Preamble
For your convenience I have listed below other posts on Australian aboriginal textiles and artwork.
Untitled Artworks (Exhibition - ArtCloth: Engaging New Visions) Tjariya (Nungalka) Stanley and Tjunkaya Tapaya, Ernabella Arts (Australia)
ArtCloth from the Tiwi Islands
Aboriginal Batik From Central Australia
ArtCloth from Utopia
Aboriginal Art Appropriated by Non-Aboriginal Artists
ArtCloth from the Women of Ernabella
ArtCloth From Kaltjiti (Fregon)
Australian Aboriginal Silk Paintings
Contemporary Aboriginal Prints
Batiks from Kintore
Batiks From Warlpiri (Yuendumu)
Aboriginal Batiks From Northern Queensland
Artworks From Remote Aboriginal Communities
Urban Aboriginal ArtCloths
Western Australian Aboriginal Fabric Lengths
Northern Editions - Aboriginal Prints
Aboriginal Bark Paintings
Contemporary Aboriginal Posters (1984) - (1993)
The Art of Arthur Pambegan Jr
Aboriginal Art - Colour Power
Aboriginal Art - Part I
Aboriginal Art - Part II
The Art of Ngarra
The Paintings of Patrick Tjungurrayi
Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri
Australian Aboriginal Rock Art - Part I
Australian Aboriginal Rock Art - Part II
Introduction
“The Ghan” - Australia’s legendary train - celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2009 with respect to its original 1,500 kms service from Adelaide to Alice Springs, trekking through the heartland of the Australian Outback and remote aboriginal communities.
Untitled cotton screen-prints on hand-painted backgrounds at Indulkana South Australia.
Named after the turbaned and robed “cameleers” who, before roads or rail, provided the only supply route to the middle of Australia, “The Ghan”, first operated in 1929 and linked Adelaide to Alice Springs. It took another 75 years (in 2004) before the track opened between Alice and Darwin.
Iconic photograph of "The Ghan" on the move.
Today “The Ghan” is a passenger train, which operates luxury services between Adelaide, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Darwin. The classic rail journey takes 48 hours and covers 2,979 kms, taking passengers on a sight seeing adventure through the heart of the country, crossing deserts and the rusty reds of the McDonnell ranges northwards to Katherine and finishing its journey in tropical Darwin.
The route of "The Ghan" through the centre of Australia.
Adelaide to Darwin is a 3-day, 2-night journey. “The Ghan” offers a choice of three levels of accommodation, namely, Red, Gold and Platinum. The route begins in Adelaide Parklands Terminal, heads north to Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Pimba, Kingoonya, Coober Pedy, Marla, Chandler, Kulgera, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and then ends in Darwin - ready for the return trip.
The Ghan's Red Gum Lounge provides panoramic views of Central Australia.
Interestingly it traverses small aboriginal communities of the central desert region of Australia. We have already highlighted the ArtCloth batik output from a number of these communities. Today we shall highlight Aboriginal ArtCloth from smaller remote art communities on tor near the trek from Adelaide to Darwin.
Some remote Aboriginal communities along or near the route of "The Ghan".
Artworks from Remote Aboriginal Communities
There are a number of remote aboriginal communities strung along or near the trek of “The Ghan”. Here are the background and artworks of some of these remote communities that often are submerged by the success of larger remote communities.
Minymaku Arts (Amata)
Amata sits in the Musgrave Ranges in the far North of South Australia on Angangu Pitjantjatjara Lands, approximately 150 km South of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and approximately 500 km South-West of Alice Springs.
The women of Minymaku Arts.
Photograph courtesy of S. Bryce.
Minymaku Arts operates from the Amata Arts Centre and the Tjurma Homelands craft room. “Minymaku” means “belonging to women”. Batik became popular among the Pitjantjatjara women during the 1970s due to its introduction by Vivienne McKintock. Today, their intricate batik pieces combine many layers of bold warm colors as well as abstract representations of their landscapes.
Mona Mitakiki, Lampshade.
Minymaku Arts.
Cotton batik.
Lampshade 75 cm high.
Mona Mitakiki, Untiled.
Minymaku Arts.
Cotton batik.
90 cm wide.
