The Australian Tapestry Workshop is an international leader in contemporary tapestry, collaborating with living artists to produce exceptional handwoven works. As a small non-profit organisation ATW relies on the generosity of our donors for support. When you give to the Australian Tapestry Workshop, you’re not just donating— you’re empowering artists, preserving a centuries-old craft, and nurturing creativity for generations to come.

Our current major commission, Welcome to Country, is a landmark project designed by renowned Indigenous artists Maree Clarke (Yorta Yorta / Wamba Wamba / Mutti Mutti / Boonwurrung) and her nephew Mitch Mahoney (Boonwurrung / Barkindji).

Commissioned for the new Footscray Hospital, this vibrant 10 x 4.2 metre tapestry will be displayed in an elliptical form—an immersive experience visitors can walk around and beneath. It is a joyful and calming work, designed to offer moments of reflection and connection in a healthcare environment that can often feel overwhelming.

The creation of Welcome to Country also encapsulates one of ATW’s most important legacies: the training and mentoring of weavers. For Amy Cornall, who joined the Workshop in 2004, this tapestry marks her first major project as a lead weaver—a proud milestone two decades in the making. Working under the mentorship of senior weaver Chris Cochius, Amy has stepped into a leadership role that carries forward ATW’s culture of knowledge sharing.

“The conversations I have here carry on conversations I have had with the people who taught me, and the people who taught them before,” she says. This kind of hands-on, collaborative learning is at the heart of what we do. It ensures that the rare and complex skills of tapestry weaving are preserved, refined, and passed on to the next generation of weavers.

Artist Mitch Mahoney captures the spirit of collaboration: “The weavers are amazing technical wizards of this old craft. The mastery involved in the many hands coming together to create a work that is an expression of two artists’ work—it’s the ultimate collaboration. To have ten people create one work that looks like one hand made it, yet it has a bit of all of them in it. Yeah, it's amazing.”

Donations play a vital role in enabling ATW to sustain this living tradition. Training a weaver takes many years, and philanthropic support is crucial to ensuring the continuation of this extraordinary craft. Through your generosity, we can invest in emerging talent, produce ambitious public artworks, and ensure tapestry remains a vibrant and accessible art form.

As we approach our 50th anniversary in 2026, your support means more than ever. You can help us to train the next master weavers, bring ambitious artworks to life, and ensure that tapestry remains a vibrant, living art form led by Australian contemporary artists.

Thank you for being part of our story.

How to donate to the Annual Appeal

Online:

DONATE HERE

Phone:

Call the ATW on +61 3 9699 7885 during business hours and one of our friendly staff members will assist you.

For donations of $10,000 and over:

If you can make a donation of $10,000 or more, thank you! We can receive it by cheque or direct deposit. Please contact us on +61 3 9699 7885 or email contact@austapestry.com.au to make arrangements.

Donations to the Australian Tapestry Workshop Fund of $2 and over are tax-deductible. Donations of $200+ are acknowledged on our Donor Roll. Gifts that accumulate to $10,000 and over are acknowledged in perpetuity.