Aboriginal art industry struggling
KERRY O’BRIEN, PRESENTER: A moment away from politics now to a story about the Aboriginal arts and crafts industry, which has an Canada Goose Outlet estimated worth of several hundred million dollars a year.
Yet many in the industry complain they’re struggling to survive.
Artists, wholesalers and retailers canada goose outlet edmonton in part blame the canada goose outlet canada recent decline in international tourism, which in turn has led to a canada goose outlet black friday sale drop in the sales of souvenirs.
cheap canada goose uk But they also complain of increasing competition from overseas, with a flood of pseudo Aboriginal craft imports from Bali, China and Vietnam. cheap canada goose uk
canada goose coats Many in the industry canada goose outlet winnipeg are calling for restrictions on boomerang and Didjeridoo imports and tighter labelling laws. canada goose coats
Canada Goose Jackets Joe SKEEN JUNIOR, MURRA WOLKA CREATIONS: We’ve been doing this for about twenty years. We’re third generation. Mr dad’s father started it all off. Canada Goose Jackets
Canada Goose sale We are 100 per cent Aboriginal owned and operated. Canada Goose sale
That’s a pretty good one, dad.
PETER MCCUTCHEON, REPORTER: Murra Wolka Creations sells Aboriginal art and craft work to retailers across Australia and around the world.
PETER MCCUTCHEON: So is this your full range of products?
buy canada goose jacket cheap Joe SKEEN JUNIOR: Yeah, this is some of the stuff that we canada goose parka uk do, Peter. buy canada goose jacket cheap
canada goose store PETER MCCUTCHEON: Joe Skeen Junior says his company specialises in boomerangs and didgeridoos. canada goose store
Canada Goose online Joe SKEEN JUNIOR: All our products we do are hand painted by Aboriginal people and their families. Canada Goose online
Canada Goose Online PETER MCCUTCHEON: But this small business has been forced to lay off three full time employees because as strange as this may seem Murra Wolka Creations is facing competition from Asian imports. Canada Goose Online
Joe SKEEN JUNIOR: Four, five years ago they started trickling in.
PETER MCCUTCHEON: What sort of stuff?
uk canada goose Joe SKEEN canada goose outlet in uk JUNIOR: Mainly boomerangs. I think China was the first one canada goose outlet us that started coming in and canada goose outlet seattle then canada goose outlet store new york we saw a lot of Indonesian stuff. In markets predominantly at first, like the market areas, but then now we are sort of seeing it more in all the retail shops. uk canada goose
canada goose uk shop PETER gofind MCCUTCHEON: The Aboriginal art and craft market has grown over the past two decades from a cottage industry to an internationally recognised movement worth hundreds of millions of dollars a year. But the industry has had its share of troubles, with a 2007 Senate inquiry hearing evidence of forgeries, fakes and exploitation. canada goose uk shop
cheap Canada Goose SENATOR IAN MACDONALD, SENATE ARTS COMMITTEE: There has canada goose outlet montreal been some evidence given to the committee that drugs and beer money have been offered in canada goose vest outlet exchange canada goose outlet online for paintings. cheap Canada Goose
PETER MCCUTCHEON: This inquiry however canada goose uk focused mainly on the fine art market, particularly in the Northern Territory.
canada goose black friday sale Another canada goose outlet vip side to the industry is the craft market focusing not on art houses but tourists. Aboriginal style souvenirs imported from Southeast Asia are making inroads canada goose outlet miami into the lucrative tourist markets. canada goose black friday sale
canada goose LIONEL PHILLIPS, ARTIST: Didgeridoos, clap sticks, boomerangs all that sort of stuff it’s made over there. Has to stop. canada goose
canada goose factory sale ROBYN AYERS, ARTS LAW CENTRE: We need stronger laws to provide a better protection and promotion canada goose outlet 80 off of authentic Indigenous art in this canada goose outlet hong kong country. canada goose factory sale
PETER canada goose outlet store toronto MCCUTCHEON: Souvenir wholesalers have told the 7:30 Report how they are being contacted directly by Asian based exporters specialising canada goose outlet in vancouver in Aboriginal style craft work.
buy canada goose jacket RUSHABH SHAH, CREATIVE NATIVE, PERTH: There is more imported stuff that’s coming in that’s perpetuated as Aboriginal art which is not really Aboriginal art. buy canada goose jacket
Rushabh Shah manages the Creative Native retail shop in Perth. It markets itself as a supplier of authentic Aboriginal art and craft and refuses to stock imports but he says his business is suffering.
RUSHABH SHAH: Everything comes down to price. Basically canada goose outlet london this stuff that’s imported is mass produced, it is also. You know, they are paying an artist somewhere in Indonesia to paint kangaroos and koalas and Aboriginal style art for next to nothing, whereas over here we actually value the artist and the artwork and therefore the artists are paid accordingly.