| James joined the group at Tobwabba in 1993 when the CDEP program began. James had to do one of the CDEP programs, and Tobwabba appealed to him more than the manual work which the other CDEP projects offered. He was already interested in art when the opportunity arose to join Tobwabba, and James says he knew Tobwabba could go somewhere if everyone worked hard. He prefers to work in the more traditional colours, but is forced to work in the brighter colours as most of the design commissions specify certain colours. James believes that Tobwabba has changed the way the local Aboriginal people think. "It gives people a better outlook on who we are, where we come from, who we're descended from." He also thinks that Tobwabba has changed attitudes in the white community. James thinks that Tobwabba has been run well, but in the future he would like to see it wholly Aboriginal managed. He admits though that at the moment the existing staff and artists don't have the skills to manage the organisation alone. James thinks that the artists have maintained their cohesion as a group because there has been so much work to do. There hasn't been time for conflict to develop as everyone has been working so hard. The fact that the artists are always promoted as a group and never as individuals also helps with keeping the group together. James is very hopeful for the future. "I can only see us getting better, making more money and getting more recognition as artists out of it. " James wants to stay with Tobwabba for the foreseeable future. |