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Imagery of Arnhem Land Bark Paintings Informs Australian Messaging to the Post-War USA

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arts Article Cultural Tourism: Imagery of Arnhem Land Bark Paintings Informs Australian Messaging to the Post-War USA Marie Geissler Faculty of Law Humanities and the Arts, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia; [email protected] Received: 19 February 2019; Accepted: 28 April 2019; Published: 20 May 2019 Abstract: This paper explores how the appeal of the imagery of the Arnhem Land bark painting and its powerful connection to land provided critical, though subtle messaging, during the post-war Australian government’s tourism promotions in the USA. Keywords: Aboriginal art; bark painting; Smithsonian; Baldwin Spencer; Tony Tuckson; Charles Mountford; ANTA To post-war tourist audiences in the USA, the imagery of Australian Aboriginal culture and, within this, the Arnhem Land bark painting was a subtle but persistent current in tourism promotions, which established the identity and destination appeal of Australia. This paper investigates how the Australian Government attempted to increase American tourism in Australia during the post-war period, until the early 1970s, by drawing on the appeal of the Aboriginal art imagery. This is set against a background that explores the political agendas "of the nation, with regards to developing tourism policies and its geopolitical interests with regards to the region, and its alliance with the US. One thread of this paper will review how Aboriginal art was used in Australian tourist designs, which were applied to the items used to market Australia in the US. Another will explore the early history of developing an Aboriginal art industry, which was based on the Arnhem Land bark painting, and this will set a context for understanding the medium and its deep interconnectedness to the land. The latter thread contains the most important messages about Aboriginal art that were promoted within the texts of the exhibitions of the medium, accompanying exhibitions that were toured in the United States. This messaging was in support of the view that, while Aboriginal imagery was being used to promote Australia in general, its role as was not to identify any Aboriginal ‘place’ as such, but rather to give a view of a culture deeply connected to the land. Destination tourism from abroad for Aboriginal cultural experiences, was in its infancy at this time, as the infrastructure for conducting tourism in the north was yet to be developed.1 Instead, the artwork was largely presented as representing Australia or the Arnhem Land, in a general sense, as a place to visit. Knowledge on Aboriginal culture that was used at this time consisted of ideas that were developed and expressed by anthropologists working in the field, in the early years, in Australia. In this paper, while the terms, ‘travel and tourism,’ are used in the sense that tourism is a subset of travel, ‘travel’ involves going from one place to another, whereas ‘tourism’ can be considered more 1 From the perspective of 1988, anthropologist, Jon Altman, notes that ‘access to Aboriginal tourism [in the Northern Territory] is limited’ (Altman 1988, p. 58). Arts 2019, 8, 66; doi:10.3390/arts8020066 www.mdpi.com/journal/arts Arts 2019, 8, 66 2 of 25 Arts 2019, 8, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 26 of a temporary stay away from home, with its primaryprimary purpose being something other than earning 2 money in the place or places visited ((RichardsonRichardson 19991999,, p. xiv).2 Visual arts and culture, along with new landscapes and lifestyle attractions, have long been drawcards forfor thethe ‘tourist’,‘tourist’, and and no no more more so so than than for fo Americanr American tourists tourists in Australia,in Australia, during during the the post-war post- wardecades. decades. Reflecting Reflecting these trends,these trends, in 1936, in an 1936, international an international travel brochure, travel brochure, entitled Australia entitled, publishedAustralia, publishedby Australia’s by Australia’s inaugural organization,inaugural organization, which was whic set uph was to promote set up to travel promote to Australia, travel to theAustralia, Australian the 3 AustralianNational Travel National Association Travel Association (Australian (ANTA National 1936) Travel (Figure Association 1),3 1936) (Figure1), Figure 1. AdvertisingAdvertising poster, poster, ‘Australia’, colour, lithograph, paper, designed by Gert Sellheim for the Australian National Travel Association, printed by Litho, McLaren & Co., 1956–1957. Image courtesy Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences, Sydney © Joseph Lebovic. while presenting no statistics on visitor arrivals in the country, introduced Australia in terms of its settlement history, woolwool industry,industry, uniqueunique fauna,fauna, landscapes,landscapes, andand AboriginalAboriginal people.people. It featured images of all of these, these, including including a full-page full-page image image of of a a naked naked tribesman tribesman with with a a shield shield and and spear, spear, titled ‘Primitive‘Primitive AboriginesAborigines StillStill RoamRoam thethe Interior’.Interior’. Ex Exposureposure to to Australia increased in 1938, when, in commemorating Australia’s 150th 150th anniversary, an international publicity campaign funded by the ANTA, promotedpromoted Australia Australia through through lectures, lectures, radio broadcasts,radio broadcasts, and advertorials, and advertorials, in major newspapers in major newspapersand magazines and (Holmes magazines 1938 (Holmes). 