The Importance of Indigenous Art Communities
Indigenous art is an incredibly significant part of the Australian art scene; it has shaped it and has proven to be very successful within the international art market. Behind each and every artwork is a talented artist, many of which live in remote communities and are a part of art centres — places designed to foster creativity and help artists connect with galleries and buyers. However, art centres and communities are so much more than that; they are places to socialise, share inspiration and most importantly collaborate. Through these art communities, First Nations artists collaborate and work together to create and define their unique artistic styles and colour palettes.
Art centres first emerged in the 1970’s. It all started with Geoffrey Bardon, a school teacher who was posted in the remote community of Papunya. He introduced many new artistic ideas to the children and elders of the community, and most importantly introduced the use of acrylic paints. This started a whole new wave of Australian art, with many famous artists emerging from the Papunya community, such as Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri (Silka, 2016). Indigenous artists had always worked together as communities but art centres created a way for the artists to become financially independent, and to be able to have their artworks reach the rest of the world, outside of their rural or remote communities. Australia now has over 90 Art Centres spread all across Australia, they act as social hubs, art schools, cultural strongholds and connect artists with dealers and potential buyers nationally and internationally. They are the lifeblood of these communities.
For remote Indigenous communities, there have always been limited employment opportunities and resultingly, a limited scope for people to have economic independence. Art centres are helping change this. Indigenous art centres operate as non-for-profit corporations; they are 100% owned and are committed to ensuring fair practice and payments for their artists (Flying Fox Fabrics, 2020). They are the primary location for art production and distribution within communities. Art centre alliances such as the Arnhem, Northern and Kimberly Artists (ANKA) and the Indigenous Art Centre Alliance (IACA) provide services that support these art centres within their regions. They help raise their profiles through advocacy, networking, marketing and promotion so that artists can continue to share and sell their artworks. Art also plays a huge role raising the profiles of and providing employment for Indigenous women, who make up approximately 70% of the artists within these communities (Jones, 2019).
Art Centres and communities not only provide economic benefits, they also provide incredible cultural and social advantages as well. In terms of the cultural benefits, they give Indigenous artists the space and resources to create artworks that tell their stories. Without a written language, recording stories visually through artwork has always been an important part of First Nations culture. The artworks tell Dreaming stories and communicate important knowledge of the land. They provide a way for traditional knowledge to be passed down from generation to generation. These art communities also help the artists build pride and self-esteem through doing something they are passionate about and being recognized for it, both nationally and internationally. As such, art centres provide ways of maintaining culture. Additionally, centres often provide services that are not directly connected to the arts including assistance with: health and medical requirements, aged care services, family business, education, legal, transport and financial management issues. They are a safe and supportive environment for artists and their families (Jones, 2019).
Indigenous art communities are very unique in the way in which they work together to create art. The system is completely unlike western art, which is almost entirely focussed on the individual and their talents. Communities work collaboratively to develop new art styles and decide upon their groups unique colour palette. Some communities will stick to traditional colour palettes which include the natural colours of ochre, while other groups will permit their members to work with a broader palette (Japingka, 2020). Some artists will even collaborate on the same artwork. The Wangkatjungka Community in Kimberly have created a whole series of collaborative paintings. Between 2005 and 2010 the community painted a collection that represents the senior artists’ ancestral country locations in the Great Sandy Desert. Another example of some incredible collaborative artworks was at the 2016 Hazelhurst Regional Gallery exhibition “Nganampa Kililpil: Our Stars.” The exhibition highlighted artists from across the APY Lands and featured two 3m x 5m collaborative paintings created by artists from 7 different art centres (Blanco, 2016).
Art is at the heart of these remote Indigenous communities. It provides independence, encourages creativity, is a way for community members to collaborate, share knowledge and continue cultural practices. Art centres bring so much good to their communities but there can still be a lot more done to support them so that they can, in turn, support their communities. This additional support includes: further infrastructure, the expansion of culturally sensitive employment opportunities, skill development opportunities for artists and a focus on cultural tourism (ANZSOG, 2019). Cultural tourism is an important component of this. Having visitors to remote art centres allows both artists to sell directly to people and also provides visitors a chance to learn the artwork stories and learn more about Indigenous culture. If you are ever taking a remote road trip we absolutely recommend visiting some of these incredible centres. Here is an excellent list of the arts and cultural centres in the Northern Territory. There are, of course, centres all across Australia so simply have a search for those that are near your intended route.
At Yarn, we help support art centres through collaborating with them to create some of our beautiful products. Currently we have a beautiful range which has been designed in collaboration with Warlukurlangu Artists, an art community based in Yuendumu, Central Australia. You can take a look at the beautiful collection here. Help support these incredibly talented artists and their communities!
