Summary

A collection of embroidered textiles from the 1990s, displaying Melbourne's Hmong community history and artistry.

Museums Victoria acquired a selection of textiles produced by Melbourne's small Hmong community in the early 1990s. The women of the Victorian Hmong community in particular produced and sold these types of works at the Fitzroy Craft Market to supplement their family income. The items were produced between 1985 and 1992.

The Victorian Hmong community developed after many Hmong fled from Laos in 1975 and arrived in Australia in the mid-1980s after spending time in Thai refugee camps. Their embroidered works frequently tell traditional cultural stories, as well as document their migration journeys. These pictorial embroideries developed very recently in Hmong history, when Hmong men began to draw elements of traditional Hmong stories to help make sure they would be remembered during the times of change. Women began to have the men draw these pictures onto fabric so that they could stitch the stories on cloth. Fine needlework has always been a source of great pride to Hmong women and girls are taught to sew at age seven or eight. The work also include a variety of applique techniques, colours, stitches and designs.

This material is part of a larger collection entitled the Immigration and Artistic Practice collection, which consists of artworks, photographs, tools and equipment, materials, preparatory drawings and oral histories. The collection explores the artistic practices of migrant artists in Victoria since World War II and the impact the migration experience has had on their creative experiences, techniques, and traditions.

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