1938). ReflectingReflecting the growing interest in Australia as a destination, and in the absence of systematic records, fromfrom thethe earlyearly years,years, on on visitor visitor arrivals arrivals from from the the ANTA ANTA (it (it was was a fledglinga fledgling organization, organization, set set up upby independentby independent business business owners owners and was and reliant was on relian occasionalt on occasional Government Government grants), data grants), compiled data by compiledthe ANTA by indicated, the ANTA in aindicated, report from in a 1954, report that from from 1954, 1945 that to 1954, from visitors 1945 to to1954, Australia visitors from to Australia overseas from overseas doubled, from around 24,000 to 48,000 (ANTA 1954). In a news bulletin for the North 2 The conventional use of the term ‘tourist’ dates from the Grand Tours of the seventeenth and eighteen centuries, when the 2 TheEnglish conventional ruling classes use toured of Europethe term for new‘tourist’ cultural dates experiences from the (Richardson Grand Tours 1999, p. of 4). the This seventeenth adventurism wasand prefigured,eighteen centuries,in much earlier when times, the English by such rareruling travelers classes as toured the Greek Europe nation’s for first new historian, cultural Herodotus, experiences and (Richardson the Venetian 1999, explorer, p. Marco Polo. During the years 464 to 447 BC, Herodotus visited many islands in the Greek archipelago, Susa, the capital of 4). This adventurism was prefigured, in much earlier times, by such rare travelers as the Greek nation’s first the Persian Empire, the shores of the Black Sea as far as the mouth of the Dnieper River, and Egypt. Marco Polo travelled historian,from Europe Herodotus, to the East, andand in the writing Vene oftian his experiencesexplorer, Marco in China, Polo. penned During one of the the years most influential 464 to 447 travel BC, books Herodotus to have visitedever been many published islands (Richardson in the Greek 1999 arch, p. 4).ipelago, Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, the shores of the Black 3 SeaThe ANTAas far as will the be mouth discussed of later.the Dnieper River, and Egypt. Marco Polo travelled from Europe to the East, and in writing of his experiences in China, penned one of the most influential travel books to have ever been published (Richardson 1999, p. 4). 3 The ANTA will be discussed later. Arts 2019, 8, 66 3 of 25 doubled, from around 24,000 to 48,000 (Australian National Travel Association 1954). In a news Arts 2019, 8, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 26 bulletin for the North American offices of ANTA in October 1962, it was indicated that, for the US market,American the offices number of ofANTA visas in issued October to Americans 1962, it was were indicated up 20% inthat, the for 1950s the (USAustralian market, National the number Travel of Associationvisas issued 1962to Americans). In 1965, were there up were 20% 27,675 in the visitors1950s (ANTA from the 1962). USA, In and1965, in there 1970, were 64,281 27,675 (Australian visitors Touristfrom the Commission USA, and in 1971 1970,, p. 64,281 9). Of (Australian these visitors, Tour thoseist Commission coming to Australia1971, p. 9). for Of holiday these visitors, purposes those in 1970coming had to more Australia than doubledfor holiday from purposes the previous in 1970 five had years more (Australian than doubled Tourist from Commission the previous 1971 five, p.years 11). In(Australian 1971, the endTourist date Commission considered for1971, this p. paper, 11). In visitors 1971, the from end the date USA considered had reached for this 83,000, paper, an increasevisitors offrom nearly the USA 30% had over reached the previous 83,000, five an increase years, and of nearly of these, 30% 69.1% over the had previous come for five a holiday years, and (Australian of these, Tourist69.1% had Commission come for a1972 holiday, p. 9). (Australian Among the Tourist holiday Co visitorsmmission were 1972, those p. who 9). Among sought the Aboriginal holiday culturalvisitors experienceswere those who outside sought the citiesAboriginal and those cultural who arrivedexperiences for business outside reasons,the cities and and a certainthose who number arrived sought for culturalbusiness experiences, reasons, and which a certain included number visits sought to art galleries cultural and experiences, museums wherewhich Aboriginal included visits art could to art be viewedgalleries ( Carrolland museums et al. 1991 where, p. 13).Aboriginal art could be viewed (Carroll et al. 1991, p. 13). As mentioned earlier, Aboriginal cultural tourism was not actively promoted in overseasoverseas destinations such such as as the the US, US, in in the the early early years.
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