Easter Craft and Conversations About Aboriginal Art

It’s still a few weeks away but Easter craft is starting to pop up - it wouldn’t be Easter without Easter craft! We have more amazing basket craft activities this year. They are so gorgeous that I couldn’t wait to share! I have included one below and the other is available to Wingaru Kids subscribers in the Additional Resources section of the platform.

The artwork on this year’s basket is a piece called “A Pathway Through Diversity” by Dunghutti artist Aunty Cynthia Younie, or as I know her Aunty Cindy. Aunty Cindy is one of those Elders who is so generous with her time, her art, her story and her knowledge. I am lucky enough to have had her in my life for too many years to count and I know that I don’t express my appreciation for her support, guidance and knowledge enough.

If you have been following Wingaru for a while you may remember when Aunty Cindy shared some of her story to mark the anniversary of the apology a few years back: https://wingaru.com.au/blog/what-the-national-apology-meant-to-me.

Like every First Nations artist, Aunty Cindy brings her story to every artwork she creates. “A Pathway Through Diversity” is about individual strengths, building teams and resilience of people coming together. It is inspired by her community and their journey as they were faced first with drought, then the devastating bushfires of 2019/2020, then covid and floods.

Engaging in an activity like creating an Easter basket, is a good opportunity to have a yarn with students about Aboriginal art. It provides an opportunity to talk about how to respectfully engage with Aboriginal art and the stories it tells. This conversation will vary depending on the age of your students and the experience they have with Aboriginal art.

You might like to yarn about:

The artist. Who are they? Who is their mob? What type of art do they create?
The story of the art being shared in the activity.
What other First Nations artists do the students know of? Are there any local artists whose work you can go and see?
What Aboriginal art is displayed around your school and local area? Who created it?
Aboriginal art is diverse – it is more than dot paintings. Aboriginal artists work in many media and create many styles of art.
The basket being coloured in this activity is shared with permission from the artist. How would students feel about their artwork being shared? Would they like it if it was shared without their permission or if someone made money from their art without paying them?
The fact that only Aboriginal people can create Aboriginal art.

If making Easter baskets is not your thing, check out our other Easter resources (Wingaru Egg Basket - Chloe Webb, Wingaru Easter Egg Puzzle, Word Find Bush Tucker Foods - Eggs, Memory Game Bush Tucker Foods - Eggs, Look and Find Bush Tucker Foods - Eggs) where we focus on eggs and their role as bush tucker. If you are a subscriber, you will find our full collection of Easter resources in the Additional Resources section of the platform.

Teachers are educating for life. Simple conversations from a young age can support a growing understanding of what constitutes unacceptable art appropriation. There is so much to think about and discuss, turning a simple craft session into a meaningful inclusion of First Nations content.