“Mum Went to Town
The Creative Life of An Ordinary Country Woman”
6-26th October 2023

Opening night 6th October 2023
5pm to 7pm

The exhibition “Mum Went to Town” is a celebration of the extraordinary creativity and style of Yvonne Cope, a lifelong resident of Kingaroy. The inspiration for the exhibition came from the discovery of Yvonne’s vintage fashion collection, including many outfits she had made herself, after her passing. The exhibition, hosted by the Kingaroy Regional Art Gallery, showcases Yvonne’s passion for fashion, art, and crafting.

Yvonne’s daughters were amazed by the extent of her talents, which included dressmaking, pottery, and textile work. She not only created matching outfits for herself and her daughters but also made her own wedding dress and pottery. The exhibition features clothing from the 70s to the 2000s, as well as a diverse selection of textile work, pottery, quirky tea cosies, and an impressive Barbie doll collection, complete with homemade outfits.

The title “Mum Went to Town” reflects Yvonne’s habit of dressing up when going into town for shopping or appointments and also signifies the extent of her creative expression. Yvonne’s colorful tea cosies, which are found in homes across Australia, were not only sold in Kingaroy but also exhibited and sold at the Alice Springs Beanie Festival for many years.

The exhibition aims to showcase Yvonne’s remarkable talents and the legacy she left behind. It will run at the Kingaroy Art Gallery from October 6th to October 26th, with an opening night on October 6th from 5pm to 7pm. After the exhibition, the family intends to offer the collection to museums and collectors as a possible donation. Overall, “Mum Went to Town” is a tribute to an ordinary woman who did extraordinary things for the sheer pleasure of creativity.

“This exhibition resulted from an idea that formed in the days directly after Mum died. As the family gathered, we started looking through cupboards and drawers, finding clothing from the seventies, eighties and nineties – hot pants, caftans, shoulder-padded jackets, slinky black dresses. The clothes were colourful, glamorous, casual, dressy, quirky. Whether she made them herself or bought them, they always looked great on her, and she always took a little more effort with her appearance when she went to town.”

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