kanalaritja: An Unbroken String

The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre | 22 February – 20 April 2019

This autumn, The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre will welcome a special collection of rare and delicate shell necklaces from Tasmania.

kanalaritja: An Unbroken String is a touring exhibition and series of workshops that celebrates the Tasmanian Aboriginal cultural practice of shell-stringing, and the generations of makers who have sustained the tradition.

Touring throughout Australia from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG), the exhibition features shell necklaces created by Tasmanian Aboriginal Ancestors in the 1800s, and acclaimed makers of today, as well as a new wave of stringers who had the opportunity to learn the tradition.

The practice of shell stringing celebrates culture and symbolises identity – it is an unbroken string connecting Tasmanian Aboriginal communities to their ancestors, their culture and their country.

TMAG Director Janet Carding said, “Shell stringing has never before been the focus of a touring exhibition.

“kanalaritja: An Unbroken String is a culmination of the journey of cultural renewal.”

WORKSHOPS

While the exhibition is on display at The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre, Blacktown Arts will present workshops for people to create wearable objects and learn more about these unique cultural practices.

In the spirit of this special touring exhibition, Blacktown Arts will also host a series of workshops especially for local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members and friends to gather and exchange knowledge and practices.

Workshop bookings and more information will be available here in mid-February 2019:

Exhibition dates:
22 February – 20 April 2019

The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission to the exhibition is free.

kanalaritja: An Unbroken String is a Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) exhibition. This project has been assisted by the Australian Government’s Visions of Australia program.

kanalaritja: An Unbroken String
The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre
22 February – 20 April 2019
Tuesday – Saturday | 10 am – 5 pmPhoto credit
Artist: Ashlee Murray. King marina. Image courtesy Tasmanian Museum & Art Gallery.