Marnin Studio is an Indigenous social enterprise producing artisan homewares, gifts and textiles based in Fitzroy Crossing in the remote West Kimberley region of Western Australia. The studio is a space where designers come together to create, connect and share their deep knowledge of the local environment, culture and community through contemporary designs. Our aim is to provide a therapeutic healing space as well as opportunities for business development and economic independence for those living in the region.

Fitzroy Valley boasts a large number of talented and enthusiastic designers who want to take their designing to the next level and earn an income through Marnin Studio. The Studio provides equipment and materials, training and mentoring, product and business development, as well as our marketing and sales platforms to reach national and international customers. Our social enterprise model allows designers the opportunity to reach financial stability through the sale of their products. However, we do not have the capacity to fund each artist’s material costs upfront, therefore we need your support to be able to increase the number of people we can work with to allow them the opportunity to create, share cultural knowledge and work towards financial independence.

There are 40 communities in the Fitzroy Valley, many of which are too remote to permit daily travel to and from our Fitzroy Crossing studio. However, with your support we can convert community spaces into productive hubs of creativity and business development. This will enable people to stay living in community where culture, language and individuals can thrive. For as little as $500 you will be providing a whole community with a self-determined and community driven business opportunity.

To hear more of our story and see our work visit our Facebook or Instagram

Marnin Studio has been operating since 2013 and has continually expandied to what we are today. We currently generate about $70,000 in income for our designers each year, we are hoping to grow this to benefit more and more designers and micro-businesses in our region but we need help for initial costs. Fortunately we receive some government funding for the work we do but donations from the public is what will allow us to do more. The end of financial year is the perfect time to support Marnin Studio's work in remote Indigenous communities. All donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Here are some examples of what your donations will allow our designers to create:

$10 - Hand crafted key ring

$25 - Embroidered bush toy

$60 - Bush dyed silk scarf

$100 - Hand printed linen table cloth and napkin set

$200- Engage two designers in casual work at a 1-day market to sell their wares

$500 – Will set up a studio space in a remote community

Please donate now and share with your friends to help us reach our goal of $10,000 by June 30th 2018.

Living and working in the Kimberley, a remote region of Western Australia poses many challenges to social impact work and businesses. Our social enterprise model and operation is based on an understanding of these unique challenges and seeks to overcome them with a strength-based and community focused approach. We are a healing and trauma informed organisation, therefore our work is not only about business development but also personal and community development. The challenges we face include lack of employment and training opportunities, living in isolated communities, as well as the intergenerational trauma that continues to impact Indigenous communities, families and indiviudals on many different levels. If you would like to learn more about the challenges we are working to overcome please visit Marninwarntikura Women's Resource Centre's website. Marninwarntikura founded Marnin Studio in 2013.

https://www.mwrc.com.au/

Please share this image when you have donated - 

this is about starting a conversation as well as raising funds, thank you for being part of the change!