Jimmy Possum: a chairmaking tradition

Above: Mike Epworth’s 2016 doctoral examination chair (on the left), created from materials and at sites significant to the Jimmy Possum tradition, in collaboration with descendants of historical chairmakers at various community workshops. Photo: Bronwyn Harm

Opening November 26, Jimmy Possum chairmaking tradition c.1872 – 2022 is an exhibition that will survey and showcase Australia’s foremost vernacular furniture making tradition, including works by the eponym, subsequent historical makers and prominent contemporary artisans. The exhibition runs until May 28, 2023 at Queen Victoria Art Gallery at Royal Park in Launceston, Tasmania.

Bound to the people, place and history of the Meander Valley in northern Tasmania; this chairmaking tradition is unlike any other in the world. Its defining interlocking configuration; legs that intersect the seat and housed in the arms, back rungs that intersect the arms and housed in the seat, was reputably developed at several Meander Valley bush camps by the fringe-dweller Jimmy Possum.

There are no primary sources documenting this mysterious artisan. Circumstantial evidence suggests he could have been an ex-convict, equally he may have been a refugee from the Irish famine, or a First Nations man from the mainland.

A settee made by Mike Epworth (2021) in collaboration with his nephew Stuart Epworth, 9th generation Australian vernacular furniture maker. Photo: Bronwyn Harm

The subsequent historical chairmakers (c.1883 – 1950s), some known, some unknown, worked in or near the townships of Deloraine and Westbury, and each developed a distinctive interpretation of the original design.

Their chairs were made for family and friends and reflect the dimensions of who they were intended for, as the makers enjoyed the ultimate creative freedom of making for loved ones rather than for profit.

Contemporary artisans continue to be inspired by the tradition. 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 2016 floods, of the tree that oral histories suggest was where Jimmy Possum lived and worked. Photo: Bronwyn Harm

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. Listen to a recent ABC Radio National interview with Mike here.

The Jimmy Possum chairmaking tradition c.1872 – 2022 exhibition serves as example and exemplar of how things were and how they might be again. Mike elaborates more on the Jimmy Possum tradition in the December issue of Wood Review magazine.