Tasmania JackJumpers
An artwork for the Tasmania JackJumpers’ 2024–25 Indigenous Round jersey and shorts, expressing Palawa connection to salt water and Country.
ARTIST & DESIGNER ● DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION & TEXTILE DESIGN ● LUTRUWITA/TASMANIA ● 2024
Commissioned for the Tasmania JackJumpers’ 2024–25 Indigenous Round uniform, I created Muka/Salt Water as an expression of our Palawa community’s connection to the island and its surrounding waters. Wave-like line work flows through the jersey and shorts, with nine circular motifs honouring the nine nations of Lutruwita.
I developed the concept and artwork, considering how the composition would work across garment panels and alongside club branding. The commission brought my cultural storytelling into textile design for a national basketball competition, with the finished uniform also made available to members and supporters.
THE COMMISSION
The project began through the JackJumpers’ annual call for a Palawa artist to design its Indigenous Round uniform. In 2024, the club’s Aboriginal Advisory Panel selected the artist for the first time. Auntie Theresa Sainty, Auntie Lola Greeno and Uncle Rodney Dillon assessed proposals for their relevance to Palawa people and cultural practice.
Being selected by respected Elders from my community was a personal highlight. Their involvement placed Palawa cultural guidance within the commissioning process and gave particular meaning to the opportunity.
The brief allowed creative freedom, with a clear expectation that the design would be culturally appropriate and express our connection to Country. I approached Indigenous Round as a platform to share our stories with the club’s audience, placing our community and saltwater connection at the centre of the artwork.
COUNTRY & COMMUNITY
At the time, I was exploring the patterns that water creates as it moves. Ripples form on the surface, while sand and sediment shift beneath it. I was drawn to the endless variations in these patterns and began developing linework that echoed wind moving across water.
Muka, or salt water, became the focus. As island people, our relationship with the surrounding waters has sustained us and our cultural practices across generations. In my concept statement, I reflected particularly on our women’s connections to the sea through gathering shellfish and collecting shells for kanalaritja, or shell necklaces.
Nine circular motifs sit within the flowing linework, representing the nine nations of Lutruwita before invasion and dispossession. They acknowledge the people who cared for these lands and practised culture here, and our community’s continuing connection today.
Their placement carries meaning across the garment. On the front, they speak to the leaders we were and continue to be; on the back, to our history and deep-time connection; and on the sides, to walking side by side. The water moves around the body as it does around our island.
ARTWORK DEVELOPMENT
My interest in water informed the written concept I submitted through the expression of interest process. Once selected, I developed the proposal into finished artwork within a short turnaround.
I created the composition on my iPad using Procreate, building the wave-like linework around the nine circular motifs. The design needed to carry its story across a complete uniform, so I considered the relationship between the overall artwork and the individual panels from the outset.
My experience with textiles helped me combine a pattern that could repeat with a composition drawn to the garment’s scale. This gave the artwork flexibility while allowing me to plan how it would wrap and connect across the jersey and shorts.
COLLABORATION & APPLICATION
I worked closely with Frances Lockhart, Head of Community at the JackJumpers, throughout the commission. My responsibilities covered the concept and artwork, while the JackJumpers and NBL managed uniform production through their preferred apparel supplier.
Knowing the proposed placement of logos, branding and player numbers helped me position the artwork around the practical requirements of the uniform. I planned how the pattern would join across panels so the line work and cultural motifs could remain connected around the body.
Lief Davies took my Procreate files into Adobe Illustrator and prepared the final files for print. This collaboration supported the translation of the artwork into the production files required for the garments.
The club’s marketing team also used the artwork to promote the uniform to members and supporters and to publicise the JackJumpers’ participation in Indigenous Round.
LAUNCH & OUTCOMES
The uniform launched in October 2024 and was worn by the team for Indigenous Round in November. There were opportunities to explain the artwork to players, staff and stakeholders, sharing the cultural meaning behind the design as it entered the club’s public life.
Seeing Tasmania’s NBL team wear my artwork was an exciting and significant moment in my practice. I received positive feedback from respected Elders, community members, supporters and the broader public, particularly around the focus on our relationship with the surrounding waters.
The commission brought Palawa stories into a setting where players and supporters could wear them and learn about their meaning. For me, the Elders’ selection of my work and the extremely positive response from my community remain what I value most about the project.
PROJECT CREDITS
Artist:
Caleb Nichols-Mansell
Client:
Tasmania JackJumpers
Aboriginal Advisory:
Auntie Theresa Sainty
Auntie Lola Greeno
Uncle Rodney Dillon
File Preparation:
Lief Davies
Garment Production:
First Ever