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20 years of Aboriginal woodcarving in Arnhem Land, Australia: using art sales records to examine the dynamics of sculpture production

Koenig, Jennifer C., Altman, Jon C., Griffiths, Anthony D. and Kohen, A. (2007). 20 years of Aboriginal woodcarving in Arnhem Land, Australia: using art sales records to examine the dynamics of sculpture production. Forest, Trees and Livelihoods,17(1):43-60.

Document type: Journal Article
Citation counts: Scopus Citation Count Cited 3 times in Scopus Article | Citations
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Title 20 years of Aboriginal woodcarving in Arnhem Land, Australia: using art sales records to examine the dynamics of sculpture production
Author Koenig, Jennifer C.
Altman, Jon C.
Griffiths, Anthony D.
Kohen, A.
Journal Name Forest, Trees and Livelihoods
Publication Date 2007
Volume Number 17
Issue Number 1
ISSN 1472-8028   (check CDU catalogue open catalogue search in new window)
Scopus ID 2-s2.0-34247555479
Start Page 43
End Page 60
Total Pages 18
Place of Publication UK
Publisher A B Academic Publishers
HERDC Category C1 - Journal Article (DEST)
Abstract The growth of the Aboriginal Arts Industry in Australia over the last few decades has seen an increase in the number of indigenous communities producing woodcarvings. The timber used for carving is derived from locally available tree species. Whilst the practice relies on the continued supply of timber from native forests, very little is known about the harvesters and their production of sculpture. A long-term community art centre sales database from the Maningrida region of central Arnhem Land was used to examine the changes the sculpture sector has experienced over the last 20 years. The results show that sculpture production has grown rapidly over the last two decades. Arts production is a flexible economic activity and carving is a popular artistic medium. One language community in the region produces the majority of pieces and major shifts in the age demography and gender of sculpture producers attest to the social and cultural sustainability of carving production in the region. This large dataset from Maningrida Arts and Culture illuminates the changing dynamics of arts production and highlights the importance of compiling similar detailed and historical arts information for other regions.
 
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Created: Fri, 12 Sep 2008, 08:35:25 CST by Administrator