Keringke Arts (Ltyentye Apurte)
Ltyentye Apurte or Santa Teresa lays 80 km East of Alice Springs and therefore is on “The Ghan” trek. It is home to approximately 500 Eastern Arrernte people. The community sits at the foot of a range of tabletop hills overlooking a sweeping plain.
Mary Oliver at work at Keringke Arts.
The art center at Santa Teresa, Keringka Arts, was established in 1987. The majority of Keringke artworks are not accompanied by specific traditional stories, yet artists do draw on a strong traditional narrative for inspiration and to structure their work around age-old motifs.
Agnes Abbott, Atyelpe.
Keringke Arts.
Handpainted Silk.
500 cm x 100 cm.
Collection: Araluen Arts Centre.
June Smith, Untitled.
Keringke Arts.
Handpainted silk.
Photograph courtesy of M-L. Nugent.
Marie Young, Untitled.
Keringke Arts.
Handpainted Silk.
Julalikari Arts and Crafts (Tennant Creek)
Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation (JCAC) is an Aboriginal community service organization governed by Julalikari Council, an elected body representing the whole Aboriginal community of Tennant Creek. Julalikari's constitution directs the operations of the organization at a general strategy to alleviate poverty and improve the wellbeing of the Aboriginal community of Tennant Creek and the surrounding area of Barkly.
Alison Alder working with artist Leanne Chungaloo as Jessica Jones looks on at Julalikari Arts and Crafts in Tennant Creek.
Photograph courtesy of Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation.
Tennant Creek is 500 km north of Alice Springs. The Council was formed in 1994 in a tin shed. In 1995 it moved to a disused house in Mulga camp (one of ten urban Aboriginal living areas in town). The house became known as the “Pink Palace”. It is now a meeting place and workplace for women from the area. The artwork produced in the Pink Palace varies from paintings, prints on cloth, ceramics and sewn garments. Below is a small sample of their output.
Peggy Napangardi Jones, Untitled.
Julalikari Arts and Crafts.
Handpainted silk.
90 cm x 90 cm.
Peggy Napangardi Jones, Untitled.
Julalikari Arts and Crafts.
Screen printed on cotton twill.
120 cm wide.
Peggy Napangardi Jones.
Julalikari Arts and Crafts.
Handpainted silk scarf.
90 cm x 90 cm.
Peggy Napangardi Jones.
Julalikari Arts and Crafts.
Screen-printed placement print on cotton twill.
50 cm length.
Dunnilli Arts, Nungalinya College (Darwin)
Dunnilli Arts is a textile training and resource center in Darwin. It draws its clients from the Top End (Northern Australia) and in particular artists from Darwin, Western and Eastern Arnhem land, Central Australia and the Kimberley region.
Kelli Bruce of Dunnilli Arts at Nungalinya College in Darwin prepares marbled ink for printing on cotton.
Finished art is shown on the next photograph.
Dunnilli Arts was established in the mid-1980s at Darwin’s Nungalinya College to address the needs to educate indigenous populations not only in techniques to enable them to pursue their craft, but also to impart knowledge in such diverse areas as copyright, taxation, licensing and other issues related with running a small business. Hence the center operates at two levels: as an art practice workshop and as a training center. Below is a taster of their output.
Kelli Bruce, Untitled.
Dunnilli Arts.
Marbled cotton.
150 cm x 120 cm.
Circular untitled tablecloths.
Dunnilli Arts.
Top (Left to Right): Judith Fejo (185 cm) diameter; Lola Tyson (160 cm diameter); Hermy Munnich (137 cm diameter).
Bottom: Desert Parakeelya.
Lanita Numina of Dunnilli Arts in Darwin at work screen-printing a cotton tablecloth.
Hermy Munnich, Untitled.
Dunnilli Arts.
Marbled silk produced by taking a "print" from fabric paints floated on a corraghen gum bath.
300 cm x 112 cm.
Injalak Arts and Crafts Association (Gunbalanya)
Gunbalanya is a small Aboriginal township close to the East Alligator River in Western Arnhem Land approximately 300 km East of Darwin, the latter is the destination of “The Ghan”. It has an aboriginal population of approximately 1000 people who are predominately Kunwinjku speakers, with English as a second language.
Gabriel Maralngurra and Ray Young, Barramundi.
Injalak Arts and Crafts Associations.
Screen-printed cotton twill.
8 meters in length.
