Project Description

This exhibition, ‘Weaving our ways to Country’, or ‘Yirran Miigaydhu Biyangalaygu Ngurayu’ in Dharawal, is the second presentation of newly created works by Yirran Miigaydhu – an Aboriginal Women’s Weaving Group working at C-A-C since 2019.

Yirran Miigaydhu was established in 2015 to enable South West Sydney-based Aboriginal women to connect with, and embrace cultural knowledge through weaving. Since 2019, C-A-C has supported the group by providing space for monthly meetings and facilitating exhibition and retail opportunities.

Yirran Miigaydhu: ‘Weaving our ways to Country,’ installation view, Campbelltown Arts Centre, 2022. Photo: Document Photography Led by established weaver and artist Aunty Phyllis Stewart, the meetings continue to provide important connections through sharing stories and interweaving women’s business and wellbeing with creativity. Aunty Phyllis Stewart guides the weaving process through traditional and contemporary methods, using natural fibres and grasses such as Lomandra and vines which are harvested from the surrounding area.

For this exhibition, the women of Yirran Miigaydhu created ambitious vessels using basket-making techniques with dyed raffia and cane. Bringing the old ways to new times, strengthening journeys and reviving connections, this exhibition epitomised the
gathering of many women from across Country and the celebrated tradition of creating meeting space on Dharawal land. Yirran Miigaydhu weavers have previously exhibited at Cement Fondu (Sydney), Sturt Gallery (Southern Highlands) and have
produced fibre sculptures and baskets for sale at C-A-Campbelltown Art Centre’s Artist Exchange retail store. Their work as a group and individually spans baskets, fish nets, eel traps, random weave, sculpture and wall-based installation incorporating natural fibres found on Dharawal and Yuin Country.