Held By:        Musicians Union of Australia Adelaide Branch

Artist:           Trish McLaine

Funded By:  UTLC All Our Working Lives Project

Produced:   1984

The South Australian branch of the Musicians Union was registered with the South Australian Industrial Commission 16 March 1918. In 1984 it was affiliated with the International Federation of Musicians.

It’s self-evident that the strength and spirit of a community is expressed through its art. So, in the same way as murals can reflect the stance of a community, or that a collection of screenprints can represent the concerns of a minority group, so banners are a way of boldly displaying the solidarity of a union.

When the Musicians Union banner was first allocated to me, I knew little about its aims or activities. Its members are so diverse in what they actually do and how they go about presenting their music. There are no defined workplaces. The notions of ‘productivity’, ‘bosses’, ‘collective bargaining’ seem rather remote when you’re talking about buskers, a rock band or an orchestra. But when I thought about it, this is the very situation where a union can be of extreme importance in the struggle for better conditions. And one very useful expression of unity to such a varied group of workers has to be a banner to stand behind.

The banner is not elaborate, or especially symbolic. It’s designed to be a clear, striking confirmation of the union’s presence, and of its policy ‘Keep Music Live’…this is another way of saying ‘People Are Precious’, and that’s a notion I’m committed to in whatever way I can be. Trish McLaine, Artist

All Our Working Lives: A project by working people documenting their struggles and achievements, co-ordinated by Andrew Hill, Eugenia Hill, United Trades & Labor Council (SA), Working Women’s Centre, Trade Union Training Authority, Community Media Association, Kitchener Press, 1984, p. 106.