Dianna Mary

2011-03-06T14:04:00.003+10:30

Just a quick post, I am back based at Blackstone, embarking on a whole new adventure in coordinating the Home and Commuity Care program on Ngaanyatjarra Lands.

Life is hectic and there is a huge amount of work to be done. Writing about the project and the people is not so easy from this different position as I am not marketing stories for people who want to develope and sell their product. However this is both a good news story and a very difficult story, so I will try to find a way to tell it at some stage.

There are wonderful projects in planning stage at the moment and I hope as some of these come to fruition I can share them with you.

I just need to say that I am so pleased to be back on the Lands. It is like coming home.

2010-04-07T10:28:00.001+09:30

a brief note ...... Ruby Reid died on Sunday night in her sleep. Cliff and Ruby will now be burried at the same time, some time soon. I just cannot come to terms with this, it is all too much!

2010-03-24T10:09:00.001+10:30

Daryl Cliff Reid – in his own words

Born 1947 at Wannarn, Ngaanyatjarra Lands in Western Australia

At approximately 10 years of age, my family, Mother, father and younger sister (now deceased), moved to Warburton mission.

I attended the mission school which was run by the United Aboriginal Mission from Melbourne. There was a boy's boarding school and a girl's boarding school; my sister went to the girl's boarding school.

As the school was a boarding school for children only, Mother Kalatji Reid (from the Lewis family) and my father Tommy Reid (from the Newbury family) continued to live in the bush, coming to the mission from time to time with dingo skins which they traded for stores, such as flour, tin meat, sugar, tea and tobacco.

Life at the mission school was busy and regulated. Early in the morning the boys took it in turn to do jobs. A roster was listed and each of the groups for each of the jobs had an alphabetical letter. Cliff did jobs that were listed in the D column on any given day ….others might have jobs listed in the A or F or some other alphabetical list. The names of the people and families were given by the mission workers as they did not understand or could not cope with the Wangi or proper names of the people.

Some of the jobs were milking the goats, cutting wood, emptying the night bucket, (pot) from the boy's home, cleaning rooms and yard, washing dishes and cleaning eating area after meals. The mission had an extensive vegetable garden and orchard. Some of the vegetables that Cliff remembers are lettuce, tomatoes, peas, cabbage.

Mid morning after the chores were completed, the boys went to school to learn reading and numbers. They also had religious education and sporting activity. Life was very regimented, they formed lines and marched to each activity, they prayed before every activity, school, meals, Sunday school and so on.

They stayed with their families during the school holidays. Cliff liked life at the mission, it was ordered, a lot of company and good fun activity, playing with friends, for recess they got condensed milk to drink

Many of the families that he knows now and that live at Blackstone or nearby were at the Warburton Mission at the same time as Cliff. Some of the families came now and then but continued their life in the bush, that is how the Forbes family lived and Cliff's friend Andrew Mitchell, worked at Sheep stations down Laverton way from an early age, while Cliff was still at the boy's home at the mission.

While still living at the mission but on holiday travelling with his family, cliff remembers Len Beadell coming through and surveying the great central highway, then the big machines coming to make the road. He remembers Len's daughter travelling with him as a small girl and now she brings tourists up this way to visit, she will be coming through in August.

In the mid to late 50s cliff remembers the bomb testing at Maralinga and he tells of the clouds of bad stuff that come over Warburton.

When the mission closed in or around 1960, there was little to keep Cliff at Warburton and he wandered off, down Laverton way where he found employment with various sheep stations. He worked as a drover, a yard hand and he was involved with the stacking and pressing of wool bales. At Banya Station he dug a large drenching trench for the sheep.

In 1966, 14^th February the new Aussie Dollar became currency. Cliff earned enough money in the new currency to buy his first car which was a Ford Custom Line. He was working at Sturt Meadow Station as a sheep drover at the time.

In the 1960s we formed an indigenous football team with people from Laverton and Warburton … we were called the Desert Warriors and we played against the employees of the mining companies based at Laverton and Leonora.

In 1970 I returned to Warburton where I married and lived for a while. The children from that marriage live in the Wannarn area now. My sister is now dead and her son Robert comes to live with me at Blackstone regularly.

I was born at Warnnan and the Seven Sisters Story is strong for me on my mother's side. There is important country and Secret Men's tjurkurrpa at Wannarn but I am not free to talk about that one.

I have lived a long time at Blackstone with my second wife and children, my wife's father founded this community when he brought his family back here to live in the early 70s. He never made his home in the mission; he always lived the traditional life in country. The first time he settled down was when he brought his family back to this country where he was custodian of many important dreaming stories. This land is very sacred and that is why we live here to look after it. Through my wife and her family I feel a strong link to this place and through my birth place and my father I have a strong continuing link to the country at Wannarn. My mother being linked to the Lewis family belonged to the area immediately north of Blackstone. This is now my country also.

At Blackstone I helped to build the original airstrip, we had no big machines; we built the air strip with pick and shovel, by hand. You can still see the remains of that airstrip to the west of the community as you drive out on the Jameson Road.

In 2003 Kumanarra Isgar came to Blackstone and I started to paint for her. I feel that I have set a good example to the other people in Blackstone and hopefully to the younger people as well. I have been a leader in the art work. We will soon have a new art centre and I think that I have been a good influence for that to happen. The Papulankutja artists is a strong organization and very important for the future of Blackstone.

I worry for the future. When I was a boy, there were strong rules, good policemen who ensured that you obeyed those rules. Back then you could be arrested and put in gaol for 6 months for being lazy … not employed a vagrant. I went out and got work, I kept busy and I learned things. Today there is not good policing to make people work. The rules are too soft, children do not obey their parents and do not understand that they must work to earn money and to stay healthy.

I would like to see a police station at Blackstone, where the police kept law and order.

I do not like the idea of the intervention and the government taking control of the tjitji money. I think this will make things worse.

2010-03-21T17:00:00.007+10:30

Talking to Mr. Reid's wife Ruby today, she asked me to talk about happy times, that it is too difficult to talk about the sorrow of now. I went looking for some of our happy memories and found these pictures of when we went to Hobart for an exhibition at Art Mob with Euan Hills.

Our trip to Peppermint Bay, Mr. Reid wanted to travel on the coast and see where Truganini had lived and where she swam in the ocean. He was just stunned that anyone would swim in the ocean here, far too cold he thought, I just cant believe that she swam here, he said again and again. We talked of how people might grease themselves with seal fat or something similar and that would act as an insulation against the cold. A friend Warren Boyles drove us up to Mt. Wellington and it snowed only very small amount but my guys, Ruby and Mr. Reid would not get out of the car ..... no way they said.

Mr. Reid was not only the best painter of stories, he was the best story teller ... his audience would gather around him enthralled by his personal magic, his enthusiasm and and joy in his stories and culture, his eagerness to know about the rest of the world.

2010-03-20T16:28:00.001+10:30

Deep sadness! ..... Cliff Reid died quietly in his sleep last night. A beautiful Man of great intellect and understanding. For the moment I am beyond saying anything more.

Playing with word 2007

2009-09-20T15:45:00.001+09:30

Well I should be completing an essay and I am finding ways to waste time instead. I have been trying to get myself around office 2007 and have found this blog entry facility in word, so to waste a bit more time I have registered and am now trying to see if it works.

2009-08-12T11:36:00.001+09:30

Lookyhere ......

Anthony from Papulankutja has just send this down ..... woohoo! A must go to, the beautiful Cliff Reid on show in Melbourne.

2009-06-28T13:05:00.002+09:30

a heavy heart!

This week a dear old friend, Boxer Milner,a man of country died.

I will quote our mutual friend Tim as there are no words I can say that would be better.

"I saw him in April…and while he was being well looked after at frail aged, it was obvious he had already half gone back to country. He told me he was ‘properly buggered’ and I know I wouldn’t see him again. So, while it’s no surprise, it is still a shock and an enormous loss. That Sturt Ck country is crying for that boss…."

2009-01-30T17:16:00.005+10:30

Oh joy, Oh rapture........!

The web site is up and running again ... I can not believe the run around. Still all is well that ends well.

Anthony and I have commenced the hand over process. I still have jobs to do to finalize the building funding and end of year stuff, so I am still muddling with that. Anthony is turning the art centre into a functioning unit. He is fortunate to be working with Madeleine the new Outreach worker for Wingellina and Jameson.

Next week we start the training work and gathering people for work at Jameson and Wingellina. We are getting wonderful support from Desart and Ngaanyatjarra council. Such exciting times!

2008-12-27T13:25:00.006+10:30

The year is closing and I am trying to get organized for christmas holidays and for the January hand over of Papulankutja Artists to Anthony. I just do not seem to be able to get it everything done.

I have found that the Papulankutja Artists website is not working, there seems to be three entities involved in the thing being up there, AMS software, Smartyhost the web hosting entity and Icarus Industrial Design who developed the web and seem now to have a part it in staying up there, none of these guys seem to think the problem is theirs ... I have not had the time or the energy to do the level of chasing that is required and of course with christmas holidays on the horizon it is difficult to get hold of anyone or get anything done.

We have had the blessing of rain which also has the down side of buggering up the roads. There have been three significant rain storms, so the roads emediate to Blackstone are a mess and to add to the difficulties there are large transport vehicles bogged in the middle of the roads which at times prevent through traffic as detour ends in further vehicles getting bogged.

Toby took my toyota ute out with a load of my 6 years accumulation and he got bogged at one of the transport bogging sites, he had a dreadful trip out but made it OK althought exhausted.

I have been a bit nervous about the trip, just did not want to find myself bogged with no help. Simon the mechanic from Warakurna wanted to get to the Rock to fly home to Perth for Christmas and had work to do on Blackstone vehicles, so he decided to make us his last port of call for work and then drive out with me. Seemed like a good idea at the time.

He finaly made it to Blackstone late on Monday night, no work possible on the vehicles. We headed out pretty well straight away. 22ks down the road we bogged the troupie.

After many hours digging and a fitfull attempt at sleeping in the bog with the mozzies, Simon decided to walk back to Blackstone to get help.

While Simon was walking a lovely couple of fellas from Mimilie stopped by and very cleverly towed the troupie out ... and I do mean very cleverly. I had come to the conclusion the vehicle would not come out, it took the guys quite an effort and I am very grateful to them.

I drove the vehicle back to Blackstone to find Simon and we headed out again. I asked Brad to ring my daugher and let her know we were ok but I would be late getting home. All in all we spent 16 hours in the bog. We finally got to the Rock at about 9.30 on Tuesday night. Both of us caked in mud, hungry and exhausted.

A quick rearrange of the flight bookings and I fell into bed for a big sleep. I still had to sort the computer which I had left with Neville in Alice and the yultju money for Cliff and Ruby ... not sure how I would do thatI headed to the airport for leg one to alice. Good old Neville came out to the airport in Alice to sort the computer for me and Cliff and Ruby did the same. It was lovely to see them, a little teary we hugged and yet again I was reminded of what I would be leaving behind in January.

2008-12-08T16:54:00.007+10:30

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Nadia, Rosie, Sharina, Katherine, Marcia, Socoway and Angela at the art centre Christmas party.

Sara Twigg Patterson sent us some wonderful new Tshirts for the artists and it was great fun trying them on and then, of course, taking the necessary photos.

Anthony our new manager quited himself well at the BBQ. The mob definitely think they are on a winner with this one.

Wipu my dog, has given Anthony the thumbs up.

Sandy the Home and Community Care coordinator for Ng Lands, joined us for lunch.

While the mob are gathered around the BBQ looking for tucka, Joy is inside enjoying the gale force winds coming from the cooler.

Nadia thought she would like to do a solo model of her new T Shirt and show off her lovely fingernail polish.

Sharine decided a bit more colour should go to the T shirt parade.

Nemo thought air conditioned comfort on the couch with the Jean Lane Spinifex Tjitji, was his best option.

and

Dianna is thinking an early night will be the go.

2008-11-25T15:50:00.005+10:30

Photos of the Papulankutja Artists works (enhanced by a little Tjanpi display) at the Melbourne launch of Western Desert Mob.

Photos by Tim Acker.

I was deeply dissapointed not to be there and am most grateful to Tim for providing these shots for me and you to enjoy.

I hope to drop by Melbourne in January to check it out for myself.

2008-11-14T08:33:00.002+10:30

I just could not resist showing this picture. Is this woman gorgeous or what!

Angilyiya Mitchell with her beautiful big basket. I am wondering how I am going to get that one into the Tjanpi office. It was such a joy taking this picture, Angilyiya is so pleased with this work and her beautiful husband was sitting to one side just beaming with affection and pride. These two are a wonderful couple and just being in the room with them is a great pleasure.

Angilyiya has been talking of this basket for some time, she has been scrounging materials from every which way, for binding the grass. Her mother is unwell and Angilyiya has been working at home, keeping an eye on Mrs. Brown but always working. She is now working on a painting, a Seven Sisters story. She is such a craftswoman, innovative and always pushing the envelope with her art.

2008-11-11T09:40:00.007+10:30

It seems like a lifetime ago when I was talking of the ladies going to Perth for the Revealed show and market place.
This is a photo of our market place set up, kindly provided by Tim Pearn.

It has been busy with day to day activities, also, as usual I am way behind with the paper work, I have had a visit from Susan and Barbara my representatives form ICC, our funding people and I am trying to get into some kind of order before the Christmas break.

Next week I head to Perth for the Western Desert Mob Show.

MEDIA RELEASE

Many Friendships thrive at Bunjilaka

Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Melbourne Museum presents
Western Desert Mob Exhibition Yamatji Pirni: Many Friendships

Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Melbourne Museum and Western Desert Mob have partnered together to celebrate the importance of connection to Country and culture through art, at the upcoming exhibition Yamatji Pirni: Many Friendships. The exhibition will be held 21 November 2008 to 29 February 2009.

Yamatji Pirni: Many Friendships is Western Desert Mob’s inaugural collaborative exhibition in Victoria and includes a vibrant collection of paintings, punu (woodcarvings) and tjanpi (weavings) from the Western Desert Mob Art Centre alliance; Kayili Artists, Warakurna Artists, Papulankutja Artists, Maruku Arts, Tjanpi Desert Weavers and Tjarlirli Arts.

“Bunjilaka is excited at the opportunity to present Yamatji Pirni: Many Friendships for the first time in Melbourne, a vibrant collection of recent work from the Western Desert Art Centres,” said Caroline Martin, Bunjilaka Manager.

“Yamatji Pirni: Many Friendships provides a wonderful complement to Bunjilaka’s exhibitions detailing the history and cultures of Aboriginal Australia, and to Bunjilaka’s role as a site that empowers Aboriginal people to interpret their own cultural heritage,” Martin continued.

The Art Centres maintain transparent operations, producing artworks of impeccable provenance, with all profits being returned directly artists, communities and the sustainability of the Western Desert Mob alliance.

Artist and spokesperson of Western Desert Mob Mrs Eunice Porter said her Art Centre, Warakurna Artists is a place that fosters many friendships and it is the strength of these relationships within the Ngaanyatjarra Lands that makes the Western Desert Mob alliance something the artists are proud to be part of.

In particular Mrs Porter says her community and the artists at Warakurna benefit from the links Western Desert Mob provides between communities across Australia.

“At Warakurna we paint to share our stories and our Art Centre is a happy place for this. We have Yamatji Pirni (many friendships) with each community. With Papulankutja, Patjarr, Tjukurla, Mutitjulu and all Western Desert Mob communities. We share our stories with them,” Mrs Porter said.

“When people visit us we welcome them, we want to share our stories with them and with whitefellas to keep our culture strong,” Mrs Porter said.

Western Desert Mob Coordinator Mr Tim Acker said Yamatji Pirni: Many Friendships is above all testimony to the importance of strong and united Aboriginal communities.

“The Western Desert Mob alliance was established to strengthen the Yamatji Pirni (many friendships) between artists and communities in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands and is building momentum with new Art Centres alliances forming around the country. With this exhibition Western Desert Mob members are celebrating our second anniversary and our success in setting new standards in empowering Aboriginal artists,” Mr Acker said.

Beyond the collection of inspiring artworks Yamatji Pirni: Many Friendships’ underlying message is to educate art enthusiasts of the positive outcomes that can be achieved through alliances that empower Aboriginal artists and communities like Western Desert Mob.

“Western Desert Mob demonstrates the power of proactive and positive alliances between artists and Art Centres, a critical contribution to the wellbeing of their industry and what will ultimately sustain the cultural integrity of Aboriginal art,” Mr Tim Acker said.

