Kathleen Kemarre Wallace facts for kids
Kathleen Kemarre Wallace was born on July 1, 1948. She is an important Eastern Arrernte artist, writer, and leader. She comes from Ltyentye Apurte in the Northern Territory of Australia. Kathleen is known for sharing her culture through art and stories.
Early Life
Kathleen Wallace grew up near Ltyentye Apurte. This is a remote area in Central Australia. She is a senior speaker of the Eastern Arrernte language. Her family worked hard to keep her safe from government policies. These policies sometimes removed Aboriginal children from their families.
When she was 13, her family had to move to Santa Teresa Mission. This place is now known as Ltyentye Apurte Community. They moved because of a very bad drought. Also, new farming activities made it hard to find traditional food.
Career
Kathleen Wallace has always lived on her traditional lands. She believes it is her job to pass on old knowledge. She does this especially through her art and storytelling.
In 1989, she helped start Keringke Arts. Since then, she has become one of their most famous artists. Her art is now shown in many collections around the world.
Her artworks are deeply shaped by her Catholic faith. She shared how her beliefs and traditional ways connect:
When I went to Santa Teresa, nuns taught me the Bible. When I came to Santa Teresa I couldn't speak English — I learned it there. [Catholicism and my family's traditional beliefs] are similar — it wasn't hard for me. My grandfather's ancestors gave him a dream of three circles — grandfather, father and totem spirit — like the Holy Trinity.
—Kathleen Kemarre Wallace
Kathleen Wallace has also written two books. They are called Plants of the Santa Teresa region of Central Australia and Listen deeply: let these stories in.
In October 2019, a special stained glass window was put in a church. Kathleen designed this window for the Our Lady of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Alice Springs. It is special because it shows a mix of Catholic and Indigenous beliefs. The painting's title is Urtakwerte Atywerrenge Anthurre. This means Very Sacred Heart in English. It shows the Virgin Mary and Jesus on a sandhill. Different parts of the painting show her mixed faith.
She also helped create the Indigemoji app. This app came out in 2019. It has 90 emojis that show the Arrernte culture of Central Australia. It was Australia’s first set of Indigenous emojis.
Besides being an artist, Kathleen Wallace has worked as a teacher. She also served her community as an elected councillor for Ltyentye Apurte. She was also a member of the Desart executive committee.
Kathleen and her husband Douglas did not have their own children. But they raised more than 30 children during their marriage. They took in children who needed a loving home. Because of this, she earned the nickname "Mum."
Awards
- 2001 Finalist, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award
- 2010 Shortlist, Territory Read Awards for Listen deeply: let these stories in
- 2020 Honoree, Public Service & Activism, Webby Award for Indigemoji
- 2020 Honorary Mention, Digital Communities, Prix Ars Electronica for Indigemoji
- 2020 Best Digital Product, First Nations Media Awards for Indigemoji
