Read our mission statement and meet the
Industry Partners
Forging Fashion Connections’ first project with Hopevale Arts & Cultural Centre and Grace Lillian Lee
The Hopevale Arts and Cultural Centre is an Indigenous art centre located in Hopevale in Northern Queensland. In 2018, QUT design students were offered the opportunity to collaborate on a fashion collection with textile artists of Hopevale. This cross-disciplinary project included students from the study areas of Fashion Design, Fashion Communication, Interactive Visual Design and Industrial Design, and was supported by Indigenous mentor Grace Lillian Lee and QUT Project Supervisors, Kiara Bulley and Lauren Solomon.
Some key aims of the project include the following –
- Real-world learning for students, through practical, industry and intercultural experiences
- Purposeful educational experiences that inspire student involvement, effort and deeper learning (for example community engagement and indigenous contexts).
- Enhancing student awareness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges
- Significantly increase the University’s community engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, by continuing to develop opportunities to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities associated with QUT
Meet our industry partners:
Hopevale Arts & Cultural Centre
The Hopevale Arts & Cultural Centre supports intergenerational cultural sharing and maintenance for the whole community, providing professional artistic support for 15 artists. Governed by an Indigenous board of directors, this Indigenous-managed cultural centre is made up of 80 members. Hopevale Arts and Cultural Centre provides regular artists residencies and professional development opportunities for all artists in their chosen field. The centre operates as a cultural hub, coordinating a range of activities for members of the community.
Grace Lillian Lee
Grace Lillian Lee is a multicultural Australian artist known for drawing inspiration from her indigenous heritage. Through collaborations with Australian indigenous communities and their art centres she has created a platform for cultural expression and celebration by way of fashion performances. These are instrumental in engaging young people from remote communities and providing an opportunity for them to represent and be proud of their culture and country through fashion and performance. Working with these members of community inspired Grace to further her work by travelling to indigenous communities to encourage creative expression and mentor young people as well as collaborate with artists and art centres. Her aim is to guide members towards developing their art into textiles and adornment in a contemporary way while orchestrating the sharing of artistic culture between generations. This is instrumental in the preservation and celebrations of traditional techniques and creatives.