“Authentic art sourced from Aboriginal owned and governed Art Centres provides a quality investment for the individual art buyer and on a broader level supports Aboriginal culture in Australia,” Mr Acker said.

“Western Desert Mob community Art Centres are one of the most positive examples of Aboriginal owned and governed enterprises. Art Centres enable individuals to access independent livelihoods, improves community wellbeing and empowers artists,” Mr Acker said.

Exhibition Details:

Yamatji Pirni: Many Friendships
Life and art of Western Desert Mob

When: 21 November 2008 – 29 February 2009
Where: Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre at Melbourne Museum
Who: Western Desert Mob artists

Description:
Celebrate Australia’s thriving western desert communities through art, culture and stories of the people and their country.

More than forty artists from Kayili Artists, Warakurna Artists, Papulankutja Artists, Tjanpi Desert Weavers, Maruku Arts and Tjarlirli Art share their stories through painting, punu (woodcarving) and tjanpi (weaving).

Western Desert Mob community Art Centres of are one of the most positive examples of Aboriginal owned and governed enterprises. Art Centres enable individuals to access independent livelihoods, improves community wellbeing and empowers artists.
Western Desert Mob Art Centres maintain transparent operations, producing artworks of impeccable provenance.

Melbourne Museum, Nicholson Street, Carlton.
Open 10.00am to 5.00pm daily.
Admission: $6 Adults, children and concession FREE.
For further information, visit museumvictoria.com.au/bunjilaka
or phone 13 11 02.

After the WDM opening I will meeting up with Anthony Spry, the manager elect of Papulankutja Artists. We will be catching up with business associates in Melbourne to talk about next year's exhibition program for Papulankutja Artists and then heading back to Blackstone.

Anthony has been involved in the emerging artists development program at Balgo. His wife Rocky has been manager of the culture centre there. I am very excited about this appointment, I look around and feel how little I can give to the up and coming artists and their development. I hold great hope for the work that Anthony will do with the art centre. The artists are looking forward to this also.

Of course in 2009 we will forge ahead in earnest with our outreach program to Jameson and Wingellina. This is a program developed to engage the emerging artists from those communities and train art workers from each community to give ownership to the program to each community. We are in the final stages of appointing the permanent art development and field assistant for this program. working with temporary staff and engaging the artists remotely from this art centre has been a start but is in no way satisfactory.

Jameson and Wingellina are providing secure working space and our outreach art development staff will spend time in each community working with the artists and assisting the trainee art workers to facilitate art production. Papulankutja Artists will manage and market for each of the outreach centres.

There has been a great deal of disruption to the peace at Blackstone since the recent sorry business, much unhappiness and unrest, it has made life a bit uneasy and the art centre is not immune to the moods of the community. Hopefully this will settle down soon.

2008-10-26T14:30:00.006+10:30

.......... Photo taken by Thisbe Purich during the Walu Walk.

Another Busy Sunday.

I have decided to put works with Martin at Aboriginal Art online.

The Revealed Showcase in Perth together with the move to the new art centre at Blackstone seems to have invigorated quite a few of the artists from Papulankutja.

For the first time I can remember, I am getting some really good mid range works. The art market is a funny place, often this lovely level of work does not fit with the "up market gallery" situation, yet is not suitable for the variety of tourist shops and sites like the culture centre at Uluru. I have long intended to put works up with Aboriginal Art Online but have had such inconsistent supply of really good mid stream work that I have never moved forward with this idea. This week I have!

I am now getting ready the works for the market place in Perth. Three of our artists are heading down to attend the various activities that surround the "Revealed" Showcase being held at the Perth TAFE.

My friend Jennifer Loverock is going to collect the ladies from the Perth airport and shepherd them over their 4 days in Perth. It will be great experience for the artists to stand and sell their works at the market stall and there will be good opportunities for them, with the professional development activities as well.

I realized on Friday that Gerry from the Melting Pot will be in Perth for some of the professional development activities. It may also be that Jodie, who worked so well with us with the Spinifex Paper may be there as well. The ladies will love to see familiar faces and I know they always love the glass work activities that the Melting Pot provide at Blackstone during Festival time.

A a busy worksite in the Papulankutja Artists Minyma painting studio.

2008-09-29T15:37:00.004+09:30

The Man!

A quote from The Australian, Monday September 29th 2008, page 32 from Nicolas Rothwell:-

Perhaps the single most arresting piece in the show is the ultra traditional "Men's Design" by Cliff Reid, the best know painter at Blackstone's Papulankutja Arts: His work possesses the hieratic strength of Pintupi masterpieces from the early 1970s when the sacred underpinnings of desert men's paintings lay close to the surface of their work.

Woohoo!!!!!

2008-09-29T10:24:00.009+09:30

Wednesday 7.00 pm, sorting, packing and wondering how the hell I am going to get out with the stuff and the people on board for our trip to Alice. Thelma McLean drops in to say hello and to bring her latest painting. A lovely work, she asks if I will take it to Alice, no I tell her, no room and no time for documentation and I think it can go somewhere better, the market place has a ceiling of 200 dollars, this work of Thelma's is better than that.

I decide that I am not fit to do anything more, I phone Toby and ask if he will get up early in the morning and help me load the freight rack on the top of the troopie, that is the only way I can get the mob and the art work on board.

4.30 am Thursday, I head to the art centre, finish consigning the work and printing the certificates, Toby comes up and he dust proofs the artwork, loads it all securely on the top of the troopie. 8.30am and I am ready to gather the mob. I had wanted to be out by 7.00 am, but with Leroy driving, I knew we would be OK for time.

First, get Leroy, can not find Leroy, after waisting some time, I am advised that Leroy went to Kalgoorlie last night. Bugger! Go to get my art centre working team, the husband will not get out of bed, he is a little jealous letting his wife loose in Alice and is refusing to budge. I am worried because his wife comes from Alice and this is a chance for her to see her family, there is no way that he is going to let her come .... Oh well!

The Mitchells, Angilyiya is worried, there is a second funeral at Wingellina, Anawari will not be coming or has gone to Wingellina already, so I say I will go to her house and ask what the story is, Winston tells me that Anawari has changed her mind, she is going to Wingellina, OK I tell him and head back to Angilyiya, who clearly does not want to come but who is not game to tell me so, good! I think and gather Shirley as well.

I have a huge load on the top of the car and two women sitting in the front seat with me, an empty back .... Christ! I could have left at 7.00 am with the load in the back, as it is we are heading out with me driving and it is after 10.00 am.

I am very worried about getting to Alice and since I had a small accident in the art centre, I have a gammy leg and have difficulty driving.

I had supplies for 7 people to make sure that there was not excuse to stop before Mt.Ebenezer, so the ladies were happy with juice and fruit and cheese and meat and so on. I applied myself to getting through the lands as quickly as I could, the road was quite good until we hit Kanpi, then it went severely downhill. We struggled on to Mt Ebenezer and I was hurting like buggery, it was 4.00 pm and I was worried about driving in the dark to Alice. We took a good break, I thought if I walked around and rested, I would be OK. The next 50ks to Erldunda convinced me that I would not be OK. The leg hurt more and I decided that we would spend the night at Erldunda.

I was tired and sore and I know the ladies, who did not complain, were tired also.

Angilyiya had wanted to go into Amata to get some minklepa I had refused because of the time and the size of the trip, when we pulled into the car park at Erldunda, she leaped from the car, grabbing bits of foliage from the ground, very gleefully, popped herself cross legged on the white gravel and proceeded to light a little fire to process the valuable find. She had her minklepa. I wondered if I would have the police, but we seemed to have fire and get inside without notice. Just a little black/grey patch on the otherwise pristine white gravel.

We all slept well and headed on our trip at 7.00 am, we breakfasted at Stuart Well and were at the Diplomat by 9.30. Some muddling with our bookings, took a while to sort and then we were in our rooms.

Thisbe was chasing the women for the Dance Site, some rehearsal and mostly to keep them in sight and ready for the night to come. I was glad to unload my troops, had some banking and shopping and galley hopping to do, but was also glad just to take it easy for a bit. I was tired and very sore. I understand the grading of the Docker Road is complete, 200ks extra to travel that way, but for the return trip I think it will be worth it.

I hate driving around Alice, lucky for me, my friend Jennifer Loverock has come to Alice and she is doing the driving.

The dancing ladies arrived back at the Diplomat from the Dance Site higly pumped. Angilyiya had sung the Kuruala song, having relearned all the verses and the ladies danced for those seven sisters and their experiences at Kuruala. The joy was unmeasurable and there were flowing happy tears, sometimes what ever the effort, it is well worthwhile.

Angiliya went on the Bush Bus to Docker River on Saturday morning, so she was able to get to Wingellina for the second funeral.

The market place on Saturday went well, the best we have done since we started attending. Jenny and I headed over at 8.00 via the supermarket for some odds and sods. I told Freda an Shirley that I would pick them up and to say near the room. Of course when Jenny and I went to get them at 10.30, they were nowhere to be found, after some checking likely haunts with no luck we decided to head back to the market place without them. The thing opened at 11.00 am. On the way, we saw the women walking down Larapinta Drive, right where we could not stop and pick them up. Well should not have stopped to pick them up. Jenny drove the troopie on to the cement medium strip, cars pelting past us on both sides, the ladies braved the speeding cars and jumped on board, with the big garbage bags of shopping they had collected that morning. It must be time for me to get done by the police!!!

Sunday morning there was an opportunity for us to preview the exhibition, we picked Cliff up from Stuart Lodge and checked it all out. Our work was better presented this year although some of it was hung sideways. My mob were quite proud of their work and so was I.

The opening of Desert Mob was full of the usual hullabaloo, big crowds and to our excitement, good quick sales for us. Cliff, Freda and Shirley were very excited to see the red dots go on their works.

I put the ladies on the Bush Bus this morning and I am sorting out parcels, writing a little talk, arranging pick up of stuff at my own pace. No one but me to look after.

2008-09-21T16:57:00.005+09:30

You would never imagine the stuff that has been collected by the women's centre/art centre over god knows how many years.

I wonder if I will ever get through it all. At last the various cubby holes, forgotten offices, storage cupboards etc. have been emptied and it is all up here in the new building. I am trying to systematically sort through stuff and move it in and out of my office. At times I can barely move for stuff and all of it inches deep in dust.

I have tourists coming in tomorrow, so I am clearing a space and attempting to make my office look like an efficient place.

I have had to work solidly on sorting and cataloguing because of the Desert Mob Market Place in Alice and the sorting and sending works for Tandanya, so I am in better shape in that way than I have been for a while.

I wish I had had the new Cliff works before needing to consign the Desert Mob stuff, but there you go, I didn't and there is some nice work in Alice anyway.

Since talking to the younger group of artists about the "Revealed" show in Perth, there has been a concerted effort put in by some of the group, Katherine Jackson has just finnished this one with a lovely small work under way. I am trying to decide what to do with them for the best.

I want to get money in a hurry to encourage the work.

Janet Forbes in particular is working on this very beautiful piece, with an astonishing Wati Kutjarra Story, might be on a needs to know basis I think :-)!

The weather is hotting up and I am very glad for my little air conditioned office. I ordered a window type mount air con for the old men's painting donga on Friday, it will be as hot as buggery in there otherwise. it should come out on the Talbot Truck with the G&R Wills stuff early next week, Toby will install it for us, I had the Ng Services Electrician put in a power outlet for it when he wired the Men's Painting donga a while back.

I am keeping my fingers crossed. Vince, Mae Forbes' husband came scrounging for cash today. He offered labour in lieu and i talked to him about the veranda for the men's donga. he is a good worker and great welder also. so he says he will start work on Monday on the veranda then he says he is interested in painting the exterior (we have paint to match the new building). Vince is from Mutitjulu and has a better understanding of starting and finishing a job than some of the guys here, so without getting to excited, I am reasonable optimistic of getting the veranda before it is just too hot.

On thursday morning we head into Alice for the DesertMob weekend. A hell of a trip and one never realy knows until the last minute who will be with you. I have to produce 6 women for the dance site, that should be a life experience. Last year after much excited discussion most of my mob pulled out and angilyiya and Shirley did the Illurpa Dance ..... i was so proud of them. They have put their hands up again this year and Anawari Mitchell has volunteer also ..... tomorrow there will have to be some effort in sorting the others. Freda will be in alice but she is not very mobile at the moment with a fractured collarbone, she will most likely clap and sing ... Janet Forbes has indicated she may be prepared to some and I have been told to ask angela Llyons, so you never know.

I am keen to check out the Balgo emerging artists at Gallery Gondwana, I have heard great things of the youth developement program from Balgo.

My friend Michael is talking of travelling back with me to Blackstone, I will be very pleased if he does, he can help with the driving on the bitument.

I will be sending the mob back on the Bush bus on Monday, I have to stay in alice for a few extra days and will not leave until Thursday.

2008-09-17T09:40:00.004+09:30

Exciting times.

Revealed
Emerging Artists from Western Australia's Aboriginal Art Centres.

Anawari Mitchell working in the art centre.

The Western Australian government and Central TAFE Art Gallery are proud to present the inaugural showcase of the best art from young and emerging aboriginal artists from across regional and remote Western Australia. 2008 is the first year of this new initiative and combined with the short timelines, "Revealed" will be working only with established art centres. the "Revelaed" program is run in conjunction with the Western Australian Premier's indigenous Art Awards.

Maime Butler, working in the art centre.

Papulankututja is proud to say that two of its Minyma have been selected to participate in "Revealed" Anawari Mitchell and Maime Butler.<

2008-09-07T12:57:00.003+09:30

Dianna, a little too excited, trying to take snaps of the new Cliff works on the balcony of the Diplomat in Alice Spring!!

Sunday in Adelaide.

Well here I am, sitting in the kitchen of my Keswick home. My daughter and grandson have headed to the Wayville showgrounds for some fun at the Royal Adelaide show. Amy will phone me at some stage to come and join them, check out the chooks (my favourite) and the phtographic competitions, sister in law Kathy has work on display but most important of all, help carry the show bag haul home.

I am rather excited. I picked up the new Cliff Reid paintings while traveling through Alice. I am so pleased. I will add one of the new Cliff works to the Tandanya show, most of the work has now been dropped off and the balance will go with me in the taxi as I head to the plane back to Blackstone early Monday morning.

There is a large article in the Saturday review section of the Adelaide Advertiser, a lift out with a front page heading of "culture vultures" and including an article titled "aboriginal artists sold out". I have not yet had the chance to read this with any proper concentration, but always I am frustrated by the sensational headings and the giant dollar amounts mentioned, which devalue the important story of indigenous art and indigenous art centres. Headings which make statements about huge amounts of money and artists living in poverty, simplistically belittle the complexity of the situation. I am glad that the issue is out there in the public arena but I wish someone would bother to have a better look and consider the whole view, not just the so called "high end" resale market, which at best is a little skew and very removed from the base roots of indigenous artists and their production of art.

Lotte from Desart is working on the short list of applicants for the manager position at papulankutja artists. She will try to tee up a series of phone interviews with the applicants, the selection committee, me and artists from papulankutja for next week. Some wonderful people have applied for my job!

2008-09-03T07:17:00.004+09:30

Another trip out.

I am headed through Alice to Adelaide and back. A huge trip in a big hurry.

We have accepted the opportunity to display works at Tandanya in Adelaide for the month of October. I have selected a broad range of works for this celebration of our community based art centre. I have some lovely works of Kantjupayi Benson that have been tucked away for a while. Kantjupayi is not working very much these days, she is frail and spends much of her time at Wannarn Aged Care where she does a little therapeutic work the Edwina from Warakurna Artists. Kantjupayi is a most important artists and cultural woman, I am glad to have this opportunity to show this work as a small homage to her recognizing her importance to the life of this art centre and community. There is a broad range of work that will show at Tandanya from senior and established artists and some emerging work. It is always interesting for me to see the family connections. Angilyiya Mitchell is a wonderul law woman and artists. Her work can be quite wild and inovative, so there are some fun works from her included.

I am also taking this opportunity to put our work in for Desert Mob, we have a lovely selection for the Desert Mob show and will be at the desert mob market place, so heading out now, gives me the opportunity sort this work out as well. I will also pick up the first works from Cliff Reid since he has been working for us in Alice with Ngurratjuta. We are so grateful to Ngurratjuta for helping Cliff while he is having medical treatment in Alice. Cliff tells me he is feeling so much better with the treatment. I think this is reflected int he work he is doing. I cant wait to pick it up and see it live. New works from Cliff are being set aside for the Melbourne Desert Mob Launch in late November.

