artist profile - vicki west

Artists in Action Day is fast approaching.  Sunday, 3rd May - hope you are coming.  Here's another artist profile - this one is from Vicki West - something completely different.

Vicki West (Sculpture) 'Working with the traditional materials and in the traditional ways has been important for me in reconnecting with the Aboriginal heritage and culture. Sitting with other women in the Community, and sharing stories while we weave, much in the same way as it has been for thousands of generations is a very grounding experience.’ Vicki West (born 1960) is a Launceston based artist. Utilising a variety of mediums to create contemporary art works Vicki’s work ranges from small individual forms to large scale, often political, installations. Vicki studied textiles at the University of Tasmania, graduating with first class Honours BFA in 2001 and MFA in 2008. Vicki has exhibited extensively throughout Australia over the past decade and is represented in numerous public collections. Vicki grew up with her maternal (non-Aboriginal) grandmother Constance Milbourne, who was a renowned craftswoman, learning many skills including weaving and basketry from an early age. She was first introduced to the tradition of Tasmanian Aboriginal basket weaving through a cultural workshop in the early 1990s.                                     A strong advocate for sharing of traditional skills and knowledge within the Tasmanian Aboriginal community, Vicki has been an active participant in a broad range of cultural projects, both in the Aboriginal community and more broadly over the past ten years—including her work as a tutor, mentor and artist within the Tayenebe project. tmag.tas.gov.au/tayenebe/makers/VickiWest