Shields and coolamons

'We’ve been so honoured and humbled to make this work representing the strength of our people’s service – to share this story with the broader community. It’s been a spiritual journey and a very humbling experience.' Aunty Clair Bates, 2016.

Commissioned for the Memorial's special exhibition "For Country, For Nation", curated by Amanda Reynolds, 'Shields and coolamons' (2016) was created by Aunty Clair Bates for the exhibition with assistance from Jennifer Bates, Charlie Davis and Joshua Kerr. Comprised of 3 large shields, representing each of the three services of the Australian Defence Force – Army, Airforce and Navy, the artwork honours the strength and tradition of the military service of Indigenous Australians. It also draws on the artist’s family history of military service with the incorporation of individual stories in woven discs held within each shield.

Clair Bates is a direct descendant of the Maliangappa/ Paakantji people of the Darling River people Wilcannia, New South Wales. She comes from a very large Aboriginal family and a strong Aboriginal community group that resides in both Wilcannia, Broken Hill and throughout the Western New South Wales area. Bates’s art practice generally explores the stories of both her clan groups from the Maliangappa and Paakantji tribes. Bates is a Master Weaver and has been teaching weaving across Victoria and New South Wales.