I have some wonderful applications for the work positions advertised for Papulankutja Artists. I am thrilled with this response and have now forwarded these on to the three people in the selection committee. I will be meeting and talking with the committee members in the next few days also.

On Thursday I will be meeting with Desart and Ngaanyatjarra Council to discuss the training initiative that goes with the outreach project to Jameson and Wingellina. Ngaanyatjarra Council are assisting with the training wage and provision of the trainer, Desart are assisting with the expertise in course material for work readiness skills and art centre worker skills as well as selection of appropriate trainers. I see this as a most positive initiative and a great display of cooperation between Desart, Papulankutja Artists and Ngaanyatjarra Council.

I am trying now to turn my attendion to the History Exhibition for Papulankutja Artists that will open at Waburton in March next year. There is always so much on the horizon, this is a wonderful place with amazing people and history.

2008-08-31T13:26:00.002+09:30

MEDIA RELEASE

29 August 2008

Warakurna Artists Win Illustrious Australian Indigenous Award
The significance and value of Aboriginal owned and governed Art Centres in the Australian art industry has been officially recognised and endorsed with Western Desert Mob’s Warakurna Artists winning Reconciliation Australia and BHP Billiton’s Indigenous Governance Awards announced today in Melbourne.

Warakurna Artists of the Warakurna community in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands in Western Australia’s western desert, topped the 2008 Awards for the Art Centre’s strong governance and commitment to consumer education and ethical dealing in the Indigenous art industry.

Warakurna Artists Art Centre Manager, Ms Edwina Circuitt said the award is a credit to the extensive governance training and consumer education programs by the West Australian Government operating in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands to empower Aboriginal artists.

“Warakurna Artists is incredibly proud to be recognised with such a prestigious award. It highlights the significance of being an Aboriginal owned and governed Art Centre business,” she said. “Our Art Centre was established in 2004 to support the production and marketing of culturally intense, artistically rich works of art through a creative facility where the artists and community are the sole benefactors of art sales revenue,” Ms Circuitt said. “Receiving this award is a testament to not only the passionate people of Warakurna community, but the collaborative commitment artists and Art Centres in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands who work together through alliances such as Western Desert Mob to promote positive change in the
Aboriginal art industry.” Ms Circuitt said.

Warakurna artist, community elder and Chairwoman of Warakurna Artists, Mrs Eunice Porter said painting was important to sustain culture within Warakurna community and the Art Centre provides a central facility for social and cultural events as well as a place to paint. “Warakurna is a happy place. We paint our stories to share them with our children. We paint to share our stories with whitefellas. We go on trips to country to paint our stories so our culture will remain strong,” Mrs Porter said.
Western Desert Mob coordinator, Mr Tim Acker said the award is evidence of Warakurna Artists’ passion and dedication to ethical trading in the Aboriginal art industry.
“Warakurna Artist’s Reconciliation Award is timely recognition of Aboriginal owned Art Centres’ importance to encouraging best practice in Australia’s most significant creative industry.

Warakurna Artists is a committed member of Western Desert Mob and fine example how
Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians can work in collaboration,” Mr Acker said.
“Aboriginal owned and governed Art Centres enable individuals to access independent income, improve community wellbeing and empower artists. In addition they maintain transparent operations from artistry through to sale providing art buyers works with the most impeccable provenance on the market,” Mr Acker said.

Media Release: Warakurna Artists Win Illustrious Australia Indigenous Award cont.
Warakurna Artists’ prize includes a $50,000 scholarship for two art centre Executives
to attend an international leadership program in the USA. The prize also includes
$10,000 toward governance training and professional development for Warakurna
Artists.
Western Desert Mob is an alliance of six Aboriginal owned and governed art centres from the Ngaanyatjarra Lands in Australia’s western deserts.

Western Desert Mob artists are from:
- Warakurna Artists, Warakurna
- Papulankutja Artists, Papulankutja
- Kayili Artists, Patjarr
- Tjanpi Desert Weavers, NPY Lands
- Maruku Arts, Mutitjulu
- Tjarlirli Art, Tjukurla

For more information please contact:
Emily Sharland
Emily@thehub.net.au
0420 988 414
www.westerndesertmob.com.au

The Indigenous Governance Awards
The IGA is a partnership project is a partnership project between Reconciliation Australia and BHP Billiton designed to identify, analyse, celebrate and promote high achieving Indigenous governance. By boosting awareness about the benefits of good governance, the awards encourage organisations to invest time and energy into this important element of their work for Indigenous communities.

2008-08-21T06:56:00.001+09:30

Desart Media Statement
13 August 2008

Over the past few years there have been concerted efforts by many Aboriginal
artists to involve themselves in training about governance and the business
connected with their art. We think it is commendable that artists are engaging
in this debate and it is to their credit that they wish to uphold sound business
management in their industry.
It is important to understand that Central Australian Art Centres continue to
view the Telstra award with the greatest respect.
Desart and other Aboriginal arts organisations are engaged with MAGNT to
discuss how entry conditions for the award might be improved in the future
and this will involve consideration of the new Indigenous Australian Art
Commercial Code of Conduct.
Desart believe there is an important role for MAGNT in providing leadership to
other awards and prizes around the country to increase the level of scrutiny
about arts business practice in their conditions of entry, particularly in relation
to Indigenous visual arts and artists.

John Oster
Executive Officer
Desart
Further information
NAVA provides information about the professional conduct of art awards and prizes. See
www.visualarts.net.au/nava
The Australia Council for the Arts publishes a useful guide ‘Protocols for producing
Indigenous Australian visual arts’.
See www.australiacouncil.gov.au

2008-08-21T06:52:00.001+09:30

MEDIA RELEASE
13 August 2008

Aboriginal Art Organisations Speak Out

Forty three Aboriginal Art Centres, representing more than one thousand Indigenous
artists have united to speak out on the devastating effects that art dealing outside
the Art Centres has on Aboriginal communities.
The Artists and Art Centres are speaking through their peak industry organisations; Desart and
Ananguku Arts.
John Oster, Executive Director of Desart said while the media coverage has unearthed significant
issues concerning artistic, financial and trade practices; only half the story is being told.
“We seem to have forgotten about art buyers in this equation. Consumer awareness and informed
buying of Aboriginal art is the critical act that can rebalance the exchange between artist and
consumer,” Oster said.
“Importantly, the benefits are for the art buyer as much as for the artist. In buying from an Art
Centre, consumers are accessing work of the highest integrity and quality,” he said.
Oster added that Art Centres offer the necessary protection for Aboriginal art purchasers by truly
guaranteeing the provenance of all their works of art.
According to the two Aboriginal art organisations, purchasing Aboriginal art and craft sourced from
Aboriginal owned and governed Art Centre enterprises is critical to remote area livelihoods and for
the continued growth and health of the market.
Contrary to some reports, Oster said Art Centres are owned and managed by the Aboriginal artists.
“Let me make this very clear. Art Centres are powerful examples of Aboriginal owned enterprises.
The artists are in charge of their own destiny, how their art is sold and where and what they paint,”
he said.
“Aboriginal owned and governed Art Centres are incorporated under Federal or State legislation and
meet the highest standards of transparency and accountability,” Oster added.
“There has been significant coverage regarding the importance of the provenance of artworks in
terms of resale value in the secondary market,” he said.
Oster adds that Art Centres play a powerful role in the art world because many galleries and major
national institutions are now only choosing to show Art Centre produced work.
“Galleries know that Art Centre works represent quality, integrity, authenticity and strong
provenance. They also know the works of art that they display and sell to their clients reflect their
own business image and ethics,” he said.
“You need to do more than sell a painting to transform poverty,” Oster said.

“Art Centres have worked for three decades and will carry on doing so in remote communities.
They continue to show why, artistically and economically, they are so important and bring
considerable benefits to an artist, their family and their wider community,” he said.
“Art Centres employ a whitefella manager to help them negotiate the whitefella world. But the
business is owned by the artists and it is they who employ the manager. Decisions are made by the
artists themselves,” he said.
“In working with artists everyday I have seen firsthand how profound the benefits of an Aboriginalowned
and managed business in remote communities actually is,” he said.
According to Liz Tregenza, General Manager of Ananguku Arts, “The Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands
are home to Australia’s oldest Aboriginal art centre (Ernabella celebrates its 60th birthday this year)
and some of the youngest,” she said.
“In communities on the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands, Art Centres act as functional community
centres providing a range of socio-cultural services in addition to fostering artists’ professional
development. In this region Art Centres are usually the only source of external income other than
government funding.
“One of the key characteristics of Art Centres is that they work with artists to identify, support and
develop young and emerging artists,” Tregenza said.
Other important aspects of community-based Art Centres are:
Art Centres are accountable. They are based on best practice systems that are stable,
transparent and for the benefit of all artists.
Art Centres are artist owned and managed
They support all artists – emerging and well known.
The benefit of an Art Centre stays in their community, reinvested in the Art Centres’
ongoing operations.
Youth work alongside older artists – supporting the transmission of culture.
A wide range of cultural and social support is offered in communities of severe
disadvantage
They offer realistic remote area livelihoods for Aboriginal people.

For more information please contact:
Emily Sharland
The Hub Marketing Communications
0420 988 414

2008-08-21T05:57:00.007+09:30

I had a very quick trip to Darwin for the Western Desert Mob meeting. We are planning our Melbourne exhibition and our "Buy right way" campaign, amongst other things.

I will post the press statement issued by the group and the statement read at our press conference by John Oster of Desart.

What is interesting to me is the reporting that came from our press meeting. It is clear to me that there is no comprehension of the importance of community based art centres or the energy that the art centre members put into understanding and working their business in remote and difficult conditions. The journalists seem rude and arrogant in their attitude to indigenous art centre executive members and their capacity to learn and work in their art centre.

I spoke to Peter Shepherd this week to talk about our business training sessions and the work we have done over the last 5 years. We were due to have our next training meeting at Warakurna this week, due to the very unexpected and sad death of Mr. Ivan Shepherd, the meeting has been called off for now. Peter and I feel we have come a long way, it has been a big ask getting these guys, some of them who remember the first coming of white man, to take on the management of art centres that require government regulated performance.

At Blackstone we are trying with the assistance of Desart and Ngaanyatjarra Council to bring young community members into formalized training that will give them the skills and desire to participate more fully in the management of the art centre, take the burden off the elders who have carried this task until now.

A business training meeting with Peter Shepherd at Blackstone in early 2006

We have had to learn and accept concepts that are quite foreign to us, deal with a world that we have never seen and of which we have no understanding. Be confused by the whitefella market and their quirky and strange take on what is good art and their lack of understanding of what is truly important.

Our methods are adapted to what we have found practical, we work with an interpreter, we do a lot of writing on large sheets of butchers paper, we stop between training sessions and the artists meet and talk amongst themselves to discuss what they have heard and to bring back questions and give directions about some business process and future directions.

This is an intense and serious time, to suggest that the artists are not participating in the management and decision making of their art centre is insulting in the least.

2008-08-19T12:18:00.001+09:30

By Amy Bowman

..............KULILA
.............(Hear ME)

In the beginning when the World was still new,
our own kind, our own people, was all that we knew.
Our keeper the Earth we did treat with respect,
in return she made sure all our needs were met.
Food was good, renewable and plenty,
diseases were few in our isolated sanctuary.

One day a new man, he came to our shores,
his face was all pasty and what strange clothing he adorned.
He said, “Let us be friends, there is no need to fight,
so long as you give up your land and your rights.”
How strange were these men with their fences and deeds,
how hostile they became when we would not leave.

This is our country, our home, where else could we go?
You ask us to leave our ancestry, our identities, all that we know.
With no other choice we prepared for the fight,
our spears were no match for so many men with their weapons of might.
We were herded like cattle and murdered on sight,
a mere inconvenience to the lives of the white!

The next thing we knew the missionaries, they came.
They cried, “Stop with this slaughter we are sure they can come tame.
Poor wretched things surely there souls can be saved,
we will teach them to be like us, teach them good Christian ways.”
“Let us take care of you, keep you safe keep you clean,
so long as you give up your beliefs and your Dreaming.”

We are a people with a culture rich and strong,
you ask us to give up our essence, our song.
You claimed we could not be controlled, we were too heavily tainted,
so you focused on the children, you kept us separated.
Claimed it was for the best, for our lives were unclean,
you took hold of our children, any way you could, by all means.

Two hundred years on, once more our culture grows strong,
yet still many people cannot see what was so wrong.
You ask us, “why so angry?” “Forget the past, no need to feel so dejected.”
“After all we said sorry, explained that it was all well intended.”
We thank you, we do, for this chance to move forward,
but please do not ask us to forget the pain we have endured.

The past is as strong as it was yesterday to our people,
yet we can never be broken for a reason good and simple.
Remember when admiring the beauty of the land, the country,
our ancestor’s spirits still dwell in the mountains, the rivers and the gum tree!
I will leave you now to consider my words
and all that I ask, is that this story be heard.

2008-08-02T11:05:00.006+09:30

Jean Lane, miniature work on spinifex paper.
"Wirtapiwarra"

Saturday morning and I am listening to Andrew Ford on the music show, talking about Stockhausen. It is quite bizar, how far from this world of blackstone is Stockhausen!

The advertisements have gone into the paper for workers at Blackstone. Art Workers for the paper business and outreach program and a new manager.

I had begun to think that I was never going to get the projects I have started, off the ground, the new building would never be finnished. Well things are moving on and now fresh blood is needed to pick up the pace. I have loved this job but someone with new energy will need to take it on now.

There are always big challenges, which for me, is part of the attraction.

I have a friend from Ringer's Soak coming up to help out while the staffing situation is sorted. I am really looking forward to this. Jenny is leaving Perth today and driving up in her red troupie, the mob will go wild for buying that one, hard to explain to the mob that not everyone wants to sell their yultu. I have the same problem with my little red 4 door toyota ute. She has picked up some very good quality plywood. We are going to get the artists to design and work the Wati Kutjarra design with hot wire on the ply and then bolt it to the new art centre building. It was kantjupayi Benson who was so despertae to get that Wati Kutjarra story on the front of our art centre, well it has only taken five years but by god we are going to get it there.

Jodie will be back for a few weeks with the bookbinding workshop, something we have talked of and dreamed of for some time. I am so excited about this project. There is so much interest in our paper products and this will be a great adjunct to the range.

On Friday I started setting up the paper finnishing room, there is still a lot to do on every facet of the move and set up, but Joy Lyons has agreed to act s supervisor for the paper project and I have a wonderful young woman called Valencia working in the art centre who shows great skill in just about any task I give her, be it cleaning, packaging, paint mixing or simply design work on the paper. I want to have everything nice for them on Monday to start work in earnest in the new building.

Spoke to Alison Kelly Gallery on Friday also. We will be doing some work with her in late 2008 and through 2009. I spoke about the fine art work we are developing with the paper as well. Exciting times!

Well Science Show time now after which I need to do a subtantial clean up in the house so that jenny and her dog have somewhere to settle for their stay.

2008-07-30T09:39:00.005+09:30

Photo taken by Peter Shepherd at our fist business training session in 2004.

Papulankutja Artists is a small community based, indigenous owned art centre. This is not an easy thing to be.

Our Business plan states that our objective are...

"To promote art and craft activities that provide opportunities for community members to develop their skills and to participate in fulfilling activities.

To promote cultural maintenance through art and craft activities and strengthen the cultural resources in the community.

To foster an environment which develops self esteem by acknowledging the economic and social value of Aboriginal art, language and culture.

To facilitate the development and sale of art works for the benefit of the community.

Through the sale of art works to provide sustainable and meaningful employment opportunities for community people of Blackstone.

To promote the inter generational transfer of skills and experience to strengthen culture in the region."

The art centre is owned by the artists who work in it. It is a profit share business, where the artists invest 35% of the income from painting to the art centre for its operation. The art centre provides the facility, the materials, business equipment, runs a vehicle, organizes sales, exhibitions and so on. The intent is to be self funding but we do get some help from the taxpayer for operational purposes each year and for special projects, like our lovely new building.

We are a small, very remote centre, we produce some very important and stunning work, we produce some consistently nice presentable work and we produce some pretty ho hum work. Our charter is to give opportunity to everyone one who wants it. My instruction from the artists is to assist all comers. I can not "cherry pick" participants.

Sometimes we do not have work that is worthy of being put forward for major prizes or shows, sometimes we do.

