CARVED Trees, a travelling exhibition showing images of traditional carved trees from western NSW, will go on display in Armidale Dumaresq Council War Memorial Library for a fortnight from Saturday 1 June.
The Carved Trees travelling panel display presents an inspiring selection of photographs and drawings reproduced from the State Library’s Clifton Cappie Towle collection of over 1000 images of Aboriginal objects and sites in NSW, from the 1920s to the 1940s.
Intricate patterns were carved into trees by the Wiradjuri, mostly to mark the burial sites of significant people. Further north, trees were used “like chalkboards” by the Gamilaroi people and carved at sites where boys were initiated into manhood. However, trees have not been carved ceremoniously for at least 100 years.
Carved Trees is a free panel display at Armidale Library from 1 to 14 June. For more information, please visit www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/exhibitions/2011/carved_trees/