Thancoupie.
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Name
Thancoupie.
Other names
FLETCHER, Gloria
Culture
Aboriginal Australian
Gender
Female
Birth date
1937
Birth place
Napranum, Queensland, Australia View on map Close map
Death date
24 April 2011
Death Place
Weipa, Queensland, Australia View on map Close map
Occupations
Ceramic artist | Decorative / design artist
Summary
Worked: Australia (QLD)
NGA IRN
24153
Context
Australia
Biography
THANCOUPIE
Thancoupie is the Aboriginal name for Gloria Fletcher, she grew up in Weipa, Queensland. She trained as a pre-school teacher. She began painting and exhibited in Cairns, then moved to Sydney. From 1969 to 1973 she studied ceramics at East Sydney Technical College, with teachers Peter Rushforth, Peter Travis, Shigo Shiga, Bernard Sahm, Joan Grounds and Derek Smith. After the completion of her course she set up a studio in Cairns. She is a well known potter and has had many solo and group exhibitions in ceramics. Jennifer Issacs has written a book about her Thancoupie the Potter.
Thancoupie has represented Australia at the World Crafts Council in the United States and Mexico. In 1983 she was Australia's Cultural Commissioner at the Sao Paulo Biennale, Brazil. She has been involved with projects such as the 20 foot ceramic mural for the Sculptural Gardens, Benalla, Victoria, has groups of ceramic planters displayed at the Festival Market Place, Darling Harbour. She also has a design in the parquetry floor at Darling Harbour. Thanacoupie has also designed fabrics for Kewarra Beach.
© ada 1989