This year I had two works that I considered putting up for Telstra. I was only considering it as such good works are also easy to sell and because we are small and always in need of sales, the money imperative is strong. Over Christmas a number of significant artists from surrounding communities came over, hungry, alone and with no easy way of facilitating paintings or sales. These were artists that we at Papulankutja consider family and who have a history of occasionally working at this art centre. I was happy to be here for them and was able to arrange some work and sales for them. During this time it came to my attention that works from their community would be put up to telstra. It was the decision maker for me. I chose to consider my two good pieces for other places.

My concern is one of transparency in business and a question of conflict of interest when a Gallery owner moves into "takes over" a community and then "cherry picks" the artists who will bring in the money. This disadvantages the community concerned and in particular the many who are disenfranchised from any capacity for meaningful employmet and social activity.

Artists are free to do as they please. This art centre seeks to educate its members in "whitefella" business, hopefully giving them the tools they need to make the best decision for their own development and for their families. When an artists moves, for what ever reason, to another community, the community art centres work together and assist each other as well as the artist concerned. We are not in competition with each other, we are here to assist the artists in the community. This may not always be convenient but it is the way it is. If an artists is ill and needs to be in a major township for long or short term, then the art centres seeks to make suitable arrangements with an art centre in town that can help both the artist and the community art centre.

The best income for the artists of the community and for the art centre comes from the known or money artists. 35% of $5000.00 for one sale is a hell of a lot better, economically, that 35% of multitudes of $200.00 sales. This is in money terms only, for the artist the sense of achievement and selfesteem from the sale and appreciation of your work can not be measured in dollar terms alone.

The art centre manager needs to think in dollar terms however, because the art centre manager needs to make ends meet.

Having one's artists raided and cherry picked, having their monetary value inflated by strange whitefella trading practices puts an unfair strain on the community art centre that has built the artists reputation and put the time and energy into their development, funded by the artists of the community who have invested 35% of their sales in their art centre.

It is difficult, due to the lack of transparency by the art traders concerned to know if the artists involved are in fact getting a fair deal, maybe they are. What value a Toyota or ten, who knows?!

2008-07-26T14:17:00.003+09:30

One Foot in front of the other.

The last months have been very difficult, I have been hit by a rather nasty bug, a difficult one to shake off and the culmination of a year working in conditions that I would not ask my pet pig to work in has worn me down. The artists have been pretty sick of it and while summer was dreadfull, the thermometer reaching 56 degrees C in our workspace on more than a hand full of occasions, the cold mornings that come with winter have made it increasingly difficult to face going into the little dark cage that we have laughily called the office.

Well, over the last couple of weeks I have been steadily moving the art centre into the new building which is (at last) finnished. There are jobs like clearling a bit of rubble, making the atco donga, now the Men's painting room, friendly and inviting, but over all, it is lovely. Slowly the artists are making their way to the new art centre door, cheered by the clean and warm environment. I have a couple of new community workers and all in all my dark mood is lifting.

Our fist NACIS funding payment from the commonwealth government has come through and this week I recieved notification of approval for the artists outreach program we have been struggling to get up and running for Jameson and Wingellina. I am thrilled beyond speach.

My friend Jennifer from Ringer Soak is coming up for a month to help me get a few things sorted and started and Jodi will be back in a couple of weeks to work with Biblio Folio on the spinifex paper specialist book binding project, Indigenous Volunteers are coming to our aid again and helping this project come to fruition.

The year is chocker with activity and things are looking good.

2008-05-22T09:37:00.015+09:30

A Bit blurry and the light was fading, this is a new dance, the tjanpi dance in recognigiton of the importance of weaving as a cottage industry for the ladies.

A Huge couple of weeks.
I am sorry I have not had time to get back on the activites of the Festival Week.

It was a great success and enormous fun from the opening night BBQ and welcoming Seven sisters dance, to the closing dance night. I have a few pictures here from the Festival and will put them in but the Walk started on Monday and is the current focus of the community.

Gerry and Tarn from the Melting Pot in Margaret River WA, get stuck into the ever popular glass jewellery making. We have a wonderful collection of glass beads to add to our spinifex beads, painted gum nut necklaces and earings. Everyone loves this activity, young and old, we all like to make something special for ourselves.

The ladies of the beauty salon ended up with some pretty spectacular hair colorings. The team worked tirelessly for days and the Blackstone ladies were thrilled with the end results.

Our volunteer men from the Landcruiser club got a good start on the verandar for the Tjilpi painting room.

Our Thursday Art Market was the best festival market we have had thus far and here you can see the Warakurna mob busy at work.

Our trusty weavers, always on the job and now weaving wildly in country as they break for lunch or at night to camp during "The Walk".

There are no words to tell of the joy and excitement over the Dance Event, kids, oldies, black and white, everyone joined in with gusto.

Many made camp as the night fell, the fires burned gaily and the dancers danced late into the night.

I will go out on Friday to join the mob on the walk, they have been fired up and are moving at a great rate of knots to their destination.

2008-05-02T08:30:00.002+09:30

The Thisbe Artback caravan is gaining
momentum.

The growing number of vehicles head today from Warakurna to Blackstone, then on to Wingellina for the final leg, before circling the wagons for the Papulankutja Happy Festival।

Celebration dancers at the end of the Walu Walk in 2006.
The children were learning from senior Ngaanyatjarra Lands women.

2008-04-29T08:44:00.003+09:30

I have been back from the Melbourne trip a busy few days. We had the opening of the Dickerson Exhibition, I had Freda Lane and Angilyiya Mitchell with me. I think it went well, we certainly had some lovely work there.

I was able to take the beautiful spinifex miniatures in to Chapman and Bailey for mounting, ready for the Melbourne Art Market as well as a good collection of smaller artworks for stretching.

It is always a bit testing travelling with artists, they find the environment strange and frightening, the main desire for the women is to go shopping and eat. We stayed at a lovely little apartment, close to many facilities and I was able to supply both the shopping expedition and plenty of tucka.

I took the women to the Aquarium, angilyiya in particular was stunned by the big sharks swimming above her head .... it was a joy to participate in this expidition.

The ladies back on the plane to Ayers Rock, I headed to Adelaide. I had the weekend in relative leisure with my daughter and grandson, then a frantic two days getting things ready for the Melbourne Art Market. I had arranged for paintings to be sent to my house in Adelaide so I could sort them and get the paperwork ready for the Melbourne market.

Back to Melbourne and in to meet Mike Stitfold from Kayili for our stall set up. A bigger job than either Mike or I expected but satisfying. I had gambled on presenting the miniature paper works in a more expensive setting, putting some of the name artists tiny works up against the major canvas artists. I really wanted to see how they would compete. I have to say in that market they competed very well indeed. I was thrilled to see the little Angilyiya Mitchell and Jean Lane works go to good homes. It was also fun at the market to meet with people who were loving the Blackstone work, buying from galleries and who I had never met.

After packing up I headed back to the rock on Tuesday, a big drive back to Blackstone on Wednesday and exhausted I was back in my ATCO donga at Blackstone.

Now it is on to the Blackstone Festival, a big party really, followed by the Blackstone Walk ....!!!!

A pretty happening place this Blackstone.

2008-04-29T08:33:00.001+09:30

Pukurlpa-la Lurrtjurriwa Papulankutjala

Come and join in all the fun at Blackstone.

Tuesday 6th May to Saturdayth May 2008

This year dance will be the focus of the festival, funded by ARTBACK NT in collaboration with Ngaanyatjarra Council, Desart and Papulankutja Artists. Thisbe Purich is coordinating the event and calling all dancers from surrounding communities to come to Blackstone.

Artists come, bring your swag and spend a few days with us at Blackstone।

On Tuesday we will open the evening with a community BBQ followed by an after dinner film night held with assistance from the Blackstone Youth worker।
There will be the usual fun with art and craft, Glass jewellery making with Gerry and Tarn from Margaret River complementing the spinifex fibre jewellery making with the paper worker team। T-Shirt printing fun with Jodie. Tjanpi Jo will workshop with spinifex atists and buy finished work. Jo is also bringing renowned fibre artists Maria Fernanda Cardoso who is seeking inspiration and creating work for a major fibre installation.
Encore appearance of the very popular beauty salon, this year run by Liz Bredemeyer and her team of Land Rover Club members।
Art centre business with Desart on Thursday 8th May।
Fantastic dance concert on Thursday which will be a culmination of dance workshops held in Blackstone and surrounding communities over a period of 4 weeks।
Friday night special Festival Bumper Disco।
Continuing over the weekend with intercommunity youth sports activities coordinated by Brett of the Ngaanyatjarraku Shire youth team।
By special request, Thisbe will once again host the famous or infamous Bingo Night …. Woohoo!!!!

Further information and bookings for workshops from Dianna at the Art Centre.
Phone: 08 8956 7586 or email artists.papulankutja@bigpond.com

2008-03-18T17:57:00.006+10:30

http://www.dickersongallery.com.au/artists/Blackstone/Blackstone%202008%20Online%20Gallery.htm

Cliff Reid,Wati Design, Acrylic on Linen 124 x 86 cm

BLACKSTONE ART

Papulankutja Artists

2a Waltham St Rrichmond VIC 3121

T: 03 9429 1569 F: 03 94299415

Exhibition dates 9 April - 4 May, 2008
Opening night Wednesday 9 April, 6 - 8pm
Gallery hours Tuesday - Saturday 11 - 6pm
Sunday 12 - 5pm

Jimmy Donegan, Pukara, acrylic on linen 71 x 101 कम

Andrew Mitchell, Walu, acrylic on canvas 76.8 x 101.6 cm

2008-03-17T17:48:00.004+10:30

A hell of a weight off my shoulders!

Well at long last, the audit report came through and we were able to get the management report signed off and hold our AGM. The paperwork for OATSIS is completed and on it's way.

I trawled the community for attendees and enticed with a hot sausage breakfast. We have been pretty devastated with the many funerals and sorry camps, it has been a difficult few months. The sorry camp will move to Blackstone again after Easter and one of the Mitchell family, a man who has been ill for a long time and on dialysis in Alice Springs, has died and his funeral will be here soon.

It has been difficult to get the numbers for anything of late, even the trip to Warakurna for the recent Governance training only had two Blackstone ladies attend.

I was non the less delighted with the turn out for our AGM and the new executive committee appointed, some new hands went up, we have retained some experienced members and gained some new blood. A good result all round. Peter Shepherd our stalwart Governance Consultant convened the meeting, hence the timely reporting and shipping of the necessary paper work.

I faxed down the audit report and management letter to ICC Kalgoorlie, time will see what feed back we get from that. 19/03/08 Well it seems that I did not send the management letter, it seems I sent a letter with the wrong title. I sent an Auditor's comment listing the findings from the audit ... I should have sent an auditors management letter which listed the findings from the audit.

2008-03-12T18:19:00.005+10:30

One more try .... had to have a go at getting this one up, my grandson busy at work at the Womad Stall! He turned out to be a good little salesman.

well if that worked I will try another one .....

One of the Womad visitors showing her little daughter how to pull the paper.

More visitor paper makers ... this activity was a great success!

Amy, my daughter joins the team for a well earned rest on the grass in the cooler night time air.

I guess you really had to be there!

2008-03-12T17:18:00.013+10:30

Happy snaps

Getting ready for the big event.

\

We are pretty happy with the way things are going!

Visitors have a go at making paper!

I am having trouble getting the pictures up for some reason, so this is as far as I can go. The workers are on the Ghan now, steaming their way to Alice Springs, from there they board the Centre Bush Bus and I will collect them from Uluru and bring them back to Blackstone. There will be some wonderful story telling for the weeks and days to come.

Focus for me now moves to our Melbourne Exhibition at Dickerson Gallery, when I can I will post the details from the inviation on the Blog. Michael Stittfold from Patjarr, Kayili Artists and Papulankutja will be holding a stall at the Melbourne Art Fair on the 18,19th and 20th April as well. So busy busy busy ...

2008-03-09T11:36:00.006+10:30

40 c' in Adelaide today.

The team enjoy a break under the trees in Botanic Park.

A huge day yesterday, an exhausted and very hot group rest a little this morning at Keswick.

Jodie and Jacqui have headed in to set up and regroup after a big day. The ladies are resting in the aircon. preparing themselves for the busy night ahead. Vicki my sister-in-law will take them into Womad mid afternoon for the big finale to the event. Hopefully the heat will have dissipated a little and the ladies will not be melting with their paint over the work they are doing.

The Indigenous Community Volunteer guys will he off this afternoon after being a great help and hopefully getting some good pictures and stories for their magazine.

Amy, my daughter is headed back in with Harlan, my grandson, this afternoon. The worst heat of the day over, they will enjoy the last of womad and be ready to help get the tired workers home. Wow! what an event and who would ever have believed it would be soooooo hot.

Last night, the music show with Andrew Ford on ABC radio national, broadcast live from Womad, it was almost as good as being there. I will take the opportunity to stream this again.

Today I have my letter for the minister to finalize and my funding application for the outreach project art worker to complete.

I taped "The Great Race" yesterday, I am hoping to get some time to watch it, one of my favourites!

A big wind today, baby sitting two extra dogs, hoping the art centre troupie will return home, and getting ready for a giant week of governance training, traveling and the art centre AGM.

One of the chunky, funky pieces of jewellery made from hand moulded and hand painted spinifex pulp beads with local seeds. Each piece of jewellery is quite individual and they are proving to be a very successful addition to the craft activities for our enterprise.

2008-03-08T14:49:00.011+10:30

Set up and ready to go!

Photos ..Nadia at the display and Jodie Lane manning the stall.

Photo top far right.
left to right...........Rona Reid, Melissa Donegan, Nadia Forbes and Janet Lane

At 1.00 am this morning, Jodie emailed me a short note....

"yep its been a bigg'n but a good'n, all's well, 1am and just got home with the two young girls, Amy (my daughter) brought the other two home earlier."

I think the stall looks great, Jodie and Jacqui had a big day getting it all ready. A lot of talking to do to get the ladies to attend the stall. So Many people, so much happening, very overwhelming for a group of four women from the Gibson Desert. All power to them, they are giving it their best shot.

A break of dawn call from my enthusiastic sister-in-law Vicki and Jodie was rudely awakened to yet another day. Vicki came to collect Jacqui to go to the Womad stall, some preparation needed for today's activity.

I spoke to Jodie while she was having coffee, contemplating getting the ladies to Botanic Park for another day. This is a big ask for Jodie and a HUGE ask for the ladies Melissa, Janet, Nadia and Rona. Still Amy tells me they loaded into my little red Toyota and headed off in timely fashion.

The interview on ABC local Radio brought a good collection of interested people to the stall last night. Hopefully the interest will continue. The Paper making set up is in place and Jodie had pulled and is pressing, to dry overnight, a good batch of paper, anyone going to the stall will see the the birth of the product through to the finishing touches. I know from past experience that people love to see this "whole of production" show. Those who want to pull paper will be able to arrange to do that with the mob also.

This is a great chance for the paper artists to engage with the outside world and to view first hand, the appreciation and value the public has for their wonderful product.

I am so happy that we managed to get them there.

Another quote from Jodie's mail this morning....

"The Black Armband" fantastic indigenous line up and the girls started to realize what a special place they were in."

Jodie sent up a photo of one of the display works. This is the first time we have put together a triptych, I think it came up rather well. We are playing with a wide range of methods in presentation, soooo many possibilities, still haven't scratched the surface.

A quick snap shot, still I think you will get the basic idea.

The adventure continues ........... to quote Barbara Budd "more as it happens".

2008-03-06T17:04:00.003+10:30

The Paper Project ladies are currently in Adelaide setting up for Womad which opens on Friday. This is a very exciting event.

We have assistance from Indigenous Community Volunteers. The ICV supported an art worker (Jacqui from Margaret River) to assist Jodie, the paper project officer, while in Adelaide. The project has engendered considerable excitement from ICV, the regional manager is coming down to WOMAD Adelaide 2008 from Canberra with a journalist, they intend to do an article in their magazine and a photo journal for the Koori Mail.

This should be gorgeous because we have wonderful papulankutja miniatures and cards in Adelaide, Jacqui is working on the paper mache jewellery with the artists and they are making some stunning things. The Artists will be working at their craft for the weekend. This great experience for them an exposure for our product.

Participation in this project is quite widely considered an exciting activity. We are certainly thrilled to be at Womad Adelaide 2008.

