s work of weaving nets, and the poppies made from feathers, reflect the loss of servicemen.
Born in Swan Hill, Aunty Glenda considers herself multi-clanned – descendant of the Wadi Wadi, Yorta Yorta and Ngarindjeri tribes.
Growing up in a tight-knit family she spent time living at the Settlement across the river which was run by Churches of Jesus Christ.
As a child she would sit and watch her mother and grandmother making feather flowers.
For more on this story grab a copy of this Friday’s Guardian (October 14, 2016)
