What is Make it Real?

Hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of art and products are sold in Australia every year that appear to be made by (or in collaboration with) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

Unfortunately, while many of these products might look real, up to 75% are fake and not connected to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people or culture at all, or are made without their permission.¹

This industry of unethical art and craft not only harms culture but also robs Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists of important sources of income. Make it Real is a project tackling this problem head on.

The project is helping to stamp out unethical practices by supporting Aboriginal art centres in Western Australia to test new ways of making products that share authentic art and culture.

Make it Real is not just about creating new products, but also about getting these products onto the shelves of some of Western Australia’s known retailers and encouraging customers to buy them.

Make it Real is also a platform to raise awareness about the importance of authenticity in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander product market, advocate for sector-wide change and equip customers and retailers with information so they can make confident, ethical choices about what they buy and sell.

Overall, the project has been developed to:

• support art centres and artists to test new ways of making products
• get authentic products into well-known retailers
• encourage people to make ethical choices about the products they buy
• empower art centres and artists to take control of the products that are being sold
• ensure artists are treated and paid fairly
• create new sources of income for art centres and artists that isn’t from the sale of paintings

What is this Product Development Toolkit?

As making new products is complicated and can be overwhelming, the Make it Real team has created this Product Development Toolkit to guide Indigenous artists and art centres through the product development process – from understanding how it works and what’s involved through the making of products, to distributing and promoting them.

This Product Development Toolkit also includes information on how to ensure artists are paid and treated fairly, and how to find trustworthy people and businesses (manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, retailers etc.) to work with.

This information shows art centres and artists how to create income from products, rather than just the sale of paintings. This is important because making money from different sources helps art centres become strong businesses that support strong communities.

Information within this toolkit has also been created for manufacturers and retailers, as well as consumers, to help them navigate best practice ways of producing, selling and purchasing ethical Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander products and merchandise.

1. Productivity Commission, Overview – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Arts and Crafts–Study report, 2022.