Too bad our funding body, the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, our sector icc, does not consider it an exciting activity, too bad icc could not accommodate any assistance in getting this group to Adelaide. Too bad icc is so caught up with its big stick policy and not in to productive assistance in problem solving.

Lucky, I have been able to get some travel assistance through the CDEP program at Blackstone. Lucky, I have a house in Adelaide where the group can stay so there are minimal accommodation expenses. Lucky, I have a car in Adelaide for the artists to use, reducing cost and travel difficulties.

Too bad there will be no positive press for icc!

2008-02-20T10:46:00.002+10:30

I strongly recomment the following discussion from Late Night Live on the 19th February 2008. I have (hopefully) inserted the link correctly.

Bipartisanship on indigenous issues.

http://www.abc.net.au/rn/latenightlive/stories/2008/2166817.htm

Following the announcement of the new joint commission on indigenous affairs, co-chaired by Kevin Rudd and Brendan Nelson, three former Ministers of Aboriginal Affairs at both state and federal level, discuss the possibilities.

Guests
Fred Chaney
Co-Chair of Reconciliation Australia and Deputy President of the National Native Title Tribunal. He was Federal Minister for Aboriginal Affairs between 1978 and 1980.

Philip Ruddock
Former Minister for Immigration, Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs and Minister for Reconciliation and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs between 1998 and 2003.

Dr Andrew Refshauge
Former Deputy Premier of New South Wales and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs for over ten years. These days he's a senior consultant with the Executive Central Group.

Presenter
Phillip Adams

Story Researcher and Producer
Gail Boserio

Radio National often provides links to external websites to complement program information. While producers have taken care with all selections, we can neither endorse nor take final responsibility for the content of those sites.

2008-02-16T10:45:00.007+10:30

"Thinking in English changes the essence of Ngaanyatjarra people's view of the world, pushing its central meanings to one side and ultimately disempowering them."

A thought from Fred Forbes now deceased. I think it goes to the crux of the problems we have here.

Our cultures are so different, we think differently, it is difficult to get any common ground. Even with the sorry effort I make to learn language, I do not speak it well, I do understand most of words that I hear. I do not think in the language and I do not think like a ngaanyatjarra person; the divide is huge, even with the strong good will from me and from the artists I work with.

The saving grace is the great generosity of these people. They wonder what on earth we are about, we confuse them terribly, but they will spend no end of time trying to share their knowledge and ideas with us, trying to help us to understand them.

2008-02-15T16:13:00.004+10:30

Freda Lane, a good catch! Photo by Jodie Lane.

A Busy week. I had news today, the concrete slab for the new building will be laid on the 29th February. The building should be completed towards the end of April. Such good news, such a relief!

The 29th of Frebruary, that is the day set for the Warburton Funeral. An elder from Warburton, a brother-in-law to one of the Papulankutja Artists, died in custody a couple of weeks ago. There has been a lot in the paper about this death' there is a formal equiry, I do not want to say much but ..... if the newspaper reports and the local gossip are right, this is a pretty bad business indeed. A man treated with little respect and little care. A man who in 40 plus degree heat was kept in the back of a paddy wagon, who collapsed in the heat and died. The coroners report will clarify the actual cause of death but even (and I doubt it) if the custody environment was not a contributing factor, there can be no excuse for the treatment this man got in the name of Australian justice.

In business terms for the art centre, the absence of the locals, who seem to have been travelling from one sorry camp to another for eons, has cut productivity to a minimum.

I am thinking that if sorry busines matter at Warburton carries on past the 29th February, I will have to pack up and move there with the artists to get some work done.

I put the paper workers on the train for Adelaide on the 28th February. We had hoped to have Elaine Lane go down as an elder, with the paper workers, but it will be the young girls who go, those we can drag away from the sorry camp. It will be a great experience for them and a hand full for Jodie. Still she is young and up for it. I am still jealous that I will not be down there.

I am looking forward to the Desart Managers meeting, there will be discussion about the new art centre worker training package, I can barely wait to get stuck into this.

The "Sorry" from the Australian parliament on Wednesday was momentus and very moving for me. A great relief that we have actually done it at last. For this mob however, the "Stolen Generation" issue is not too relevant. We are full blood Aboriginies who have lived as hunter gatheres until relevantly recent years, we are a bit lucky in that way, little intervention in our families. We were encouraged to Warburton back in the 50s when the nuclear testing was undertaken at Maralinga, we had missionaries at Warburton. Some of us went to the mission schools, boarded with the missionaries until the system was dismattled. We had interaction various mining explorations groups around the lands, even those groups did not seem to make much impact on us. It seems the biggest changes have come with the developement of the return to homeland settlements like Blackstone and Jameson. The mutitude of government schemes for funding and developing such settlements, the confusion of three generations of families who muddle from one system to another while they try to keep their own lifestyles together. I sometimes think that the art centre and other attempts at enterprise, simply interfere with people getting on with their lives.

I do think, however, if there is to be change, the Art Centre is the Hub, at least it is a positive and creative environment. A place where people gather and talk about their culture, tell their stories and sing their songs. A place where there is dignity and reward for effort. A place that touches and improves the lives of most families in the community.

2008-02-10T16:12:00.000+10:30

Sunday Afternoon, I have just taken time off to see a fravourite movie, Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole in How to Steel a Million. I have not seen this film in years, I loved it all over again.

I am having difficulty focusing on all there is to do this first half of the year.

I am still strugling to get confirmation of the start date for the new building and this is drepressing me more than I should let it. I had been promised foundations in Frebruary, I can not get confirmation of this now and I feel a real sense of panic.

I worked through most of Christmas as I needed to get things ready for the April exhibition in Melbourne and paper products ready for WOMAD Adelaide 2008. We are working from the "Town Hall" which has been great for space and security, but no airconditioning and it has been like working in a sweat box. I should have kept a themometre for records, but I would guarantee we have been working in well over 40 degree heat on many days. The hall has a tin roof that used to include insulation but the kids have destroyed that and we are working under the relfrected heat from a tin roof. Still we did get quite a bit done.

Sorry business has made life slow now, there seems to be one funeral after the other and the mob are mostly camped at Jameson now, soon to travel on to Warburton once the Jameson business is over. So glad I got some work done earlier in January, we would have been up that preverbial creek otherwise.

I sent Wipu, my dog, to Papunya with Sara when she left Blackstone after Christmas, I had to go out to Adelaide and then Melbourne at the end of January and I was not happy about leaving Wipu here. I know she would be fed and carefully put to bed in my house each night. It is just that the kids know no bounds, their brutal teasing is horrific, I worry about what it does to Wipu and should she manage to retaliate and hurt one of the kids, she would be the one blamed, lord knows what would happen then. I miss her now and it will be a couple of weeks before I can get her back. Still she loves staying with Sara and her dog Purdie, Wipu just loves Purdie.

Without Wipu in the yard while I was away, the kids had run riot. The (just forming, not ripe fruit) has been stripped from the trees, my fire pit and garden table have been dismantled and the unused septic tan lid broken, the septic left open and dangerous should someone fall in, a breading ground for mossies and no doubt live with hepatitis. The CDA has asked the CDEP worker to fill it in and secure the top. I have taken advantage of having a large hole in the yard, to drop a lot of the rubbish that the kids created for me, into it.

I had been thinking that I have 5 good months in the community to get work done. Not so really. I have a trip to Alice on the 22nd February, will get Wipu then and collect Jill a consultant I am getting to help me with my ESUB application and to write a report on the past year. I have quite a bit I want to say about the dealings with our funding body and I want it to be clear and analytical, not emotive, which is what it would be if I wrote it.

I have to get the paper mob to Marla on the 28th February to catch the Ghan and then governance training with the artists at Warakurna on the 4th March. Back to the Ghan on the 12th Marsh to pick up the paper mob from Adelaide. 15th March another trip to Alice for the Desart Managers meeting, I want to be at this as there will be discussions about the new art worker training that we are setting up, an exciting initiative and one I hope will be on the way for the new financial year. 7th April on the plane with artists to Melbourne for the exhibition opening, back to Blackstone in time for the Ng Land Regional Desart Meeting which hopefully will be at Blackstone on St.Patric's day. A quarter of the year gone!!

Thisbe Purich will be in Blackstone middle of April getting ready for the big dance festival which is linked to the May Festival. Artbac NT, Desart, Ng Council and Papulankutja Artists are collaborating on this event, it should be a doosie.

On the 19th May, we begin this Year's big walk, with Thisbe at the helm again.

In Melbourne, with Dickerson Gallery Papulankutja Artists will be holding its first exhibition of the year. I took some "killer" works down at the end of january and I hope to have Cliff and Ruby Reid, Freda Lane and Jimmy Donegan with me for the opening.

WOMAD Adelaide 2008, should be a great experience for the paper artists and good exposure for the wonderful Paper products that Papulankutja Artists is producing. The mob will be camping at my place at Keswick and traveling to the Botanic Park where WOMAD is held each day. Lucky Adelaide is such a compact city, I am a bit jealous,the Adelaide Frestival, The Fringe Festival and WOMAD all coming together the place with he hopping.

My son and his wife will be in Adelaide for this time, unfortunately I will not get home to see them and share the experience, just too much on for Papulankutja Artists and hopefully that will include the construction of the new building.

Papulankutja Artists is endeavouring to offer a an outreach program to nearby communities for business, artistic developement and the art worker training program, this is a time consumer, some exciting artwork is coming out of it however. I am hopefull of getting some assistance whith this through the DEEWR, the plan being, to develope the artists business acumen as well as their capacity to market good quality art.

I was horrified to find that Edwina from Warkurna had to attend court in Perth, to defend a protection order she had taken, against a privateer traider who had made very public threats againts her at Blackstone last year. All power to Edwina who is a staunch advocate for her artists and an example to us all.

2008-01-07T08:42:00.000+10:30

Mr. Fobres dec'd 23/12/07. A brief overview of Mr. Forbes, written by David Brooks, Snr. Anthropologist for Ngaanyatjarra Council. David wrote this for Papulankutja Artists in 2003.

The Photo is from Ngaanyatjara Council, Land and Culture Unit, taken at the Ngaanyatjarra Lands Determination.

Mr Forbes is a respected elder and major identity throughout the Ngaanyatjarra Lands. His home community and the country of many of his ancestors is around Blackstone, though he was born at a waterhole near the present-day community of Jameson. According to the Tjukurrpa (Dreaming) of his people, this waterhole was created by some travelling Kalaya (Emu) people who came from far to the west and through his birth there, Untjima Forbes is of this Tjukurrpa too.

When Untjima was born and through his early childhood, there were no white settlements in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands and the only white people that his family and relatives had ever seen were a few prospectors and 'doggers' who had wandered into these remote desert parts with their camels.

Though he came into contact with the Warburton Mission soon after it was established in 1932, he and his family kept up their travelling, hunting and gathering way of life in the bush for many years after that. This partially explains why he never learned to read and write, but more than this, throughout his life he has deliberately resisted the use of English in its oral and written forms. He has often expressed his belief that thinking in English changes the essence of his people's view of the world, pushing its central meanings to one side and ultimately disempowering them.

Untjima Forbes has an intimate knowledge of the Ngaanyatjarra landscape and its features over an area of several thousand kilometres; and he is the foremost repository in the regaion of immensely detailed Dreamings and songlines of the desert. Far from coming to him automatically, most of this knowledge had to be actively sought from his elders over the course of a lifetime. He was entrusted with these things because of his efforts and because of the intelligence and trustworthiness that he displayed to those senior men, all now dead.

While he has had many chances to visit different parts of Australia, particularly during those years when he played a major part in the land rights and 'homelands' movements of the desert, he chose, as in the case of learning English, to keep such forays to a minumum. While interested in the outside world, he has, during his 80-plus years, found more than enough to absorb his intellectual and spiritual needs within Aboriginal desert society.

'a tremor in the force'

2007-12-30T14:38:00.000+10:30

In the words of Freda Lane, "there is a big change this year, who will look after that blue mountain now, that sacred place?"

Fred Unjima Forbes died quietly and comfortably at Wannarn Aged Care on the 23rd December 2007. He had been unwell and the first week of December evactuated to Kalgoorlie by the flying doctor service. After his hospital stay, Mr. Forbes was sent to Wannard Aged care to recouperate. Kantjupayi Benson was headed that way for respite care and it was thought Mr. Forbes would be well cared for with a good friend and family for company. So it was, for the last few days of his life. He had been happy, eating well and chatting with Kantjuapyi Benson. Life simply slipped away from him.

This world will not be the same again.

I now grieve for the old man who came to me when I was so sad at the loss of Reggie Jackson, earlier this year. Mr. Forbes who must have been experiencing the loneliness that comes as you watch your contemporaries die; knowing he was one of the last of a generation of Wati who held the structure and substance of his ancient homeland. Mr. Forbes came and wept with me, shared my grief, comforted me. How gentle and great was this man, yet most of the world never knew him and never had the priveledge of his company. I should be grieveing for those who never knew him, their loss is greater than mine.

2007-11-28T16:31:00.000+10:30

Media Releases

News

27 November 2007

Western Desert Mob Wins Double at Community Services Awards

Western Desert Mob has made a significant impression on the 2007 Community Services Industry Awards in Western Australia, winning two of the three awards for which they were nominated.

The group were recipients of the award ' Category Two: Working Creatively to Make a Difference' (large group or organisation) and 'Category Nine: Outstanding Commitment by an Individual.'

Western Desert Mob Project Coordinator Tim Acker, who was recipient of the Category Nine Award, said both awards were a fantastic recognition of the hard work and positive outcomes being achieved by Western Desert Mob.

"These awards recognise the collaboration of a team of strong and passionate people and we are very appreciative of the support," Mr Acker said.

Western Desert Mob was also a finalist in the Category Three: Strengthening Rural and Remote Communities and were the only organisation to win two awards at the event.

One of 134 worthy nominees in the 2007 awards, Western Desert Mob was represented alongside many well-recognised community groups and organisations.

Western Desert Mob would like to thank the Department of Child Protection and Lotterywest who sponsored the awards.

Yet another busy fortnight

2007-10-14T16:40:00.001+09:30

The last week in September saw the managers from Western Desert Mob affiliate art centres at Yulara for a day and a half of intense meetings. We are working on a publication, New art from Ngaanyatjarra Lands, needed to talk about our next joint exhibition. The Perth Show that launched the Western Desert Mob was a great success and we are now looking to Melbourne for our next show.

We needed to discuss a Patron for the WDM and some ambassadors to carry our banner. We are feeling very positive and each of the centres, in their own way, is doing well. We were very pleased to have artists from Waburton Art Project join us at our meeting.

I needed to raise the issue of Mantamaru Artists, I am hoping that they will be strong participants with Papulankutja Artists and that we can include them in the MOB, in particular for the exhibition next year.

It was a jam packed time at Yulara and we needed to get a lot through the agenda. The first week in October we would be meeting with the regions artists at Kulka for our governance workshops and we needed to be clear about matters to discuss with our artists and to get instructions on proceeding with the book amongst other things.

I had a little car trouble and also had to pick up the flooring for the Tjilpi Painting Room from a freight office at Yulara. Still, car fixed and freight on board I headed back to Blackstone via Curtain Springs. I wanted to go down the Mulga Park Road to check up on some of the Blackstone Mob who were visiting Amata and I wanted to say hello to a few old friends that I had not, had the chance to talk to at Blackstone during the Donegan funeral.

An Uneventful trip home, a few days to catch up on some work and then back on the road to Kulka. I was most grateful that my artists were in tune for the governance training and ready to head out. I was a little concerned that I would have to round them up :-)! I also needed to make sure that Freda Lane was on board as she is an executive member for Maruku (the punu man) and they had indicated that they would like the opportunity of having so many members together to hold a special meeting.

Kulka was buzzing, artists from Amata, Nyapari, Warkurna, Mututjulu, Blackstone and Jameson attending. Peter Shepherd our governance trainer and Kathy Tozer our interpreter. These session were just great and the artists are so impressive with their participation and direction.

I was particularly pleased that on day three we moved into the mysterious realm of "the market" .... who buys the work and how do we find them? How do we match the right person to the right work? This can be quite a mystery to the artists who also have a problem understanding why some work is valuable and some is not. Their own value lies in the tjukurpa, the strength and value as they see it is the story, the law and the link to custodianship of these vital and important stories of culture. The artists have a great deal of trouble understanding the vagaries of what makes a painting desirable to the market. Quite often their is considerable offence by an artist who is custodian of important law and who is prepared to share it with you in their painting.

