ERNABELLA ARTS INC.
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Name
ERNABELLA ARTS INC.
Culture
Aboriginal Australian
Type
Organisation
Start date
1948
Start place
Ernabella, South Australia, Australia View on map Close map
Occupations
Art organisation
Summary
Located: Australia (SA)
Context
Australia
Biography
Ernabella Arts
Ernabella is 440 kms south west of Alice Springs on the Pitjantjatjara land in the Musgrave Ranges of South Australia. In 1949, the Ernabella Arts Association Inc. workshop started production in spinning of fur and human hair for weaving. Wool from local sheep was scoured and dyed, then spun and used in woven goods and hooked in floor rugs. They have continued to explore various activities through which to channel the creative talents of the Aboriginal women of Ernabella. In the past this has included spinning, dyeing, weaving and wood carving, and currently batik dyeing.
Batik was introduced in 1972, when Leo Brereton, a young artist from USA, who had studied in Indonesia was appointed to instruct the people for two months. They learnt the techniques very quickly, and became competent in developing their own stylised and unique designs. Later Vivianne Bertelsen (McClintock) a Danish artist assisted the women during 1975-76, with a grant from the Aboriginal Arts Board. The designs are bold, and a stylized mixture of organic and floral motifs. The colours are vibrant which emphasise the delicate wax patterning of the designs.
Three artists, Yipati, Jillian and Nyukana visited Jogjakata, Indonesia in 1975, spending a few weeks at the Batik Institute, learning the traditional methods of Indonesian batik. Work was entered in the first three Craft Council Expo's which encouraged the group to set a standard for pricing. Buyers had expected locally crafted batiks to be as inexpensive as the Indonesion imports. The popularity of working in batik encouraged the artists to share their knowledge with other Aboriginal women at Utopia and Indulkana. Groups from Arnhem Land and Yuendumu, Northern Territory and from Western Australia, also visited the Ernabella workshop to see how the group worked. Jillian, Yipati and Winifred Hilliard were invited to Japan in 1984. The Japanese National Museum of Ethnology has collected a large range of Aboriginal work including batiks from Ernabella. Whilst there, Winifred Hilliard gave a paper to The Friends of the Museum.
© ada 1989
© ada 1989