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contemporary movement which has arisen in response to a changing creative environment for
Australia’s First Peoples. Thancoupie’s body of work and educational career is testament to the ways in which the art of Thainakuith people, and more broadly First Nations peoples, continues to transform whilst remaining poignant records of ongoing cultural significance.
117:(1937-2011) was an Australian sculptural artist, educator, linguist and elder of the Thainakuith people in Weipa, in the Western Cape York area of far north Queensland. She was the last fluent speaker of the Thainakuith language and became a pillar of cultural knowledge in her community. She was also known as Thankupi, Thancoupie and Thanakupi.
234:
Storytelling remains a major function of artworks produced by First
Nations Australian artists. Perhaps in response to the ongoing effects of colonisation in Australia, the production of objects made from enduring materials such as metal and fired ceramics allow artists such as Thancoupie to preserve
132:
in
Canberra. Thancoupie’s works in metal closely resemble her ceramic works: rounded vessels or spheres, into which imagery from Thainakuith culture is carved. Thancoupie’s use of metal in her practice was, like ceramics, among the first uses of the material as a vehicle for cultural expression in a
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Thancoupie emerged in the art world as a painter, holding her first exhibition in Cairns in 1968. Her painted works were shown alongside Dick
Roughsy’s Mornington Island bark paintings. Thancoupie grew up using clay in a ceremonial context, and this direct contact with Country and ancestry inspired
183:
In 1976, after completing her Fine Arts degree in Sydney, Thancoupie relocated to Cairns and established a pottery studio there. From 1976 to 1983 Thancoupie travelled internationally as a representative to the World Crafts
Council, advocating the importance of ceramics in the process of cultural
175:
began in
Western Cape York and as a result, Thainakuith land became occupied by non-Indigenous people and culture. Gradually Thainakuith land became increasingly subject to bauxite mining and forced the dislocation of a large portion of the community there, causing the significant loss of local
202:
The use of ceramics in exploring ancestry, aesthetics and
Country is a recent development in the arts of First Nations artists in Australia. Unlike the First Peoples across the Americas, Africa and Asia, ceramics is not an ancient means of cultural communication in Australia, but rather a
226:
The life work of
Thancoupie has been recording the language and stories of the Thaynakwith people. She began telling her community's stories through clay, tile and other ceramic arts. The Weipa Festival, a celebration of indigenous art and performance from all over Australia held at
120:
Thancoupie played a dynamic role in First
Nations Australian arts, not only in her leadership of ceramics as a form of cultural expression for First Peoples, but was among the first to be recognised as an individual contemporary First Nations artist in Australia.
136:
Thancoupie drew directly from her knowledge of
Thainakuith culture, as well as ceramic and metal art practices, to produce her body of work. Thancoupie’s works occupy most Australian public collections and remains a pivotal figure in Australian art history.
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her training as a ceramicist in Sydney. Thancoupie held her first ceramics exhibition in Volta and became closely associated with Aboriginal communities and activist groups in Sydney, as well as a prominent member of the arts and crafts community.
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cultural knowledge. Thancoupie’s body of work would become a response to this decision by the Queensland government to encroach upon Thainakuith land, and Thancoupie would also go on to participate in broader political Land Rights protests.
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the histories, languages and belief systems through material culture. Thancoupie demonstrates the ability for ceramic and sculpture practices of First Nations Australian artists to continually expand and take on new significances.
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to Ida and Jimmy James and was given the name Thanakupi which means "wattle flower" in the Thaynakwith language. She was later given the name Gloria James at her baptism. She had a twin sister who died young.
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community and attended the mission school there before studying ceramics in Sydney. In rediscovering her language, she adopted the name Thancoupie but she also used the variant spelling Thanakupi.
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Thancoupie began her career as a preschool children's educator while pursuing her art part-time. In 1969 she moved from far north Queensland to study art and ceramics at
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218:, a sculptural piece is at the entrance to the National Gallery of Australia. Thancoupie mounted more than 20 solo exhibitions in Australia and overseas.
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potter Eddy Puruntatamerri, were founders of Australia’s Indigenous ceramic art movement. Thancoupie's work is represented in the collections of the
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regeneration for First Nations Australians. In 1986 Thancoupie became the Australian Cultural Commissioner to the Sao Paulo Biennale in Brazil.
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2006 Visual Arts Emeritus Award by the Australia Council for the Arts for her career as an Indigenous artist, teacher, and community leader
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Thancoupie worked as a ceramic artist, story teller, educator, community leader, advocate, and negotiator.
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2003 Order of Australia — Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) As: Fletcher-James, Thanacoupie Gloria
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In 1945, Thancoupie’s father died while stationed on Thursday Island as a World War Two serviceman.
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Thancoupie also produced a number of works using metal, including her large-scale cast bronze work
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as well as art galleries and museums in Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and Queensland.
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904:"Artist kept her people's culture and language alive.(News and Features)(Obituary)",
815:"NGA collaborates with UAP to produce two major commissions for 'new look' gallery"
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Thancoupie died in 2011 after a long illness, aged 74, at Weipa Base Hospital on
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Australian ceramic artist, educator, linguist and elder of the Thaynakwith people
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Thanakupie, Thancoupie, Gloria Fletcher, Thankupi, Dr Gloria Fletcher James AO
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Thanakupi's guide to language & culture : a Thaynakwith dictionary
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Thanakupi's guide to language & culture : a Thaynakwith dictionary
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Gravestone of Private Jimmy James located at Thursday Island Cemetery.