The Maruku (punu man) meeting was solid going and put a bit of a dampener on things. It seems that they have been served with a "case to answer" thingy from the Ab Corp Mob. Most of the items to answer seem pretty pithy and I for one am wondering what it is all about. certainly the timing seems linked to the intervention in the northern territory. No doubt there a problems of one sort or another with most business, little things that are not perfect. The art centres all endeavour to do their best and comply with regulations. Sometimes this is not easy. This kind of nit-picking does not help and was very frightening for the executive committee. Maruku service a vast area and we are all very reliant on their services. For us a great organization to deal with.

As Jameson has shown a level in commitment and come to our training session at Kulka I have arranged to go over next week with Jodie and we will spend the day doing some painting workshops. I will leave canvas and paint with those that indicated their preparedness to work with Papulankutja Artists and we will see how we go. I will try to get an agreement from them of collecting a group or body of work before I send any out, that we can check the work out and look at a likely market place for them. At the moment I have no idea. It is exciting to find this group of people so enthusiastic. I have asked the computer man to sort my software so that I can keep these new guys with their own identity. Their certificates will go out as Mantamaru Artists.

I am still in breach, have got a lot done, I think, to fix it up, so should be sorted by the end of the week. I do have a whole week at home in the community, that heavens for that!

I have sent a little selection of paper works down to Melbourne to get some advice about packaging for product that is above the level of the miniatures that are most successfull. The paper artists are developeing beautifully and some of their work is moving up the quality scale.

I have been out of the community for most of the last two weeks, I need now to catch up on correspondence, in particular, the following:-

The Association of Central Australian Aboriginal Art & Craft Centres

Peak Organisation Lobbying Project
Project Brief

Background
The Commonwealth Intervention in NT communities presents a number of significant challenges, new opportunities and threats to Indigenous Art Centres.

Desart, ANKAAA and Ku Arts have begun a process of coordinated action to identify how Art Centres might be affected and to initiate discussion and action to inform and influence Government and public opinion.

There is also an important opportunity to influence party policy in the lead up to the federal election.

As peak organisations in the Aboriginal art industry Desart, ANKAAA and Ku Arts have an important mandate to advocate for Art Centres in a national context.

Desart hosted a national forum on 24 August that laid the ground for this project. The forum established the following priority tasks:
• Develop an industry position concerning the Intervention
• Develop policy concerning a revised program to replace CDEP following its demise from September 2007
• Coordinate a media campaign promoting the value of Art Centres and policies designed to support them
• Establish a working group to promote discussion, develop policy and coordinate action.
A working group was established including ANKAAA staff, Desart staff, Flick Wright (Ku Arts), Dianna Isgar (Papulankutja Artists), Alan Murn (Julalikari Arts), Liz Tregenza (Nyinkka Nyunyu Culture Centre), Judy Lovell and Nicole Schimionek (Keringke), Andrew West and Abbie Cerchi (Independent Art Centre mentors). It is understood that this is an open group and may accept other members. The working group will require endorsement by Executive committee’s.

The Project
A project called the Peak Organisation Lobbying Project (POLP) will be formally established. It will be a joint project undertaken by Desart, ANKAAA and Ku Arts and resourced jointly by the three organisations.

There are two primary objectives in this project:
1. Develop new positions and policies in consultation with stakeholders
Policies will need to address changes to CDEP, the Commonwealth Intervention and the Recommendations of the recent Senate Inquiry.
2. Lobby key individuals in government and enlist the support of influential champions to ensure that lobbying is effective

Desart, ANKAAA and Ku Arts will seek endorsement of the project by their individual Executive Committee and distribute information about the project to their memberships.

The project will engage a consultant to deliver identified consultant tasks as outline in the Consultant/ Lobbyist Terms of Reference.

Project administration
Desart will provide project administration on behalf of the three peak organisations which are the primary stakeholders in the project.

Decisions about the conduct of the project will be made through joint consultation with the peak organisations and in consultation with the working group (below)

As the project administrator Desart will receive and administer funds and manage the contract of the consultant. (see Consultant Terms of Reference)

The working group
The working group established on 24 August is an informal group of Art Centre representatives. It was established to share ideas and identify key tasks as outlined in background information. (above)

It is important to establish that membership of the working group is confined to members of Art Centres, relevant peak organisation staff and others who might be nominated by Art Centres where individuals have a clear mandate for operations in Art Centres.

The working group will guide the conduct of the project by the consultant who will be required to undertake both formal and informal consultation with the working group.

Delivery and protocols
The consultant will develop policy and coordinate lobbying activity on behalf of the peak organisations and their memberships. It is intended that the consultant will be the primary contact for receiving and disseminating information in this project.

It is not intended that the consultant will over ride the promotion and advocacy roles of the individual peak organisations or individual Art Centres where they feel it is important to act independently.

Any project material created by the consultant under the letterhead of the peak organisations will require the approval of peak organisations before distribution.

Timeframe
Considering the urgency of this work it is vital that the consultant begin work as soon as possible with completion in the week before the federal election likely in November.

Reporting
Desart will produce a written report and a financial report on the project for the benefit of stakeholders and for inclusion in organisation annual reports.

There is a great deal going on .......

Irrunytju - thinking out-loud

2007-10-14T15:28:00.000+09:30

http://www.irrunytju.com.au - where has this place gone? the website remains!

Just up the road 65 ks toward the SA border,
lies Wingellina, the home to Irrunytju Artists. A wonderful group of people, funny, gifted, strong in culture; family to us at Blackstone.

Back in 2005 I can remember talking to the then Irrunytju Art Manager and bragging a little about how well we were doing at Blackstone. She stunned me by telling me that Irrunytju had traded nearly $500,000.00 y.t.d. at that time. I can not quite remember when we spoke but I think it was toward the end of the calendar year. Knowing that the artists group operated on a 75% to artists and 25% to art centre basis, I appreciated that meant in the order of $150,000.00 to the community. This money would assist to run the art centre, maintain the building and services such as power, phone, internet and so on. Not to mention the great expense of taking artists to exhibitions and meetings as well as bringing specialists in to do art workshops, particularly for the new and emerging artists. This also meant that the artists had a good income for family and that should flow on to benefit the community members in many ways.

Things have changed at Wingellina. There is no longer a community owned art centre. It is not quite clear what the artists recieve now. It is stated that payments are now on a basis of 60% to artists 40% to gallery owner. I am not a participant so I do not have any records to substantiate this, I can only assume it to be true. I do know that some payments are made in kind, in Toyota, not sure how one substantiates the value of any Toyota supplied to an artist. I do wonder what that means to the cash situation for families who need money to spend in the store for food, clothing ect.

I am also curious about the advertisements I have noticed lately, placed by Agathon Gallery, for charity auctions or sales for Irrunytju community. I note that since the take over of Irrunytju Artists, the community has not recieved and compensation for rent, power, phone, internet. If gossip serves me correctly I also understand that the community has seen fit to remove the services of power, phone and internet from the new manager/operator of the group. I gather the artists still paint in the same building. The funds that the artists group used to generate for the community and provision of facilities are clearly gone. It is very costly to provide services such as power to remote communities. One would expect that any business that is making money from a community would feel the obligation to assist in funding that community.

I am hoping the intent of Agathon Gallery is to use funds from their charity auctions to reimburse the community for the loss of funds experienced since its activities commenced at Wingellina. Assuming they have traded something in line with the previous manager of the "community owned and based" artists group, we are talking something in the order of $250,000.00 plus per year. Perhaps they will also consider the developement of opportunities for new and emerging artists who it seems are currently a little out of the picture.

We at Blackstone do not trade anything like the money talked of from Wingellina but I know that our artists are strong to support their art centre and that they are all fully aware that the 35% they pay to the centre from their painting funds, supports the developement of business and offers a future to their children with opportunity and training.

Spinifex Paper Brochure

2007-09-30T15:41:00.001+09:30

Jodie our Craft project officer has been doing some work on the brochure and expanding some of the products. This project is going from strength to strenght.

moving on

2007-09-29T13:58:00.000+09:30

This week has been jam packed. I finally signed the contract on the new building. This has been a nightmare undertaking but it now looks like it will actually happen.

I had visitors from ICC on Thursday, we are talking about a reciprocal agreement that could install air conditioning in the new building. Working in a tin shed in 45 degree heat is not something I look forward to so lets hope that we can come to an agreement. The Art centre, in particular the Paper making business works with the school and we attempt to assist in the matter of truancy. We are processing an agreement with the headmaster, some school competency outcomes can be achieved at the centre. It was agreed about three years ago that our centre would be an extension of the school campus.

The funding mob would want us to display or prove development in our art centre governance and they may include the assistance of Papulankutja Artists to Mantamaru and its art centre development as an acceptable outcome for this funding purpose.

The WA lotteries commission are publishing a little story about our paper making exploits and the adventure of building. There is a good news story coming out of Blackstone, lets hope the commonwealth government can see it.

I am "in Breach" of our current funding agreement. Keeping the paper work up is always a problem but with this one, due to a variety of circumstances, not entirely of my own making, I have to go back and re-do the budget allocations from December quarter last year and then March quarter this year.

The travelling and busy activities at Blackstone combined with the move to the Town Hall, the fact that we have no working phone and Internet in this art centre space, make life a bit more difficult than usual. Phone and internet need to be accessed in a separate building, quiet and consistent time in a place where all the necessary information is located is difficult to come by. I hope to knock it off this weekend. I really need to because of the timing, the need for funding, which is being withheld from this recalcitrant art centre member and because the month of October is giant with travelling and activity. This weekend I have at Blackstone, hopefully the time will be my own. I had hoped that last weekend would afford me some time but it was not to be.

Next week I head up to Yulara for the Western Desert Mob meeting and there is a big and important agenda. I would have like to be in Alice for Desart Meeting and discussion on the Desart Strategic Plan but I just can not fit it in.

The funeral went well and immediate family have headed over Amata way to stay with extended family. I will drive back that way from Yulara and check on them all, see that they are OK. I did not have time to catch up with Hector and Naomi at the sorry camp, it was not really a time for chit chat in any case but I will make the time when I travel through Amata this time.

The Mechanic from Warakurna has finaly come and done some work on Mr. Forbes car. Of course it is not finnished but I am assued it will be this coming week. I certainly hope so. Mr. Forbes gets confused, he his harried by his family and I find him very distressed over that car. I will be so glad to give him the keys and tell him it is back on the road. That is of course until the next time. Still we should get a little while with happy car ownership.

I have a new little old red ute of my own now. Toby drove it up from Adelaide for me, it was found in the trading post. I have Toby up working on the old men's painting room. We will be well ready long before the new building is up. I hope to have the painting room operational some time in the next two weeks.

This will be a wonnderul working complex, located near the town hall, a new artists area and paper making place, with good office space and airy verandars. An enclosed yard that segways into the tjilpi painting room and some extensive storage areas. Can it be true, is this really happening ..... I think it is :-)!

Senior Men

2007-09-27T18:52:00.000+09:30

yet another day....

2007-09-27T16:07:00.000+09:30

Tonight our Senior Men's exhibition opens at Aboriginal and Pacific Art, Waterloo, NSW. We were booked to attend the opening but as often happens, sadness has visited Blackstone. Jimmy Donegan's son has died, his funeral is tomorrow.

There are visitors and extended family staying at a sorry camp set up behind Jimmy's house. I can not imagine the death of one of my children, my heart is heavy for Jimmy, very heavy indeed.

Yesterday I visited the grave of his wife, their son is to be buried along side his mother at the Blackstone Cemetary. I do not believe in the afterlife. It would have been comforting for me to tell my old friend Nuuniwa that her son was coming to join her; as it is, comfort must come in the fact of their lives and the memory of a gentle woman, who I was priviledge to know for too short a time. I did not know her son.

Frustration

2007-09-23T19:16:00.000+09:30

Sunday, a good start, Prairie Home Companion on the Internet radio at 7.30am, turn on the abc TV at 9 for the insiders. I love the beginning of Sundays.

A good day to get some work done, catalogue some tourist level work to ship out on the Tuesday plane, try to sort some of the web site troubles and computer files from the big or should I say huge computer trouble that started over six months ago.

I am working quietly and one of the artists calls out to me from the front door. His wife is lying on the footpath outside my gate, she is distressed and asking for help.

We have two nurses but they are husband and wife and have taken their remote leave together. There are no nurses in the community. The advisor is on leave, the relieving advisor has spat the dummy and left the community. The store manager is holding the keys. To add to the confusion our project worker and office manager left in rather a hurry as well. The Store manager has quite a task on his hands and no real hand-over to assist him with procedure or current activities in the community.

I ring the store manager to ask if he has emergency numbers. I need to ring another clinic on the lands for assistance. He advises me that he has no such information at all. His instruction is to go to Jameson for help. I clearly have more information than him as I know that Jameson does not have anyone there at the moment.

My patient has lower tummy discomfort and when I find her she is quite weak and upset. I pull out the banana lounge, bring her to the shade near the house where I can access the phone to see what help I can get. Husband, wife, daughters, grand children and family dogs come to join us. I keep the cold water flowing. My artist is clearly dehydrated.

I do not have weekend clinic numbers as this is not normally my concern. I decide to call the Kalgoorlie hospital, apparently, they should have my artists records from previous visits, I think that they may be able to help me assess the nature of this problem and whether it is likely to get worse. Many hours later, difficulty with names and identity make it hard with the hospital, I ring my nephew and ask him if he has any numbers I might call, he gives me the Warakurna clinic after hours number and I talk to a nurse who advises me to call the flying doctor for advice.

5 attempts to get an effective number for the flying doctor and I get a wonderful on-duty GP who talks me through a quick check of my artist and who agrees to talk to the Warakurna nurse to see what we can sort out.

Finally the HACC coordinator for Ng Lands surfaces and talks to the nurse from Wingellina, who has been put in contact with me by the Flying doctor. Antibiotics are prescribed, my Artist now is rehydrated and much more comfortable, I take her and her family back to their camp.

It is now 7.00 pm and my day of quiet work has been totaly frustrated.

My lovely gentle artist seems ok and hopefully she will sleep well. If she is not on the improve tomorrow then it will be a trip to Wingellina, alternatively there is a visiting nurse coming in to the community on Tuesday.

another day another dollar

2007-09-21T06:23:00.000+09:30

A rush trip to Jameson yesterday. There is a group of artists who want to set up an art centre of their own.

I have been asked to see if Papulankutja can assist in some way. The most difficult thing to start, is to explain how an art centre such as Papulankutja works. What many community members do not understand is that the art centre is funded by the artists. They tend to think of buckets of money that are handed out by the government and there is some anger about why Papulankutja would be getting that money and not them. It takes time to explain that the artists at Papulankutja own the art centre and that the artists of Paulankutja fund the art centre. We get very little funding of operational funds from the government. We do need the funds that we get and we are very pleased to put out our hands for those funds, but the bulk of the expenses of running the art centre are the funds provided by the artists themselves.

So the first step is to talk about the structure of the art centre and to bring home the idea that it "costs money to paint a painting" and "it costs money to sell a painting". We are in the middle of the western desert and finding a market is not always an easy thing to do.

Anyway it was a good meeting and after the group agreed to attend our next governance training session at Kulka and learn more about art centre business, I agreed to work out a way that Papulankutja can assist in the provision of materials, the montering of work and see if there is a market that can be found. Exciting times!

Pace

2007-09-18T18:35:00.000+09:30

It is difficult to believe that is has been months since I put anything up in this Blog.

Life in a remote art centre goes by at a frantic pace. Many times I have had stories to tell, thought to pull up the blog, but life just gets in the way.

Now there are very serious matters afoot. The govenment, with possibly the best of intentions, it setting about bringing ruin to art centres in remote communities such as Blackstone and remote townships such as Ceduna or Cooberpedy.

I think it is moving withought due consideration. without the understanding of how diverse indigenous communities in Australia can be, how different the developement and needs of any one of these communities is.

In the West, we are not quite as urgently under the pump as those centres in the NT and in suburban and country South Australia. It is however, only a matter of time.

Our Respresentative body Desart, together with AANKAR and Ananguku are calling on member art centres to discuss the current crisis, look for the positives that can be offered to Government, come up with a solution that satisfies the governmental requirements and guarantees the capacity for art centres to continue their good work.

Wish us luck, we are going to need it!!

