About our art centre

Minyma Kutjara Arts Project is a not-for-profit community based enterprise run by and representing artists from the remote community of Irrunytju (Wingellina) in Western Australia, 10kms from the tri-state border of Northern Territory and South Australia. Drawing on an intergenerational history of law, culture and unbroken stories, Minyma Kutjara Arts Project is a space for the production of individual and collaborative works. The studio is a meeting place to learn, explore and share culture, supporting a variety of creative activities including painting, metal work, punu (wood) carving, tjanpi (grass) weaving, hot poker seed work and the production of bush medicine. The Centre provides a space to safe guard cultural heritage through artistic expression.

We all happily work together in the art centre. When the young fellas grow up we will teach them how to paint. When the little ones see us painting, they’ll be painting when they grow up. I’m painting for all my grand-daughters and teaching them the right way. – Yangyangkari (Roma) Peterman Butler

Minyma Kutjara Arts Project facilitates art production, gallery, market place representation and sales. The centre generates employment and income opportunities with art sales directly supporting the artists and the studio. Minyma Kutjara also provides training and skills development with opportunities for artists to travel nationally. The centre facilitates local bush trips which are an important activity for artists to draw inspiration and reconnect to Country.

“When Wingellina came we first started working around the community. Then out bush taking pictures for Minyma Kutjara story for NG Media. We made tjanpi and punu to sell. We had a meeting and got a women’s centre and started a second hand store to fund our first art centre, and a manager who would support our painting. We had good oldies, but now the oldies are gone and the middle-age ones like us are left. We have been sitting down waiting, we are going to have a new art centre and a new coordinator. We will be very happy to start working and painting, so we can be happy all the way.”

Spoken by Tjawina Roberts (with Belle Davidson, Stacia Lewis, Ivy Laidlaw and Rene Nelson) cited Ngaanyatjarra Art of the Lands. Edited by Time Acker and John Carty.