Indigenous Visual Arts Directory
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE ARTS www.dcita.gov.au Indigenous Visual Arts and Craft Indigenous Visual Arts and Craft Resource Directory Resource Directory 2006 2006 Indigenous Visual Arts and Craft Resource Directory 2006 1 Disclaimer The Commonwealth, its employees, officers and agents are not responsible for the activities of organisations and agencies listed in this directory and do not accept any liability for the results of any action taken in reliance upon, or based on or in connection with this directory, including the purchase of artworks from organisations listed in the directory. To the extent legally possible, the Commonwealth, its employees, officers and agents, disclaim all liability arising by reason of any breach of any duty in tort (including negligence and negligent misstatement) or as a result of any errors and omissions contained in this document. The organisations and agencies do not have the endorsement of the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts. They are listed for information purposes only. © Commonwealth of Australia 2006 ISBN 0642753369 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the: Commonwealth Copyright Administration Attorney General’s Department Robert Garran Offices National Circuit Canberra ACT 2600 Requests and enquiries can be posted at: www.ag.gov.au/cca This directory is the fourth edition of the Indigenous Visual Arts and Crafts Resource Directory. The first three editions were produced in 1987, 1998 and 2000 by the former Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission. This edition was compiled by the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) and the former Broadcasting, Languages and Arts and Culture Branch of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Services. It was created with the assistance of the Association of the Northern, Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists (ANKAAA) and Indigenous arts and craft centres around Australia. For further information An online version of this directory can be found at: www.dcita.gov.au/indig/national_arts_and_crafts_industry_support_program/publications To update entries in this directory or for further information contact: Indigenous Visual Arts Section Department of Communication, Information Technology and the Arts GPO Box 2154 Canberra ACT 2601 Telephone: 02 6271 1000 Or visit: www.dcita.gov.au/indig Graphic design: Iona Walsh, Kylie Smith Printing: Goanna Print, Canberra 2 CONTENTS Message from the Minister 3 Foreword 5 About this directory 9 Introduction 11 Buying Indigenous art – authenticity and copyright 13 Glossary 15 Section 1 Indigenous art centres 17 Section 2 Wholesalers, manufacturers and designers 45 Section 3 Commercial galleries, dealers and auction houses 51 Section 4 Public art galleries and museums 75 Section 5 Arts and cultural festivals and prizes 97 Section 6 Resource, support and advocacy agencies 111 Section 7 Online resources 135 Art centres product index 143 Photo captions 153 1 2 Message from the Minister This directory aims to support the Australian Indigenous arts and cultural industry and to make the exceptional depth and range of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artwork more accessible. Australian Indigenous artwork showcases the richness and resilience of Indigenous cultures to world wide audiences and is receiving national and international acclaim. Despite this recognition, the gap between many Indigenous artists and the market place can be dauntingly wide, particularly for artists working in very remote locations. This directory aims to close that gap and assist Indigenous artists and their representatives to position themselves in the market place. It also aims to equip artists, and the art centres and resource agencies that support them, with up-to-date information on buyers and marketing opportunities. The directory will also make it easier for buyers and galleries to access and buy artworks and obtain more information on the depth and scope of the works being produced. By strengthening relations between producers and buyers the Australian Government hopes to build an even stronger Indigenous art industry. The benefits of this endeavour are becoming more and more obvious. The industry is assisting many Indigenous communities to protect and strengthen their cultures and is significantly boosting the economies of entire communities, particularly in remote areas. I am confident this directory will support the continued growth of this vibrant and exciting industry and I hope it will open doors for all of you. Senator the Hon Rod Kemp Minister for the Arts and Sport May 2006 3 4 FOREWORD Never ending story The Indigenous Visual Arts and Craft Resource Directory is a valuable resource for artists, arts administrators, curators, commercial galleries, public galleries and museums, government departments and those interested in learning more about the incredible diversity of the Indigenous arts and cultural industry. This 2006 publication of the directory is the 4th edition of a resource which has now been in use for almost two decades, with the inaugural edition being printed in 1987. The changes within the Indigenous arts and cultural industry over this period have been phenomenal, as the expanded number of entries in this directory attests. In 1987, arts/cultural centres were considered only in the context of remote regions, particularly central Australia and Arnhem Land. Yet, it was in 1987 that the first officially recognised metropolitan-based arts/cultural centre was established, Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative in Sydney. Indigenous arts and cultural centres have operated in various regions of Australia since the 1940s, with Ernabella Arts, established in 1948 under the auspices of a Presbyterian mission in central Australia, being the longest continually running Indigenous arts and craft centre. Bima Wear was founded at Bathurst Island in 1969 under the auspices of a Catholic mission, and in that same year Maningrida Arts and Culture and Bathurst Island’s Tiwi Designs were also established, although the latter was not incorporated until 1980. Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd was incorporated in 1971–72 to support the burgeoning art movement at Papunya, and it can lay claim to being the longest running community-based art company in central Australia. It was not until the 1980s, however, that the industry began to boom, with the establishment of arts and cultural centres throughout central Australia, Arnhem Land and the Kimberleys region of northern Western Australia. In the three decades following the establishment of Bima Wear, Tiwi Designs and Maningrida Arts and Culture, thirty-five arts centres were established, the majority in the mid to late 1980s1. These were supported by the simultaneous establishment of commercial outlets such as the government-funded Aboriginal artists’ galleries in metropolitan centres, such as Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, which superseded the role of the mission-run outlets. 5 Far from seeing themselves as separate from their colleagues in regions designated ‘traditional’ as opposed to ‘urban’, artists groups and collectives throughout the country established a number of key organisations in the late 1980s. The Association of Northern Central Australian Aboriginal Artists (ANCAAA) was originally established in March 1987, by 16 Aboriginal owned and controlled community art and cultural centres from NT, WA and SA. Its main function was to foster the Indigenous arts industry for the benefit of its artists and organisations. ANCAAA later morphed into the Association of Northern and Kimberley Aboriginal Artists Association (ANKAAA). Today, it represents over 2500 Artists from 32 art and cultural centres located in the Tiwi Islands and the Darwin/Katherine, Kimberley, and Arnhem Land regions.2 As I mentioned earlier, it was at this time that Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-operative was established by 10 Indigenous artists in inner-city Sydney. In the following year Dumbartung was established in Perth and then in 1992 Desart Inc., formerly the Central Australian Aboriginal Arts Industry Support Unit, emerged in Alice Springs. Over the past two decades Boomalli has relocated four times and now resides in the inner-west of Sydney. Boomalli is totally- Indigenous staffed and operated, unlike the vast majority of arts and cultural centres elsewhere in Australia. The first specifically Torres Strait focussed initiative, Gab Titui Cultural Centre opened on Thursday Island in early 2004. Its opening was an historic occasion for the Torres Strait, as it marked the end of an epic journey to create a local place for cultural safe keeping.3 These important developments have fuelled the growth of an Indigenous arts and cultural industry which now employs more Indigenous Australians than any other sector. Today, Indigenous arts and culture are acknowledged as a major attraction for international visitors to Australia and are being utilised by state and federal governments to promote and market their regions nationally and to the world. 6 The 2000 Sydney Olympic Games opening ceremony is just one case in point. Recognition of the value of Indigenous art and culture has also increased. In 2003, Kuninjku artist, John Mawurndjul, long associated with Maningrida Arts and Culture, was awarded