Vernacular Visions: A Folklife History of Australia: Art, Diversity, Storytelling

What is the character of Australian folk creativity, where does it spring from, what are its artistic outcomes, and what does it say about the diverse make-up of the nation and its history and culture? Cultural historian Dr Noris Ioannou explores these queries in this, the first comprehensive and richly illustrated cultural history text on Australian folk creativity, its art and its stories.

Vernacular Visions highlights the communal and spontaneous creativity and meaning of folk art, embracing it as a tool for the imagining and re-telling of everyday life. Based on extensive research combining ethnology, material culture studies, folkloristics and art history, Dr Ioannou ranges widely across media, time, place and country, exploring the origins and character of Australia’s vernacular creativity and its springboard of diverse visual traditions.

From the ancient and contemporary creative practices of Australia’s indigenous people, to those which emerged from the colonial and our ongoing migrant experiences - embracing bush mythology, love of sport, larrikin character, ‘fair go’ national values, and ‘making do’ resourcefulness - the author highlights the perennial and animating themes that determine the diverse and multicultural character of Australian folk creativity, its diverse artistic outcomes and its extraordinary stories: from the vast outback to the crowded urban and suburban fringes.