Jimmy possum biography

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Jimmy Possum chair c.

Jimmy possum biography

Provenance Unknown. Description Armchair with high back and a seat made from a single, rectangular slab of pine. Statement of Significance The Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery seeks to build a comprehensive representation of decorative arts made in Tasmania throughout the colonial period. Their works are informed by societal concerns such as sustainability, hyper-locality, identity and connection.

Above: Mike Epworth sits next to the remnant stump, uncovered in the floods, of the tree that oral histories suggest was where Jimmy Possum lived and worked. The exhibition is curated by Dr Mike Epworth, who has specialised in making Jimmy Possum chairs for 36 years. He and collaborating documenter Bronwyn Harm have worked with many regional and remote communities running development projects based around the communal creation of a Jimmy Possum chair.

Mr Epworth believes Jimmy Possum stayed with local farming family the Larcombes one winter and taught the farmer, William Larcombe, to make the chairs. It is thought the technique was then passed down through the family. The Larcombes had several of the historic chairs and Gary Larcombe has childhood memories of his uncle Arthur making them.

Mike Epworth believes Jimmy Possum taught some local farmers how to make the chairs, including Gary Larcombe's ancestors. With the backing of the National Trust, Mr Epworth has run a workshop in Deloraine, teaching members of the Larcombe family how to make the chairs. There's been a renewed interest across the region in Jimmy Possum, with the Deloraine and District Folk Museum hosting the first public exhibition of Jimmy Possum chairs in almost 40 years.