927:"Biography - Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher James - Indigenous Australia"
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745:
Thancoupie, Gloria Fletcher; Thancoupie, Gloria Fletcher (2007),
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Thancoupie, Gloria Fletcher; Thancoupie, Gloria Fletcher (2007),
908:, Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited: 20, 7 September 2011,
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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art: Collection Highlights
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DeBoos, Janet (November 2005). "Using Clay / Coming Home".
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1998 honorary doctorate from the University of Queensland
588:"Thanakupi: First Hand in Weipa, Brisbane and Sydney"
530:"Artist kept her people's culture and language alive"
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637:"Thanakupi – Indigenous Australian ceramic artist"
128:(2010) which is displayed at the entrance to the
957:"Thancoupie (Thanakupi) the Potter (1937-2011)"
420:"Thancoupie (Thanakupi) The Potter (1937-2011)"
389:"About Thancoupie - Thancoupie's Bursary Fund"
906:The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, Australia)
803:. Sydney: Aboriginal Arts Agency. p. 66.
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362:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
348:Caruana, Cubillo, Wally, Franchesca (2010).
686:"Australian Indigenous Art Market Top 100"
352:. Canberra: National Gallery of Australia.
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961:Inside the collection - Powerhouse Museum
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641:Ceramics and Pottery Arts and Resources
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825:from the original on 28 September 2016
565:""Thanakupi: Peer Reviewed Biography""
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424:Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences
71:23 April 2011 (aged 73–74)
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849:National Portrait Gallery collection
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875:"2008 Queensland Greats recipients"
614:Royal Australian Historical Society
269:AGNSW collection record - Thanakupi
110:Dr Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher James
1034:Officers of the Order of Australia
967:from the original on 24 April 2016
937:from the original on 19 March 2016
885:from the original on 17 March 2016
726:from the original on 21 March 2016
696:from the original on 24 April 2016
668:The Australian Journal of Ceramics
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855:from the original on 7 April 2016
780:from the original on 1 March 2016
569:Design & Art Australia Online
509:from the original on 27 June 2017
460:from the original on 31 July 2016
598:– via Griffith University.
575:from the original on 5 May 2019.
399:from the original on 3 June 2016
271:. Art Gallery of New South Wales
222:Community leader and storyteller
164:Thancoupie grew up in the small
430:from the original on 5 May 2019
145:Thancoupie was born in 1937 at
994:Art Gallery of New South Wales
819:urbanartprojects.wordpress.com
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1019:Australian Aboriginal artists
770:"Jennifer Isaacs: Thancoupie"
418:Donnelly, Paul (6 May 2011).
318:2008 Queensland Greats Awards
231:, was founded by Thancoupie.
212:National Gallery of Australia
206:Thancoupie together with the
197:East Sydney Technical College
130:National Gallery of Australia
1044:Australian Aboriginal elders
1029:Australian women ceramicists
499:"Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher"
450:"Message Stick - Thancoupie"
285:"Eran, (2010) by Thanakupi"
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799:Isaacs, Jennifer (1982).
774:www.jenniferisaacs.com.au
534:The Sydney Morning Herald
393:www.thancoupiebursary.com
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610:"Thancoupie (1937-2011)"
133:First Nations context.
1024:Australian ceramicists
821:. Urban Art Projects.
586:Wright, Simon (2006).
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801:Thancoupie the Potter
528:Nicholls, Christine.
265:"Mosquito corroboree"
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845:"Thancoupie, 1981"
684:Newstead, Adrian.
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1049:People from Weipa
1039:Queensland Greats
756:978-0-9803312-0-2
571:. 22 April 2019.
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1014:2011 deaths
1009:1937 births
592:Art Monthly
263:Thanakupi.
1003:Categories
620:15 January
335:References
141:Early life
25:Thancoupie
990:Thanakupi
914:0312-6315
358:cite book
329:Cape York
216:Eran 2010
102:Sculpture
79:Australia
61:Australia
971:13 April
965:Archived
941:13 April
935:Archived
889:14 April
883:Archived
859:14 April
853:Archived
829:14 April
823:Archived
784:14 April
778:Archived
730:13 April
724:Archived
700:13 April
694:Archived
670:: 48–51.
651:15 April
645:Archived
573:Archived
544:13 April
538:Archived
513:11 April
507:Archived
464:13 April
458:Archived
434:29 April
428:Archived
403:13 April
397:Archived
294:14 April
171:In 1957
166:Napranum
98:Ceramics
992:at the
503:AustLit
48: (
912:
753:
716:"Eran"
304:Awards
253:
188:Career
275:2 May
239:Works
229:Weipa
147:Weipa
973:2016
943:2016
910:ISSN
891:2016
861:2016
831:2016
786:2016
751:ISBN
732:2016
702:2016
653:2016
622:2020
546:2016
515:2016
466:2016
436:2019
405:2016
364:link
296:2016
277:2016
251:ISBN
208:Tiwi
126:Eran
68:Died
50:1937
46:1937
43:Born
596:196
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