Cedric Varcoe - Cotton Foldable Bag
A handy tote bag that folds up into a compact rectangle for easy storage in your bag, car or cupboard. Featuring beautiful vibrant Indigenous art, this bag makes a fantastic gift.
- Cotton
- Unfolded bag measures 34.5 x 41 cm
- Folds into rectangle with press stud closure
- Fair Trade
- Artwork by Indigenous artist, Cedric Varcoe
- The artist receives royalties for every sale
About the Artwork
When Ngurunderi travelled through what is now Ngarrindjeri country he came down the Murray River in his canoe. At that time it was just a small stream. Ngurunderi was looking for his two wives who had run away from him and was following Pondi, the big Murray Cod who had created the twists and turns of the river when sweeping his huge tail from side to side. Ngurunderi was trying to spear Pondi all the way along the journey.Together they formed the Murray River, lakes and landforms and everything in Ngarrindjeri Country. Ngurunderi made the rain that feeds the river and the country. With the rain came the rainbow, which can be seen in this painting. Ngurunderi also made the Ngarrindjeri people, who live along and around the River Murray, lakes, the Coorong region and across to Cape Jervis and the southern regions of what is now Adelaide. Ngurunderi travelled with his family and they also played a part in the creation of Ngarrindjeri country. Ngurunderi taught everyone the lore, dance, song, how to hunt and live and everything they needed to survive in their country. When they reached Lake Alexandrina Nepele, Ngurunderi’s brother in law, helped spear and kill Pondi. Ngurunderi cut Pondi into many pieces, each piece creating a new species of fish that now populates the river system. Ngurunderi never did catch his wives who drowned when crossing to Kangaroo Island, which was still joined to the mainland at that time. At this point Ngurunderi joined the spirit world becoming a star in the Milky Way.
About the Artist: Cedric Varcoe
In July 2015 Cedric was given a grant by Arts SA. for professional development and cultural research. With the support of Better World Arts, Cedric pursued an intensive program of studying archived information at the South Australian Museum. He spent time talking to Ngarrindjeri elders and researching his Ngarrindjeri heritage in some depth. During the same time period Cedric undertook some developmental workshops focused on his painting. These workshops provided life drawing, brush techniques and colour theory components, providing tools and knowledge for Cedric to include in the technical sides of his art. The results of these inputs into Cedric’s artistic and cultural development were immediately evident. Cedric continues to develop as an artist.
About the Producers: Better World Arts
Better World Arts facilitates cross cultural art projects between Aboriginal artists in Australia and artisans in India. The Aboriginal artists are paid royalties for their designs, and the artisans in India work in conditions that encompass the 10 Principles of Fair Trade, including receiving a fair wage, working in safe conditions, and ensuring there is no child labour or forced labour.
Read more about Better World Arts here.
All of our products are packaged and shipped to you from our store in Melbourne, Victoria by our small team. We use FSC certified paper bags that are padded with recycled paper pulp. When your products don't fit in one of our parcel bags, we try and reuse boxes that have been sent to us.
Postage is $12.00 flat rate, 15.00 for express in Australia, $15.00 flat rate for New Zealand and FREE POSTAGE for orders over $200.00*.
We usually ship your order within 2 business days through Australia Post. Express Post is also available and can be selected at checkout.
Hampers
*When ordering more than one hamper or gift pack you will need to fill out our order form where you will then be contacted by our staff with a postage quote.
Gift Wrapping
We will happily gift wrap products for an extra $2. This can be added at checkout along with a short note to the person receiving the gift.
When purchasing multiple products don't forget to include in your order notes if you would like the products to be wrapped separately or all together. Around Christmas time, please specify if it is a Christmas gift or not so we can choose the wrapping paper accordingly.
Our products are a curated selection of intentional and purposeful items which work towards alleviating global issues and inequities. Many of our products hold Fair Trade Certifications from the World Fair Trade Organisation, Fair Trade Australia & New Zealand as well as sustainable textile certifications such as the GOTS Certification. Read more about our product selection process here.