Art Centres Action Group

2007-09-18T18:31:00.000+09:30

NATIONAL CDEP ARTS CENTRES ACTION GROUP
PRESS RELEASE 15 SEPTEMBER 2007

May we draw your attention to the potentially adverse effects of the removal of the Community Development Employment Program (CDEP) on the Australian Indigenous art industry. CDEP has been abolished in urban areas and is in the process of being removed in the Northern Territory. The Aboriginal arts industry is critically dependent for support from the CDEP scheme in a number of ways: CDEP organisations provide services and support, there are CDEP-paid workers in art centres, and CDEP provides income support for artists, the majority of whom cannot earn enough from their arts practice alone.

The Government’s stated policy objective is to support the NT intervention, ‘moving people into jobs, improving services and infrastructure, and providing longer term support to build better communities’ and ‘implement quarantining of Aboriginal incomes’. However in the case of art centres we submit the following:
• Artists are already employed, typically as self-employed individuals or as members of an enterprise in which the work of higher earning artists contributes to running costs of the whole.
• Moving to one of the alternatives offered Work For Dole or a STEPERS programme, is a move to unemployment and a retrograde step for artists and for artsworkers employed in supervisory positions. Work for the Dole will require these people to be engaged in activities like cleaning the communities rather than formal arts production and arts management.
• This will set back the planned progression towards a business model that many art centres have in place already.
• Reduction of artists’ base pay rate, and the move to WFD or STEPERS, will add to the power of carpetbaggers who are recognised as an existing threat to the industry.
• Reduction of incomes across the board will put more pressure on artists, many of whom are grandmothers, and many of whom are elderly, thereby
further reducing individual community capacity to contribute to the
Indigenous arts industry
• There is the potential to lose qualified arts centre managers who are unlikely to become WFD supervisors
• Some smaller art centres have already closed.

Background
The internationally recognised Australian Indigenous arts movement drives an industry that returns an estimated $200 - $500 million to the Australian economy annually . The Indigenous arts industry generates income and contributes to the economy for artists and their families, galleries, dealers and other retailers. Artists themselves contribute to the wider economy through income tax and GST. The Indigenous arts industry contributes to related industries such as transport and distribution networks, motor vehicle sales, manufacturing and paint products, tourism (especially in remote Australia), the Australian export market, and local remote economies through the re-distribution of artists’ income.

The CDEP has been a critical component of the success of the industry, affecting a majority of Top End art centres, and many art centres in Central Australia, South Australia and Western Australia . However some art centres are now under threat because this component is being withdrawn without the capacity to properly plan the transition. In urban areas a number of art centres have closed.

Our submission
We request policy –makers to consider CDEP-funded Art centres in the context of the Indigenous arts industry and not in the context of an unsuccessful CDEP programme. We ask:

1. That the Government stay its decision to abolish CDEP in art centres around Australia. Such a decision is inconsistent with explicit recommendations contained in the Indigenous Art –Securing the Future 2007 (Report of the Senate Enquiry) that recommended the maintenance of CDEP. Further, it will have negative and long lasting impacts on Indigenous artists and the entire industry.

2. That the current situation requires urgent Ministerial intervention in particular communities affected by CDEP changes in the Northern Territory to ensure that the current confusion and disruption is addressed and artist and arts worker positions are maintained.

3. We call for a review and reconsideration of the round of CDEP closures in urban situations around Australia in 2007 to assess the impact on participants, organisations and communities and the feasibility of reinstatement.

4. That successful art centres developed through CDEP must be recognised and supported as a model for developing art enterprises and contributing to a significant national industry.

5. That the situation demands a methodical and consultative review of CDEP-funded art centres to identify and implement sound operational structures and resource needs for these entities as they move towards business models.

6. That the government and opposition honour all the recommendations of the June 2007 Senate Inquiry Indigenous Art – Securing the Future, including the employment of indigenous arts workers in art centres as essential jobs.

7. We submit that in any discussions of modifications to CDEP it is timely to consider a separate Arts enterprise support program, perhaps administered by DCITA, around Australia to cater for enterprise development in regional towns and in communities. Such a program could include a base pay rate for artists and artsworkers, capital and operational funding. We feel this would be in line with the Senate Inquiry Recommendation 11 – “The committee recommends that the Commonwealth pursue the conversion of CDEP funded positions in Art Centres into properly funded jobs, taking an approach similar to the 2007 – 08 Budget initiative in other portfolio areas; and that this initiative be independent of future NACIS program funding.
We submit that such a program would have these features:
a. Income and continued training for Aboriginal people employed in developing enterprises that have genuine community benefit
b. Inclusion of art production and other enterprises as essential activities on communities
c. An examination of tax thresholds to encourage Aboriginal people to remain in paid employment

8. That the Aboriginal arts sector and its representatives work cooperatively with all levels of government to create and implement sound policy that will strengthen and contribute to the sustainability of the highly successful and world renowned Indigenous art industry.

9. That government through its actions and policies demonstrates a commitment to recognising and respecting the unique and highly valued role that Indigenous artists play in Australia’s national cultural life.

For further information please contact:Dianna Isgar on 08 8956 7586 or email me on the gmail account attached to this blog.

2007-03-13T12:57:00.000+10:30

Western Desert Mob Exhibition. Here is the image from the exhibiion promotion and invitation. It is a work by Mr. Lewis from Warakurna.

If you would like to check out the show, please use the following web address.....

www.westerndesertmob.com.au/site/

cheers, Dianna

2007-03-13T10:06:00.000+10:30

A day off in Adelaide. I am not sure when I had my last day off. I have been traveling. First to Perth to the Western Desert Mob opening and then down to Adelaide for Womad and The Fringe Festival.

The Western Desert Mob Launch was a great event and our collective exhibition looked stunning. Most of my Blackstone Mob were caught up with other events like the Perth Festival or law and culture. I traveled with two Ladies from Warakurna. I stayed a night with my nephew in Warakurna and met with the Patjarr mob, we traveled together to The Rock to fly to Perth. While in Perth I took the opportunity to pack up the Museum display and ship it off to Adelaide. Our Accommodation in Perth was a little daunting, security swipe cards to get in and out and travel in the lift. This worried the ladies, they felt trapped, I can not say that I liked it either, felt like we were in prison. We did find a very friendly restaurant and with the patjarr mob we spent a bit of time there. Shopping is always the most important activity outside of the trip purpose, so locating any op shops was a priority.

I am very happy with the WDM promotion, we are looking to expand across the border and will soon approach the SA and NT governments so that we can share our PR activity with our friends and family from the Pit lands and the mob from the Rock.

I traveled back from Perth on my own. Mike from Patjarr purchased a second hand troupie down there and the Warakurna Ladies stayed on with the rest of the Ng Lands mob for the Perth Festival Activities.

A good flight to the Rock, a quick shop for some supplies not available at Blackstone, the troupie and I headed down the "middle road" for home. I phoned Gordon the DCA and told him which way I was coming. I thought if I was not home between 8 and 9 pm, they should come looking. I did this because the middle road is not always well populated unlike the Docker River Road which has many travellers. The middle road saves about 130 ks. It is not really quicker as the road is not such a good one as the Docker river Road but it is very pretty and saving 130ks is good for the headset, I was very tired.

I was making good headway and thinking I would make it home by 7.30 pm, time to watch Foyles War on ABC TV. Great! I stopped under a lovely big Desert Oak for a drink and to stretch my legs. I never turn the engine off, I figure if it is going, leave it that way. When I got back in the car to head on down the road, the car stalled, it would not start again. It was 3.45 pm and I resigned myself to the wait for Gordon. I estimated he would find me about 1.30 the next morning, allowing that he would not get alarmed until 9.00 pm or so. I settled down for the long haul.

They actually got to me at 5.30 the next morning. It was great to see them and I was so sorry that Gordon and Toby had needed to spend the night driving, looking for me. The Middle Road is a little difficult to find from the Wingellina End. They were exhausted as was I, Gordon push started the troupie using his vehicle, Toby drove back and 3 hours later we were home.

2007-02-18T20:34:00.000+10:30

This is the media release that WDM sent out for Australia Day. I thought it may be of interest to those who have not followed the developement of the Western Desert Mob. cheers, Dianna

24 January 2007

EMBARGO

26 January 2007

Aboriginal artists unite to stand strong on Australia Day

As a defiant and bold step toward maintaining strong, sustainable, Aboriginal-owned enterprises, an alliance of Indigenous artists and art centres from the Ngaanyatjarra Lands in Western Australia today announced the formation of the Western Desert Mob.

The Western Desert Mob is a powerful coalition of Aboriginal art centres, painters, woodcarvers and weavers from the region - united to ensure the wealth of talent and economic returns are retained in the community.

While considerable contention and debate continues in the art world concerning authenticity, ownership and the impact of art dealers in the remote communities, the Western Desert Mob has been formed to take action to safe guard the ethos of building strong community, family and culture.

The communities and art centres represented in the Western Desert Mob include renowned and well-established artists from Warakurna, Papulankutja, Kayili, Maruku and Tjanpi.

According to Project Coordinator Tim Acker, Western Desert Mob focuses on celebrating artists across the region and is anticipated to develop into one of the most significant Aboriginal art groups in Australia.

“There is significant contention in the industry at present, we want to rise above this and show the strength and positive impact the art centres are having in this region. The art centres, as part of the Western Desert Mob are one of the most positive examples of Aboriginal owned and managed art enterprises in Australia,” Tim said.

The Western Desert Mob aims to strengthen the connections and continuity between artists across this desert region and support for the artists from each centre is crucial to the future of the Western Desert Mob.

Warakurna Art Centre Manager, Edwina Circuitt, along with others in the region is constantly inspired by the strong artistic culture of the Western Desert Mob Artists.

“This group of like-minded artists, demonstrate the uncompromising approach to living in, and maintaining cultural links to, country, ensuring culture, creativity and stories are carried on to the future generations. This can only be done if the artists live in their community to pass on their wealth of talent,” Edwina said.

“We need to celebrate the exceptional artworks being produced from the region by artists living and painting in-country - sharing stories of country, culture and family,” Edwina said.

According to the Western Desert Mob, authentic art is centred on the artist’s physical and spiritual connection to country.

“Living and working or creating in the land of their birth is vital for an artist’s connection to country. This must remain intact and uncompromised because passing on these important stories to young people is a critical means of keeping culture strong and vital and is a crucial role of the art centres,” Edwina said.

“In some cases, if there was no art centre in the community, there would be no community,” Edwina said.

There is a significant difference between privately owned art businesses and community owned and managed art centres. Western Desert Mob members are Aboriginal owned and governed art businesses, with transparent operations and where 65% of the art proceeds return directly to the artist and the remainder reinvested into the art centre business.

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2007-02-17T14:07:00.000+10:30

I was going to continue the car stories, I have many and at the moment I am knee deep in car problems. The mechanic who has been missing for some time, has surfaced and it may be that some of these will be sorted next week. I have just read yesterdays entry and have decided enough of yurltus. The picture I have put up is the latest finished Mr. Forbes. In truth the hours are not waisted, one can get it in perspective, you can see the time is very well spent in deed.

I just have no idea how I am going to get, what is to be done, done. I will endeavour to catch up on the accounts today and then devote my time to the Esub tomorrow. Tim Acker will be up late Sunday night and we will be doing some filming of artists for a couple of days. I will get Tim to have a quick look over my esub and now I have the last 6 months figures I will use that as a basis for the budget. I need this out of the way as I head down to Perth for the Western Desert Launch on Thursday. will need to pack up the Museum display and ship that to Adelaide and be back at Blackstone on Monday to get ready for the Adelaide Trip. Hopefully the mechanic will still want to go down for the Adelaide 500 and I will not have to do the driving.

Toby will keep the paint and canvas up in the art centre while I am away. I think it will be quiet for most of the time in any case as there will be a few away with me and a few away in Perth for the Perth Festival. There is also "Business" on the lands and many will be involved in that. I just hope I can get the painting moment up when I get back so we continue to gather good works for the Randell Lane Show in Perth in June.

With Erin back, we hope to start work on a major spinifex paper mache sculpture. An idea we have had for a while.

On Thursday I was devastated to find that the builders had incorrectly put two house foundations on the art centre land allocated for the new paper making building ... such a shit and I am not sure that we will come up with any area half as suitable elsewhere in the community. Not practical out here to have the builder dig all the concrete and plumbing up however. throwing a tantrum is about the only satisfaction I can get. Gordon the CDA and I are working on an alternative. the paperwork and government notifications are going to be a pain in the arse.

Bloomington Indiana Public Radio on the Internet, fantastic night (over there) of jazz for the moment. Just the stuff I need drive the accounting process.

2007-02-16T17:54:00.000+10:30

Photo of Yurltu by Thisbe Purich.

Thursday, money day. Not much to hand out today, the list is on the door, only two names on it. I never post the serious money names in any case as the pressure on them for hand outs would be too great. The list on the door is an attempt to limited the number of requests for money so I can try to continue working. The preparation of canvas, paint, phone calls packing and shipping is a constant. I can be up to my eyeballs in canvas and paint with the phone ringing and still have up to 20 people calling my name and wanting immediate attention. I have described this as like spending the day tumbling inside a cement mixer, it is the best description I can come up with.

11.00 am and Mr. Forbes comes in. I have a canvas prepared for him and he sets about his work. His work is constantly interrupted by his asking for information about his yurltu, Toyota. I have impounded in my yard this yurltu, waiting the mechanic. One of Mr. forbes' grandsons has done a good job of buggering up something in the workings and it needs fixing. Mr. Forbes has decided to sell the vehicle, his daughter is interested in buying it. I wont let it go until I know it is roadworthy. Happy that Mr. Forbes has at last decided to rid himself of the cursed yurltu I make plans for its repair and supply to his daughter. Mr. Forbes spends 7 hours with me in my office in Thursday, we then go to my back yard to check that the yurltu is still there. Again we talk of the mechanic and the likely day of his coming. I have been able to do nothing but attend to Mr. Forbes and talk of the car. finally I drive him to Ruby, one of his daughters. It is After 7.00 pm and I have done bugger all, all day. I do get a call from Simon, the mechanic and he is coming early next week, well thank god for that!

Friday, surely Mr. Forbes will be tired after the huge effort yesterday.

Jimmy is in early and enthused about a new big canvas. I set him up with one to take home and a fresh box of paints. This should be a good one for the Perth Exhibition in June. I have a small but growing, good collection of works corralled in the office waiting this event.

Elaine needs a quiet chat, we talk about her need for a yurltu. We talk about how desperate she is for a yurltu, how the desire for a yurltu keeps her awake at night, she is worrying for her own yurltu. Elaine has had money to buy a yurltu a few times this year, each time she has chosen to do something kind for her family instead. This time we have agreed, I will save her paintings instead of her money and when I have enough paintings I will sell them and get her a yurltu. this way she will not have money to give away as she has done during the past year.

11.00 am, in comes Mr. Forbes. He wants a new canvas. As thrilling as it is to have him working at all, and to have him working in my office, I want to sit down and cry, I just need some time to catch up on the workload and another 7 hours with Mr. Forbes and his concerns for his car is not going to achieve that end. Mr. Forbes is on fire, he has a vision, he will sell his old yurltu, paint a whole lot of paintings and then buy a bus. A bus that can take all his family for trips. Minyma, Wati and Tjitji! Mr. Forbes is very excited about this prospect and Dianna is wondering where the hell she is going to find a bus that is economically possible and that will have the endurance capacity to see Mr. Forbes and his family multitudes happy for a few months at least.

The ESub looms.

2007-02-12T17:36:00.000+10:30

Friday 9th February. We say goodbye to Reggie Jackson. I asked Katherine, his daughter if I could put this picture up. This is a man who I will miss and miss and miss. A true bush man, a man of great fun, a pleasure and privilege to have known.

At his funeral service they talked of his lovely wife Pantjiti who died last year and of his second wife Joyce McLean, now widowed. They talked of his seven children, his sense of fun, the seriousness of his participation in Law and Culture. They also made mention of his commitment to the Christian Faith. This took me by surprise but then I remembered his participation in the Denis Forbes memorial service last year. I remember the shock of seeing him clutching the bible and saying prayers.

Reggie always used to tell me that he was from Jameson, lived at Wannarn and worked at Blackstone. He loved his puppies. He was very much his own man, a striking individual, not a conformist. I have heard him called "somewhat of a loose canon" .... what ever he was it was great to know him.

2007-02-11T14:37:00.000+10:30

Sunday, a morning spent with American Public Radio, just love sunday mornings. I have come down with some flue .... I guess tired from last week and in close contact with a variety of likely bacteria, I have managed to catch something. Hopefully it will run its course quickly. I am too busy to be sick.

