Summary

Image taken at the 2004 Horsham Women on Farms Gathering. This image depicts a woman dressed in a handcrafted dress during the Saturday night's celebratory dinner, which included a fashion parade titled 'Farm Art Creative Fashions'. This fashion parade saw young volunteer models strut the catwalk wearing garments made from materials sourced from farm yards, farm sheds and paddocks. This outfit was made from dog food packaging. Some of the other fashions were made from tubes from tractor tyres, fencing wire and sheep and goat wool. Designers of these outfits originally exhibited them in the Wimmera Machinery Field Days Farm Art competition. Some of the garments were later paraded at the Royal Melbourne Show.
Part of Museums Victoria's Invisible Farmer Project Collection. The Invisible Farmer Project was the largest ever study of Australian women on the land, uncovering the histories and stories of Australian women in agriculture. It began as a pilot project (2015-2016) and evolved into a three year (2017-2020) nation-wide partnership between rural communities, academic, government and cultural organisations, funded by the Australian Research Council.

Description of Content

A model dressed in a handcrafted dress stands on stage at the 2004 Horsham Women on Farms Gathering.

Physical Description

Colour Digital Photograph

Significance

Celebratory dinners are a regular feature of the Victorian Women on Farms Gatherings. During these dinners women feast on local produce and wines and are also entertained with women's stories, speeches and performances, which have included songs, theatricals, fashion parades, comedy skits and dances. Often these performances have carried an underlying message about rural life from a woman's perspective, touching on a range of themes including farm succession, gender equality, community, work, and family life. This fashion parade, for example, celebrates the resourcefulness of farming women, as well as their combined creative talents.

The celebratory dinners provide an informal occasion for networking, sharing ideas and developing new friendships. They also allow women from across Victoria to relax, rejuvenate and recharge their batteries. Situated in the wider context of the rural women's movement in Australia, these dinners exemplify the importance of communication to the lives of rural women, as well as the varied ways in which women have networked, celebrated their lives and affirmed their rural identities.

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