Geoff Crispin

REMOTE COMMUNITIES CERAMIC NETWORK

In 2006 the three remote communities of Ernabella in South Australia,

Hermansburg and the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory arrived in

Brisbane Queensland for the National Ceramics Conference. They all

had exhibitions on show during the conference. They spent time

together and decided that they would like to spend time together

in their own country to "hang out" and make pots and learn from each

other.

It took some time to obtain funding for an extended interaction

between the three communities.

My role was to be the co ordinator of the program, assisting with

funding, recording the interactions and facilitating the skills interchange.

The initial workshop took place in 2008 in the Tiwi Islands. Two men

from Ernabella, Ngunyjima Carroll and Micheal Evans spent two weeks

working with the men Tiwi potters at Nguiu on bathurst island.

Ernabella men demonstarting their skills using the slab roller.

Unfired work from the workshop at Nguiu by all the potters.

In 2009 the potters from the Tiwi islands travelled to

Ernabella and joined with the women potters from

Hermansburg to work with the potters in the workshop at

Ernabella Arts in the Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara Lands

in Northern South Australia.

this was the first chance for all three communities to

spend two weeks together making pots.

Lindy Rontji from hermansburg completing galah pot

at Ernabella.

Vivian Thompson from Ernabella using scraffitto

technique with terra sigillata made at Ernabella.

After two weeks the potters from the Tiwi islands

and hermansburg along with two men and two women

from Ernabella travelled to Canberra to continue the

workshop at the ceramics workshop at the

Australian National University.

A further two weeks enabled many more pots to be made.

Judith Inkamala and Lindy Rontji decorating pots at the ANU.

Ngunytjima Carroll and Hudson Alison working on

a coil pot.

A selection of works from all the workshops were

then organised into an exhibition in June 2009 at

the Canberra Potters Gallery. A number of pieces

were obtained for major Public Insitutions

collections including the National Gallery, National

Museum of Australia, Commomwealth Parliment

collection and the ACT Government Collection.

General view of Canberra exhibition.

Cylinder made by Ernabella men and decorated by

Robert Puruntatameri from Tiwi Islands.

Ht 68cm Dia 27cm.

After this series of workshops the Remote Ccommunities Ceramic Network has

continued to be supported by the Ceramics workshop

at the ANU through visits to remote communities

and artists spending time in Canberra.