A screen-printing course in 1982 led eventually to the funding of the Injalak Arts and Crafts Association. The members of the association produce a diverse range of arts and crafts including screen-printing fabric lengths, tablecloths, tea towels, T-shirts and cushions. The imagery is based on the abundant rock art that can be found in the area.
Lofty Bardayal, Mini Figures.
Injalak Arts and Crafts Association.
Screen-printed cotton twill.
8 meters in length.
Lofty Bardayal, Ngarrbek (Echidna).
Injalak Arts and Crafts Association.
Screen-printed cotton twill.
8 meters in length.
Reference
[1] Putting in the Color, Jukurrpa Books, Compiled by M-L Nugent, Alice Springs (2001).
For your convenience I have listed below other posts on Australian aboriginal textiles and artwork.
Untitled Artworks (Exhibition - ArtCloth: Engaging New Visions) Tjariya (Nungalka) Stanley and Tjunkaya Tapaya, Ernabella Arts (Australia)
ArtCloth from the Tiwi Islands
Aboriginal Batik From Central Australia
ArtCloth from Utopia
Aboriginal Art Appropriated by Non-Aboriginal Artists
ArtCloth from the Women of Ernabella
ArtCloth From Kaltjiti (Fregon)
Australian Aboriginal Silk Paintings
Contemporary Aboriginal Prints
Batiks from Kintore
Batiks From Warlpiri (Yuendumu)
Aboriginal Batiks From Northern Queensland
Artworks From Remote Aboriginal Communities
Urban Aboriginal ArtCloths
Western Australian Aboriginal Fabric Lengths
Northern Editions - Aboriginal Prints
Aboriginal Bark Paintings
Contemporary Aboriginal Posters (1984) - (1993)
The Art of Arthur Pambegan Jr
Aboriginal Art - Colour Power
Aboriginal Art - Part I
Aboriginal Art - Part II
The Art of Ngarra
The Paintings of Patrick Tjungurrayi
Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri
Australian Aboriginal Rock Art - Part I
Australian Aboriginal Rock Art - Part II
Introduction
“The Ghan” - Australia’s legendary train - celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2009 with respect to its original 1,500 kms service from Adelaide to Alice Springs, trekking through the heartland of the Australian Outback and remote aboriginal communities.
Named after the turbaned and robed “cameleers” who, before roads or rail, provided the only supply route to the middle of Australia, “The Ghan”, first operated in 1929 and linked Adelaide to Alice Springs. It took another 75 years (in 2004) before the track opened between Alice and Darwin.
Today “The Ghan” is a passenger train, which operates luxury services between Adelaide, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Darwin. The classic rail journey takes 48 hours and covers 2,979 kms, taking passengers on a sight seeing adventure through the heart of the country, crossing deserts and the rusty reds of the McDonnell ranges northwards to Katherine and finishing its journey in tropical Darwin.
Adelaide to Darwin is a 3-day, 2-night journey. “The Ghan” offers a choice of three levels of accommodation, namely, Red, Gold and Platinum. The route begins in Adelaide Parklands Terminal, heads north to Port Pirie, Port Augusta, Pimba, Kingoonya, Coober Pedy, Marla, Chandler, Kulgera, Alice Springs, Tennant Creek, Katherine and then ends in Darwin - ready for the return trip.
Interestingly it traverses small aboriginal communities of the central desert region of Australia. We have already highlighted the ArtCloth batik output from a number of these communities. Today we shall highlight Aboriginal ArtCloth from smaller remote art communities on tor near the trek from Adelaide to Darwin.
Artworks from Remote Aboriginal Communities
There are a number of remote aboriginal communities strung along or near the trek of “The Ghan”. Here are the background and artworks of some of these remote communities that often are submerged by the success of larger remote communities.
Minymaku Arts (Amata)
Amata sits in the Musgrave Ranges in the far North of South Australia on Angangu Pitjantjatjara Lands, approximately 150 km South of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and approximately 500 km South-West of Alice Springs.
Photograph courtesy of S. Bryce.
Minymaku Arts operates from the Amata Arts Centre and the Tjurma Homelands craft room. “Minymaku” means “belonging to women”. Batik became popular among the Pitjantjatjara women during the 1970s due to its introduction by Vivienne McKintock. Today, their intricate batik pieces combine many layers of bold warm colors as well as abstract representations of their landscapes.
