Letter From Arnhem Land Where All the Real Art's Supposed To Be
"How many people still think that up north or in the centre is the only place for real Aboriginal art. You know when you work with it, selling it, buying it, you hear it all the time."
Looks at the Santa Teresa Community 80 kilometres south of Alice Spring and home of the Arrernte people where the Keringke Arts Centre was established in 1987.
Bathurst and Melville Islands lie of the north coast of Australia about 100 kms from Darwin. They are the home to the Tiwi. As a result of the isolation of Tiwi people their culture has developed independently from others on the mainland. This is reflected in their art which is very bold.
Narrangunnawali was an exhibition by Aboriginal artists from Canberra and the surrounding region mounted by the Canberra Contemporary Art Space 31 August - 23 September 1989.
Located in an old terrace house in Cope Street Redfern, is the voice of the Aboriginal Community in Sydney. The terrace house is not unlike any other in the inner city. However with the Koori colours on one wall and the music of Koori bands blasting out from its speakers up on the balcony the house is fairly outstanding.
Supplementary bibliography to the major work by Adrian Marrie 1987 'A Topical bibliography of Australian Aboriginal Visual Arts 3' ed ASTEC SA College of Advanced Education (now the University of South Australia) Underdale SA.
The Foundation for Aboriginal and Islander Research Action is an independent Aboriginal community based and controlled organisation located in Brisbane Queensland.
If the 70s is remembered as a period of nurture for Aboriginal art, the 1980s will certainly be remembered as the decade of its dramatic development...there has been an eflorescence of community based enterprises in the remote areas of Australia.
In every area of the arts where Aborigines are participating there is an intense surge of creative vitality. Once could call it a renaissance period. When I began writing poetry, Kath Walker (Oodgeroo Noonucul) was the only recognised poet.