Bindi Mwerre Anthurre Artists facts for kids
Bindi Mwerre Anthurre Artists, also known as Mwerre Anthurre, is a special Aboriginal Art Centre located in Alice Springs, Australia. It started in 2000. Its main goal is to help, teach, and support Aboriginal artists who have disabilities. The centre believes that art can help these artists feel strong and proud.
Artists at Mwerre Anthurre come from different parts of Central Australia. Many live in Alice Springs so they can get medical help if they need it. Through painting, they can share their feelings and show their connection to their traditional lands, which they call "country."
The Bindi Mwerre Anthurre Artists Art Centre is part of Desart. Desart is a big group that supports Aboriginal art centres in Central Australia. The artists are also members of Viscopy, an agency that helps protect artists' copyright. The centre follows the Indigenous Art Code, which makes sure art is traded fairly and ethically.
How Mwerre Anthurre Started
Mwerre Anthurre grew from The Bindi Centre, which opened in 1976. The Bindi Centre helped people with disabilities find jobs and be part of the community. In the 1990s, an artist named Billy Benn Perrurle started painting on pieces of wood and metal in the workshop. Mwerre Anthurre was then created to support his amazing talent.
In 2012, Bindi joined with Lifestyle Solutions. This is a large group that helps people with disabilities and young people. Bindi also works as an Australian Disability Enterprise. This means it helps people with disabilities find work, often with support from the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The centre also gets money from the Australian Government and other groups. They also earn money by selling the artists' artworks. Sometimes, people ask artists to create special artworks, which are called commissions. In 2011, Mwerre Anthurre won a special award for being excellent at including Aboriginal artists with disabilities.
Art Shows and What People Think
The artworks made by Mwerre Anthurre artists are shown in important places. These include public art galleries like the National Gallery of Australia. Their art has been shown all over Australia.
Some artists from Mwerre Anthurre have had their work chosen for big awards. For example, Adrian Robertson and Billy Tjampijinpa Kenda were picked for the 2018 National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. Adrian Robertson also won an award in Alice Springs and was a finalist in the Alice Prize, a major art competition.
Art experts have praised the quality of the artists' work. Chris Raja said that the art from Mwerre Anthurre shows how strong and creative Aboriginal people are. Patrick Hutchings, a reviewer for The Age newspaper, said that the paintings of hills and clouds by artists like Billy Benn Perrurle and Adrian Robertson were as good as early modern art.
Hetti Perkins, a famous art curator, wrote about the Mwerre Anthurre artists. She said they have a unique way of painting landscapes. They show the heart of Australia with beautiful lines and amazing colours and light.
Artists at Mwerre Anthurre
Mwerre Anthurre has helped many talented artists. Some of them include:
- Adrian Robertson
- Billy Benn Perrurle
- Billy Tjampijinpa Kenda
- Cathy Peckham
- Charles Inkamala
- Conway Ginger
- Jane Mervin
- Lance James
- Seth Namatjira
- Kukula McDonald
Billy Tjampijinpa Kenda shared what he and his fellow artists paint:
“We all paint different places’ stories… Adrian painting some country, Jane, he painting some tjulpu (birds), Conway draws anything - people, faces. Charles draws Hermannsburg, Lance draws horses - maybe from Docker River. I’m painting all them cars. Kukula paints all Cockatoos - he like Cockatoos…”
—Billy Tjampijinpa Kenda, Bindi Enterprises