Last Thursday morning. The day started with artists meetings, some individual groups wanted to meet with Peter, Amata and Warakurna in particular. I wanted my mob to meet but it was too hard to get them together. We were all a little on edge, thinking of the afternoon meeting with Desart. Most of us thought that Wingellina would resign its artists from Desart at the scheduled meeting between John Oster and the Wingellina Governing Committee.

Mid morning we got a call from John Oster informing us that he was delayed at Wingellina. The Chairman was at Blackstone in the sorry camp and the Governing Committee meeting could not go ahead until he was there. Someone was on their way to Collect Mr. Foster, the chairman.

John Ioannou came to collect Mr. Foster.

John Oster arrived at Blackstone quicker than we had anticipated considering the delayed meeting. We spoke to the artists groups and arranged to meet around 4.00 pm after the shop shut.

Everyone was anxious to find out what was going on and we met a little earlier than 4.00 pm. John Ioannou arrived by charter flight with Winston Mitchell.

We gathered at the 50cent piece and John Oster convened the meeting. He advised us that Wingellina Council has resigned Irrunytju artists from Desart and that they had confirmed the appointment of John Ioannou as Manager of the artists group. He advised us that the meeting at Wingellina had been a respectful one on all sides. That Irrunytju Artists Group would no longer be represented by Desart, they would go their own way. There was considerable sadness with the artists group at this news.

John Ioannou asked to speak to the group and Mr. Ivan Shepherd the chairman of Desart agreed to have Mr. Ioannou address the meeting.

John Ioannou assured the meeting that he intended to run the Irrunytju Artists Group with honesty and integrity. He said he was an honest man and not happy about the rumours he heard about himself on the lands. He also advised the group that he had undertaken to restrict his activities to Wingellina, that the Governing Council had requested he not go to other communities to gather artists. He said however, that any artist that wanted to work with him and that came to Wingellina, would be welcome. There was some discussion between the art managers and John Ioannou. A number of artists indicated they were not happy with the arrangement and that the art centre should be independent from the Governing Council, the council should not be making decisions for the artists with little or no consultation.

John Oster asked John Ioannou and the Art Centre Managers to leave the meeting so that the artists could have an unencumbered discussion. We did so and no doubt there will be reporting by desart from this meeting in due course.

It was Edwina and I that wrote to Desart and requested a review of the employment and management process at Wingellina and the artists group. John Oster wanted statements from Irrunytju Artists direct and Nyakul Dawson (now sadly deceased), an important artists and elder and Bell Davidson an artists, elder and registered Ngaanyatjarra interpreter came to the Patjarr Artists Group meeting in September last year, to talk to John Oster. He met privately with the two Irrunytju artists. John Oster then discussed the matter with the Desart Executive who agreed to the formal enquiry and the appointment of Mr. Bell to undertake that enquiry.

It is clear from Mr. Foster that the Wingellina Executive are very happy with the appointment of John Ioannou and I can see that there could be a variety of reasons for that. Not the least being that it will take a big pressure of the work of the Exec. as they have handed the day to day running of the group to John Ioannou. There has been a number of art managers appoint in recent years and this no doubt has been a burden to the Wingellina Executive. Of course had the Artists Group been separately incorporated and the appointment of the art manager been in the hands of the an artists group executive with the assistance of Desart or Indigenous Economic Developement, some of this burden would not have existed. still nothing is that simple and ever easy out here in remote communities.

Our concern is now for the many artists who appear to be disenfranchised by the Wingellina Executive decision. The number of artists who feel they were not consulted and who are not in the top echelon or high money bracket or are too old, frail or lack confidence to make alternative arrangements. After all Wingellina is their home. Community based and indigenous owned art centres are more that just centres to produce saleable product. They act as centres of learning, support for culture, assist in social activity and the promotion of good mental and physical health.

The general feeling from the Thursday meeting is one of great sadness. Hopefully we will be able to maintain a cordial and friendly relationship with Irrunytju and its management.

2007-02-10T08:43:00.000+10:30

where exactly do I start........

Monday, the Wigellina funeral, Mr. Dawson, Mr. Woods and Mr. Roberts ...... a huge and dreadfully sad event, family, friends and dignetaries. Mr. Dawson in particular attracted whitefellas who wanted to show respect for this wonderful and important old man. This was a very somber and respectful funeral with the odd mix of christian and traditional aboriginal sentiment.

I did speak to the art manager at Irrunytju while I was in Wingellina, he indicated he was not interested in the artists governance sessions or the Desart Review meeting. Not surprising I guess.

Tuesday, at last we held out AGM or should I say our two AGMs, one after the other. Nothing like a sorry camp to get the mob together. We elected our new office bearers and I live (perhaps falsely) in the hope that with Jimmy Donegan on the Desart Executive and now on the Papulankutja Artists executive, we may have some better engagement in management from the artists group.

All morning the groups of artists and managers arrived at Blackstone for the governance and professional development meetings. Maruku from Muti had arrived earlier and Peter took the opportunity of spending some alone time with that mob. No doubt the sorry camp for Mr. Jackson assisted with the numbers of artists who came, still it was wonderful to have such a diverse and interested group. Even without the managers from Warburton and Patjarr we have good representation from them as well as Mutitjulu, Amata, Kulka, Nyapari, Warakurna and of course Blackstone. Amanda from Nyapari went with Edwina from Warakurna and collected artists from Wingellina (Irrunytju) to participate as well. We were all thinking of the Desart meeting which would be held on Thursday. Amata and warakurna took the opportunity of meetings with Peter without the big group and Kathy from Maruku gave tremendous assistance with the interpreting.

Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday and Thursday mornings were filled with art business discussions, many of the artists had never been to such meetings before and it was good to see the the regulars talking up and helping the newcomers as needed. We had over 70 artists participating in the sessions.

Tim Acker from Aboriginal Economic Development came on the monday and he, Edwina and myslef finalized some of the arrangements for the Western Desert Mob launch and timing for the filming with the PR mob for TV.

Peter our Governance man brought his sidekick Iain for the experience of our training sessions and Iain with Brian from Nyapari was a great help with the BBQ lunches for the mob. Thank god for that as it was exreemly hot and I was not looking forward to the task myself.

bugger!!!!!! have just lost all the reporting on the Desart meeting. Will refocus, the energy is gone for now ... will continue this a bit later.

2007-02-03T09:22:00.000+10:30

Saturday morning, Alan Saunders on the internet radio. Alan could talk about bubble plastic for all I care, I just love listening to him.

Went to Warburton yesterday. The culture centre is hositng an exhibition from Papulankutja Artists in August 2007. This will be a history of Blackstone shown thought its art, crafts and through its artists. Speaking to Albie,(Warburton Arts Project) Damien (general boss cocky) and Preston (chairman Warburton) I realized how unformed my concept is and how much thinking there is to be done. When I found I would be meeting with Damien and Preston as well as Albie, I was a little concerned about being ambushed. I think however that Damien in particular, was able to focus my thoughts and I have come back to Blackstone with a clearer vision and better topics to discuss with the artists. Albie and I had talked of art centres and their place in the sustainablility of community. Damien put the view that sustainability does not simply mean financial sustainablilty. There must also be cultural sustainablily, a purpose for the community to exist.

Last year I travelled with three of my senior female artists. They spent time explaining to me that Blackstone (Papulankutja) was like the axle holding the wheel. The dreamings and creation stories surrounded blackstone, blackstone was like the axle, securing the wheel of stories, they lived at blackstone to look after the creation stories, to give continuity to life and culture.

Damien felt that I should somehow weave that idea into our exhibition and the sustainablility of the community. There is to be a beautiful catelogue produced with the exhibtion, this will be a lovely record for Papulankutja Artists and we want to get it right.

While at Warburton, I also spoke to Sue Clarke about the May Festival. The first week of May is always our Blackstone Festival, our Happy Festival. This year the Music Festival has decided to move to Blackstone and combine or run alongside our Festival. We have agreed to meet in Blackstone on the 27th March to fine tune arrangements. The music festival will include a "Name" band, Battle of the Bands competition for local musicians and two days of Inma. The Blalckstone festival will kick off on the 1st May with art and craft workshops, a beauty salon and Desart Ng Regional Artists meeting, the weekend giving way to the sporting carnival, which will now run alongside the music festival.

This weekend I need to finalize the coding for the last quarter's financials, I am way behind with this and dare not leave it another day. I need to get working on the ESub funding submission for 2007/8, due on the 21st February. From now to the 21s February I have two funerals, the artists group governance and professional developement meetings, the Desart meeting with artists to discuss the report on Irruntyju, a visit by the PR company for filming of art centre and artists for the Western Desert Launch, the trip to Perth for the Launch will start on the 21st February. I need the last quarter financial reports to assist with setting the budget that I will submitt on the ESub.

I am fortunate to have Tania from Desart on loan this week. In my absence, she held the centre together yesterday. I note that she downloaded my esub stuff and is setting about recording the small cultural collection we have at Pap. Art.

2007-01-29T17:07:00.000+10:30

Frustration.

On Thursday the 18th January, as usual, I put the Artists Mail Bag on the Ngaanyatjarra Air Plane. This plane travels from Blackstone through to Kalgoorlie and then on Friday back to Alice Springs. the Mail Bag gets delivered to the Post Office on the following Monday. The Artists Mail bag should have been in the post office for sorting and mail distribution on Monday 22nd January.

No mail from that bag has been delivered. My assumption is that the mail bag has gone astray.

The bag is signed for by the pilot on the Ngaanyatjarra Air Plane, I have always assumed that it would then be signed out of the plane to the courier who takes it to the Post Office. It seems that the post office have a record of receiving 9Kilos of mail from the Ngaanyatjarra Lands on Monday 22nd January. No record of how many mail bags or who those mail bags belonged to.

Ngaanyatjarra Air are reticent in providing details of exactly what trail there might be on the mail bag .... I just can not believe this!!!!! this is the Royal Mail. I thought the service was meant to be secure and that adequate tracking would have been a given. I have simply acted in trust and faith that the mail would be secure. I am pretty pissed off.

This morning the EFTPOS machine died, I find the mail is missing and the multitudes from the sorry camp all need something.

No all bad thought, Mr. Forbes started a new work. It is pretty wild.

2007-01-27T18:23:00.000+10:30

Saturday afternoon, Jazz track on the Internet radio .... I am finding it difficult to motivate myself. Just not getting the things I need to, done.

It is very hot outside and I have kept the new plants watered however.

Tomorrow I will need to spend the day in the art centre, I am miles behind with various tasks and the sorry camp mob will be coming to sort some of the funeral requirements out.

Such a strange mix of cultures these funerals become. The family want to purchase a white coffin, no dirt to be thrown on it, but a huge bag of potpourri to be purchased for the grave site. This is difficult for me to understand. Still grief is very personal and if this eases the pain then so be it.

There has been a little mileage from our press release. The Austrailian had an article.

They have managed to identify Mr. Dawson, so, subject to paperwork, the funeral at Wingellina should be able to go ahead sometime soon. Still very difficult to accept that old man's death let alone imagine his body being so degrated that he is unrecognizable. No DNA records, no dental records .... this is not the way of things out here.

Lord knows how this will affect out Professional developement meetings and the Desart Regional Meeting. This is a most important meeting because of the discussions and investigation into the management processes of Irrunytju Governing Council.

With such sorry and pain from so many unexpected deaths, it is a big ask to expect the mob to focus on something as foreign to them as whitefella management issues. We would not push on with this if it were no so important. Very difficult for the mob to see the importance however.

I hope that the extreem heat will motivate the families to push on with the multitude of funerals, not only for our whitefella reasons but it is quite hard on the oldies and the children this sorry camp business. I am deaply concerned in particular for a few of the oldies.

I need to speak to the auditor on Monday, hopefully I can get the last of the information required from our accountant and he can finalize the audit. I am in depsperate need of the release of funds as well as compliance with ICC, prior to the ESub funding submissions, which close on the 17th February.

I will have a better idea of the submission when I finalize the 2nd quarter paperwork and see the reports generated.

Now that Ng Council look like they will come up with our training money for the Spinifex Paper I can see an end to some of the difficulties in sight. This has been a very diffucult 6 months.

2007-01-24T18:08:00.000+10:30

What a day!

The year is shaping up to be a busy one. The press release went out today for the launch of Western Desert Mob, an initiative of Ngaanyatjarra Lands Art Centres. The opening exhibition has been a rush, we wanted to take advantage of the Buzz with the Perth Festival.

This is such a positive initiative and we have been fortunate to be bank rolled for the start by the WA Government. Yet there are groups on the Ngaanyatjarra Lands that can not see the plus with this activity, they seem threatened by it. Frustrations abound!!!!

Tomorrow is the McLean Family funeral at Mantamaru .... so I will cruise the community early, looking for likely oldies who want to attend and then head over...... these weeks have been sad ones.

After the McLean funeral the sorry camp will move to Blackstone, just in time for Australia Day.

Today Mr. Forbes painted a wonderful work and I will be able to get it down to Perth for the Western Desert Mob Opening. It is the story of the country where his daughter Ruby was born. I am really thrilled to have it for the Perth Festival. Mr. Forbes is our Senior and most important artist ... what a treat to have him sitting and working in my office.

Mr. Jackson's son-in-law, Richard, came to see me today. Richard is the Chairman of Ngaanyatjarra Governing Council. He has agreed to come with me to Perth for the Western Desert Mob launch. This is a great relief, I really want him to see the grandeur of the exhibition and meet the important people who are coming to share the event with us. It is being opened by the Deputy Premier. We live so remote and our day to day lives are so removed from the big smoke that it is difficult for community members to understand the significance and importance of the art that is generated here.

2007-01-21T10:39:00.000+10:30

On the edge of the Gibson Desert, it is Sunday morning. To avoid the heat, I have been out early to water my co-workers' garden and plant a few hedging plants in my yard.

I am now in another world. The Internet is a wonderful thing, I have coffee in the cup and Garrison Keillor on the Internet radio. Sounds of A Prairie Home Companion in St Louise fill my Donga while I get the humdrum weekly household tasks out of the way.

Blackstone is very quiet today as the mob are off in Sorry Camps at Wingellina and Jameson.

Soon the Sorry Camp will move here as there was more dreadful news, our own lovely old man, Mr. Jackson died last Thursday night. His daughter and son in law are driving up from Perth and when they arrive this community will move into sorry mode. How can a man of such beauty and life be dead.

I have been trying to get a history project on the go, funding is very difficult to come by. I revved up a few people last week, pointing out that our oldies a dying and their stories are dying with them. I have booked Thisbe to come for the month of April, I will need to get the money from somewhere. Thisbe has a great report with this mob and speaks the language. We will start recording the stories of those few who are still with us.

2007-01-20T17:01:00.000+10:30

January 6th, very hard to leave home in Adelaide and head back to the desert.
Tuesday 9th January in the art centre, the usual rush of artists wanting to know where I have been and did I bring any money back with me.

I need to take my co-worker to The Rock to fly out for her leave, I check in with the office to let them know we are leaving the community for a couple of days. There is a fax advising that two men are missing somewhere between Kalgoorlie and Tjuntjuntjarra. The office worker asks if that can be Mr. Dawson from Wingellina, yes I say, that is him, there should be no worry, he is a wonderful old bushman, he knows what he is doing.

An uneventful trip to Uluru, we meet the plane OK, I send some paintings off with bus-freight and drop in on Maruku with some art and to talk a little business.

I decided to come back by "The Middle Road" so I ring my Community Adviser and let him know my route, we agree that if I am not back by 8.00 pm he will come looking for me.

There is quite a bit of water on the last 30ks or so of the middle road and I am cutting it fine to be home on time. Happy I hit the Wingellina to Blackstone road, there are some of my mob broken down. I stop, they say the will be OK, need water and some of the group want a lift back. I hand over some of my water and pick up a few passengers.

My thoughts have been on Mr. Dawson, they tell me he has been found. I am greatly relieved. Tired, I sleep well that night.

Saturday afternoon, Jimmy comes to my donga looking for diesel. I am angry at the interruption at home on the weekend, about to give him a mouth full when he says he needs to get to Wingellina, "sorry camp", that old man he says.

Not Mr. Dawson, he is a good old bush man, I say. Jimmy simply says, too hot, they find him too late.

Mr Dawson and his nephew are both dead, found somewhere along the dog fence at the top of the Nullabor, 350 ks or so from Kalgoorlie. The loss is not measurable, the sorry too great.