kids encyclopedia robot

Maree Clarke facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Maree Clarke (born in 1961) is an amazing Australian artist and curator. She comes from Victoria and is famous for bringing back old Aboriginal art practices from south-eastern Australia.

Maree Clarke's Early Life

Maree Clarke was born in 1961 in Swan Hill, Victoria. She has family connections to the Mutti Mutti, Yorta Yorta, BoonWurrung, and Wemba Wemba peoples. She grew up near Mildura in North Western Victoria.

Maree Clarke's Career Journey

Maree started working as a teacher in her hometown in 1978. This helped her build a strong foundation for her future work. She wanted to share and support South-East Aboriginal history, culture, and knowledge.

With her brother and sister, Maree started an Aboriginal arts business called Kiah Krafts in Mildura.

Later, the City of Port Phillip became the first local government in Victoria to create a special place for Aboriginal arts and culture. This was the Koori Arts Unit in St Kilda. Maree Clarke was the first Koori Arts Officer there from 1994 to 1998. She played a big part in its success.

In 1996, Maree helped organize an arts festival called We Iri We Homeborn. She worked with other artists like Kimba Thompson and Len Tregonning. You can see her teamwork with these artists, and Sonja Hodge, in public artworks around Melbourne.

Maree Clarke's Art

Maree Clarke creates art using many different methods. These include photography, sculptures, painting, and jewellery.

A very important part of Maree's art is researching and bringing back cultural practices. Many of these practices were lost because of colonisation. Maree visits museums to study old objects in their collections. Her work has made her a key person in bringing back cultural and artistic practices of South Eastern Australian Aboriginal peoples.

Her art has included making eel traps, kopis (mourning caps), possum skin cloaks, and kangaroo tooth necklaces. These necklaces are called Thung-ung Coorang. Maree is dedicated to making sure that memories of these cultural practices are passed down through generations.

Awards and Recognition

Maree Clarke's artwork has received many important awards and recognitions.

Her piece Made from Memory (Nan's house) (2017) was bought by the National Gallery of Australia in 2017. This was to celebrate 50 years since the 1967 Referendum.

In 2021, Maree Clarke was the first living Aboriginal artist to have her own solo exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne. This was a very special event.

In 2022, a big show of Maree's works called Ancestral Memories was held at the National Gallery of Victoria.

In 2023, Maree won the Melbourne Prize for Urban Sculpture. She won for her new work with glass. The award also recognized her important role in Victorian Indigenous art over the last thirty years.

Personal Life

Maree Clarke has lived in Melbourne since 1988.

Where Her Art Is Kept

Maree Clarke's art can be found in many important galleries and collections. These include:

Exhibitions

Maree Clarke's art has been shown in many exhibitions.

Solo Exhibitions

  • 2021 Ancestral Memories, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
  • 2019 Eel Trap with Mitch Mahoney, Footscray Community Arts Centre, Footscray, Victoria
  • 2019 Translating Culture with Mitch Mahoney, Canberra Glassworks, Kingston, ACT
  • 2019 Ancestral Memory, Treasury Gallery Old Quad, University of Melbourne, Melbourne
  • 2019 Reimagining Culture – Contemporary Connections to Culture, Mildura Arts Centre, Mildura
  • 2018 Reimagining Culture, Arts Space Wodonga, Wodonga
  • 2015 Ritual: Connection to Country, Koorie Heritage Trust, Melbourne
  • 2011 Ritual & Ceremony, Bunjilaka Gallery, Melbourne Museum, Melbourne

Group Exhibitions

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Maree Clarke Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.