Indigenous Art

1. Dialogue Education Aboriginal Perspectives Indigenous Art THIS CD HAS BEEN PRODUCED FOR TEACHERS TO USE IN THE CLASSROOM. IT IS A CONDITION OF THE USE OF THIS CD THAT IT BE USED ONLY BY THE PEOPLE FROM SCHOOLS THAT HAVE PURCHASED THE CD ROM FROM DIALOGUE EDUCATION. (THIS DOES NOT PROHIBIT ITS USE ON A SCHOOL’S INTRANET).

2. Documentary - Aboriginal Art - Past, Present, and Future Click on the image to the left. You will need to be connected to the internet to view this presentation. Enlarge to full screen.

3. Click on an image above for a game of “Penalty Shootout” or “Hoop-shoot”. Try playing the game with your students at the start and the end of the unit. Make sure you have started the slide show and are connected to the internet. GAMES

4. Indigenous Australian art is art made by the Indigenous peoples of Australia and in collaborations between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians .

5. Rock paintings appear on caves in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, known as Bradshaws.

6. Aboriginal rock art has been created for a long period of time, with the oldest examples, in West Australia's Pilbara region, and the Olary district of South Australia, estimated to be up to around 40,000 years old.

7. Bark paintings are now regarded as "Fine Art", and the finest bark paintings command high prices accordingly on the international art markets. Bark painting

8. Rock engravings • Rock engraving depends on the type of rock being used. Aerial desert "country" landscapes

9. Stone arrangements in Australia range from the 50m-diameter circles of Victoria, with 1m-high stones firmly embedded in the ground, to the smaller stone arrangements found throughout Australia. Stone arrangements

10. Carved shells - Riji Mimih (or Mimi) small man-like carvings of mythological impish creatures. Necklaces and other jewellery, such as those from the Tasmanian Aborigines. Public Carvings and sculpture

11. The imagery of the Aboriginal culture, as can be seen in many of the sacred sites, rock and cave paintings, used few colours as they were often made from what was available locally. Iconography and symbols

12. Certain symbols within the Aboriginal modern art movement retain the same meaning across regions, although the meaning of the same symbols may change within the context of the whole painting. Iconography and symbols

13. Many paintings by Aboriginal artists, such as those that represent a 'dreamtime story', are shown from an aerial perspective. Iconography and symbols

14. Whatever the meaning, interpretations of the icons should be taken in context of the entire painting, the region from which the artist originates, the story behind the painting, the style of the painting, with additional clues being the colours used in some of the more modern works, such as blue circles signifying water. Iconography and symbols

15. Religious and cultural aspects of Aboriginal art Traditional Aboriginal art almost always has a mythological undertone relating to the Dreamtime of Australian Aborigines.

16. "Doesn't matter what sort of painting we do in this country, it still belongs to the people, all the people. " - source The Weekend Australian Magazine, April 2002 Religious and cultural aspects of Aboriginal art

17. Story telling and totem representation feature prominently in all forms of Aboriginal artwork. Additionally the female form, particularly the female womb in X-ray style features prominently in some famous sites in Arnhem Land. Religious and cultural aspects of Aboriginal art

18. Graffiti and other destructive influences Many culturally significant sites of Aboriginal rock paintings have been gradually desecrated and destroyed by encroachment of early settlers and modern-day visitors.

19. In 1934 Australian painter Rex Batterbee taught Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira western style watercolour landscape painting, along with other Aboriginal artists at the Hermannsburg mission in the Northern Territory. Modern Aboriginal artists

20. In 1966, one of David Malangi's designs was produced on the Australian one dollar note, originally without his knowledge. Modern Aboriginal artists

21. In 1988 an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander memorial was unveiled at the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra made from 200 hollow log coffins, which are similar to the type used for mortuary ceremonies in Arnhem Land. Modern Aboriginal artists

22. The new Parliament House in Canberra opened with a forecourt featuring a design by Michael Nelson Tjakamarra, laid as a mosaic. Modern Aboriginal artists

23. Modern Aboriginal artists The late Rover Thomas is another well known modern Australian Aboriginal artist. Born in Western Australia, he represented Australia in the Venice Biennale of 1991.

24. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the work of Emily Kngwarreye became very popular. Modern Aboriginal artists

25. Despite concerns there are widespread estimates of an industry worth close to half a billion dollars (Aus) and growing rapidly Modern Aboriginal artists

26. Issues • There have been cases of some exploitative dealers (known as carpetbaggers) that have sought to profit from the success of the Aboriginal art movements. Modern Aboriginal artists

27. Australian Senate Inquiry • In August 2006, following concerns raised about unethical practices in the Indigneous art sector, the Australian Senate initiated an inquiry into issues in the sector. Modern Aboriginal artists

28. Aboriginal art movements and cooperatives • Australian Indigenous art movements and cooperatives have been central to the emergence of Indigenous Australian art. Modern Aboriginal artists

29. Aboriginal art in international museums • The Museum for Australian Aboriginal art "La grange" (at Neuchâtel, Switzerland) is one of the very few museums in Europe that dedicates itself entirely to this kind of art. Modern Aboriginal artists

30. * Bardon, G. (1979) Aboriginal Art of the Western Desert, Adelaide: Rigby * Bardon, G. (1991) Papunya Tula: Art of the Western Desert, Ringwood VIC: McPhee Gribble (Penguin) * Bardon, G. (2005) Papunya, A Place Made After the Story: The Beginnings of the Western Desert Painting Movement, University of Melbourne: Miegunyah Press * Donaldson, Mike, Burrup Rock Art: Ancient Aboriginal Rock Art of Burrup Peninsula and Dampier Archipelago, Fremantle Arts Press, 2010. ISBN 978-0-9805890-1-6 * Flood, J. (1997) Rock Art of the Dreamtime:Images of Ancient Australia,Sydney: Angus & Robertson * Johnson, V. (ed) (2007) Papunya painting: out of the desert, Canberra: National Museum of Australia * Kleinert, S. & Neale, M. (eds.) (2000) The Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture, Melbourne: Oxford University Press * McCulloch, S. (1999) Contemporary Aboriginal Art: A guide to the rebirth of an ancient culture, St Leonards (Sydney): Allen & Unwin, * McIvor, Roy (2010). Cockatoo: My Life in Cape York. Stories and Art. Roy McIvor. Magabala Books. Broome, Western Australia. ISBN 978-1-921248-22-1. * Morphy, H. (1991) Ancestral Connections, London: University of Chicago Press * Morphy, H. (1998) Aboriginal Art, London: Phaidon Press * Myers, F. R. (2002) Painting Culture: The making of an Aboriginal High Art, Durham: Duke University Press * Rothwell, N. (2007) Another Country, Melbourne: Black Inc. * Ryan, M.D. and Keane, M. and Cunningham, S. (2008) Indigenous Art: Local Dreamings, Global Consumption, in Anheier, Helmut and Raj Isar, Yudhishthir, Eds. Cultures and Globalization: The Cultural Economy, London: Sage Publications, pp. 284–291 * Senate Standing Committee on the Environment, Communications, Information Technology and the Arts (2007), Indigenous Art: Securing the Future - Australia's Indigenous visual arts and craft sector, Canberra: The Senate * Wikipedia – Indigenous Australian Art- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_Australian_art * Wright, F. (with Morphy, F. and Desart Inc.) (1999–2000) The Art and Craft Centre Story (3 vols), Woden: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission Bibliography