Therese Ritchie and Chips Mackinolty, co-designers of this poster are well known as Australian artists and graphic activists.

Mackinolty was an early member of the Earthworks Poster Collective (established 1972) which grew out of the Earthworks Poster company established by Colin Little in 1971 at the Tin Sheds Art Workshops at Sydney University. Members of the collective held strong political views and the resultant posters (relating to university politics, fundraising parties, and wider political, social and economic issues) now reflect the climate of the seventies - political activism and debate and opposition to established authority and government structures are portrayed in brilliant colours through the poster designs produced by Earthworks.

When the collective disbanded in 1979, Chips went to Townsville as a Community Arts Officer, and in mid-1981 to Katherine and Uluru in the Northern Territory as a Crafts Advisor to an Aboriginal Arts and Crafts organisation. In late 1985 he moved to Darwin to work for the Northern Territory Land Council. Chips Mackinolty's extensive work with political and Community Arts Organisations and his work in an advisory capacity to Aboriginal Arts and Crafts organisations and Land Councils in Queensland and the Northern Territory, including the establishment of Green Ant publishing, is of particular significance.

The Green Ant poster, issued as a limited edition party invitation in the form of a poster, was designed to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the graphic arts and research centre, Green Ant Publishing, which Chips Mackinolty set up with friends in 1990 to produce posters, T-shirts and books. The invitation was printed by Chips Mackinolty in Darwin in 1995 as a limited edition of 150 posters.

Anne-Marie Van de Ven
March 2008

Screenprinted birthday party invitation printed in the form of a limited edition (150) poster design. Co-designed by Chips Mackinolty and Therese Ritchie.

Therese Ann Ritchie (b. Newcastle NSW 1961)
2000 Finalist, with Chips Mackinolty, Chaumont festival dĀ?affiches, LĀ?engagement politique et social, Chaumont, France
(for 'Rebuild East Timor' poster)
1998: Joint exhibition with Chips Mackinolty - A retrospective of 10 years work (featuring new work on Territory politics, history and culture) toured NT and Araluen.

Chips Mackinolty (b Morwell Victoria, 1954)
Chips Mackinolty has undertaken extensive work with political and community arts organisations and his work in an advisory capacity to Aboriginal Arts and Crafts organisations and Land Councils in Queensland and the Northern Territory is of particular significance.
He was an early member of the Earthworks Poster Collective (estab 1972) which grew out of the Earthworks Poster company established by Colin Little in 1971 at the Tin Sheds Art Workshops at Sydney University.
When the collective disbanded in 1979, Chips went to Townsville as a Community Arts Officer, and in mid-1981 to Katherine and Uluru in the Northern Territory as a Crafts Advisor to Aboriginal Arts and Crafts organisations.
In late 1985 he moved to Darwin to work for the Northern Territory Land Council where he works as a printmaker, journalist and media advisor.

The donor received the poster rolled in a cardboard cylinder in the mail as an invitation to Green Ant's 5th birthday party from his friend and colleague (co-designer of the poster), Chips Mackinolty.
The caption of the poster provides an overview of the event that was held in Darwin in 1995: 'Onwards to the next glorious five year plan / Come as your favourite icon and celebrate / Green Ant's 5th Birthday / 2 Gardenia Street, Nightcliff. Saturday April Fool's Day 1995 from 5pm. BYO'.

Poster, 'Green Ant's 5th Birthday / Onwards to the next glorious five year plan', colour screenprint, paper / ink, designed by Chips Mackinolty / Therese Ritchie, printed by Chips Mackinolty, Green Ant Publishing, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia, 1995

Birthday party invitation printed in the form of a limited edition poster design (150), depicting 5 figures. They are; Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa holding machine gun, Marilyn Monroe wearing overalls and holding little red book with yellow star titled, 'Green Ant 5 Year Plan', Vincent Van Gogh with bandaged ear, beret and khaki jacket pointing his finger, Frida Kahlo holding red 'Green Ant' flag, and a portrait from a Tahitian painting by Paul Gaugin. The extended caption reads, 'Onwards to the next glorious five year plan / Come as your favourite icon and celebrate / Green Ant's 5th Birthday / 2 Gardenia Street, Nightcliff.Saturday April Fool's Day 1995 from 5pm. BYO'

Designed: Mackinolty, Chips;

Designed: Ritchie, Therese;

Printed: Mackinolty, Chips; Darwin, Northern Territory; 1995

Printed in smaller text to the left of the figures 'With apologies to the 1967 Chinese poster - [includes 6 Chinese characters] / [We are determined to liberate Taiwan]'.

2008/93/1

1120 mm

760 mm