Jimmy Donegan facts for kids

Jimmy Donegan (born around 1940) is an Aboriginal Australian artist. He is known for his paintings that tell ancient stories. His painting Papa Tjukurpa munu Pukara won a big art award, the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award, in 2010. Jimmy speaks two Aboriginal languages: Pitjantjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra. You can find his artwork in some important art collections in Australia and Europe. The National Gallery of Victoria is the only major public gallery that has one of his pieces.

Growing Up and Early Life

Jimmy Donegan was born around 1940. His birthplace was Yanpan, a rock hole near Ngatuntjarra bore in the outback of Western Australia. He grew up living a traditional, travelling way of life. This was in the lands of the Pitjantjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra people. These areas are now near the communities of Papulankutja and Mantamaru. His family settled in Papulankutja (then called Blackstone) in the 1950s.

Before becoming a painter, Jimmy worked as a stockman, looking after cattle. He was also a skilled hunter and craftsman. He was well-known for making traditional hunting tools. These included spears, spear-throwers, and boomerangs. In the early 1970s, Jimmy helped set up small communities called outstations. These were in the south-western Pitjantjatjara lands.

Jimmy's Family and Their Art

Jimmy's wife, Nuuniwa Imundura Donegan, was also an artist. She was known for her crafts. In the mid-1990s, she was part of the Tjanpi Desert Weavers. This group of women made artistic objects mainly from grass (called tjanpi). Their most famous work was a life-sized Tjanpi Grass Toyota. This was a truck made mostly of desert grasses. It won the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award in 2005. Her work is now in major galleries like the National Gallery of Victoria.

Jimmy's daughter, Melissa Isabelle Donegan, is also an artist. She was born in 1969. As a young girl, she lived in Amata. Later, her family moved to Pipalyatjara. This was part of the "Homeland Movement" to be closer to their traditional lands. Melissa's family often moved between the communities of Irrunytju, Pipalyatjara, and Amata.

As an adult, Melissa moved to Blackstone. There, she started her career as a painter. She also helped create the 'Tjanpi Toyota' with her mother and sister. Today, Melissa lives in Kalka and continues to paint. Her art is often inspired by 'tjukurpa' (traditional stories). These include stories about 'Wati Kutjarra' and 'Kungkarrakalpa'. She also works at the Ninuku Arts Centre.

Jimmy Donegan as an Artist

Jimmy Donegan started painting professionally around 2000. He was one of the first artists at Papulankutja Artists. This local artists' group started in 2001. Some of his early work was shown in an exhibition in Perth in 2005. After his wife Nuuniwa passed away that year, Jimmy moved back to Kalka. His four children lived there, and he joined them. He began painting for Ninuku Arts, Kalka's community art centre, when it opened in 2006.

Since joining Ninuku Arts, Jimmy's art has been shown every year. It appears in the annual Desert Mob exhibition in Alice Springs. His work has also been displayed in other group exhibitions. These have been in cities like Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne. He has not yet had an exhibition just for his own work.

Stories in His Paintings

Jimmy Donegan's paintings show ancient stories from the Dreamtime. These stories are very important to his family's spiritual beliefs. He mostly paints stories connected to his father's side of the family. His father was from Dulu, a rock hole in the Gibson Desert. This place is known for dingo packs. It is also spiritually linked to the Dingo Dreaming (Papa Tjukurpa).

His grandfather's country is Pukara. This is a sacred men's site south of Irrunytju. It is closely connected to the story of the two snake men (Wati Wanampi Kutjara). These are both creation stories that explain how the world came to be.

His Award-Winning Painting

Jimmy Donegan's most famous painting is Papa Tjukurpa munu Pukara. This artwork combines both the Dingo Dreaming and the Two Snake Men stories. It uses different styles and techniques. In August 2010, it won the National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award. It was first chosen as the best painting. Then, it won the overall prize from all the category winners. This was the first time Jimmy had entered his art into a competition.

Art experts have said that Jimmy's work shows influences from earlier styles. These styles come from the Western Desert art movement in Warburton. He lived there in the mid-1990s. However, they also note that he has developed his own new and experimental style.