Minymaku Arts.
Cotton batik.
Lampshade 75 cm high.
Minymaku Arts.
Cotton batik.
90 cm wide.
Keringke Arts (Ltyentye Apurte)
Ltyentye Apurte or Santa Teresa lays 80 km East of Alice Springs and therefore is on “The Ghan” trek. It is home to approximately 500 Eastern Arrernte people. The community sits at the foot of a range of tabletop hills overlooking a sweeping plain.
The art center at Santa Teresa, Keringka Arts, was established in 1987. The majority of Keringke artworks are not accompanied by specific traditional stories, yet artists do draw on a strong traditional narrative for inspiration and to structure their work around age-old motifs.
Keringke Arts.
Handpainted Silk.
500 cm x 100 cm.
Collection: Araluen Arts Centre.
Keringke Arts.
Handpainted silk.
Photograph courtesy of M-L. Nugent.
Keringke Arts.
Handpainted Silk.
Julalikari Arts and Crafts (Tennant Creek)
Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation (JCAC) is an Aboriginal community service organization governed by Julalikari Council, an elected body representing the whole Aboriginal community of Tennant Creek. Julalikari's constitution directs the operations of the organization at a general strategy to alleviate poverty and improve the wellbeing of the Aboriginal community of Tennant Creek and the surrounding area of Barkly.
Photograph courtesy of Julalikari Council Aboriginal Corporation.
Tennant Creek is 500 km north of Alice Springs. The Council was formed in 1994 in a tin shed. In 1995 it moved to a disused house in Mulga camp (one of ten urban Aboriginal living areas in town). The house became known as the “Pink Palace”. It is now a meeting place and workplace for women from the area. The artwork produced in the Pink Palace varies from paintings, prints on cloth, ceramics and sewn garments. Below is a small sample of their output.
Julalikari Arts and Crafts.
Handpainted silk.
90 cm x 90 cm.
Julalikari Arts and Crafts.
Screen printed on cotton twill.
120 cm wide.
Julalikari Arts and Crafts.
Handpainted silk scarf.
90 cm x 90 cm.
Julalikari Arts and Crafts.
Screen-printed placement print on cotton twill.
50 cm length.
Dunnilli Arts, Nungalinya College (Darwin)
Dunnilli Arts is a textile training and resource center in Darwin. It draws its clients from the Top End (Northern Australia) and in particular artists from Darwin, Western and Eastern Arnhem land, Central Australia and the Kimberley region.
Finished art is shown on the next photograph.
Dunnilli Arts was established in the mid-1980s at Darwin’s Nungalinya College to address the needs to educate indigenous populations not only in techniques to enable them to pursue their craft, but also to impart knowledge in such diverse areas as copyright, taxation, licensing and other issues related with running a small business. Hence the center operates at two levels: as an art practice workshop and as a training center. Below is a taster of their output.
Dunnilli Arts.
Marbled cotton.
150 cm x 120 cm.
Dunnilli Arts.
Top (Left to Right): Judith Fejo (185 cm) diameter; Lola Tyson (160 cm diameter); Hermy Munnich (137 cm diameter).
Bottom: Desert Parakeelya.
Dunnilli Arts.
Marbled silk produced by taking a "print" from fabric paints floated on a corraghen gum bath.
300 cm x 112 cm.
Injalak Arts and Crafts Association (Gunbalanya)
Gunbalanya is a small Aboriginal township close to the East Alligator River in Western Arnhem Land approximately 300 km East of Darwin, the latter is the destination of “The Ghan”. It has an aboriginal population of approximately 1000 people who are predominately Kunwinjku speakers, with English as a second language.
Injalak Arts and Crafts Associations.
Screen-printed cotton twill.
8 meters in length.
A screen-printing course in 1982 led eventually to the funding of the Injalak Arts and Crafts Association. The members of the association produce a diverse range of arts and crafts including screen-printing fabric lengths, tablecloths, tea towels, T-shirts and cushions. The imagery is based on the abundant rock art that can be found in the area.
Injalak Arts and Crafts Association.
Screen-printed cotton twill.
8 meters in length.
Injalak Arts and Crafts Association.
Screen-printed cotton twill.
8 meters in length.
Reference
[1] Putting in the Color, Jukurrpa Books, Compiled by M-L Nugent, Alice Springs (2001).
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