List of Indigenous Australian art movements and cooperatives facts for kids

Australian Indigenous art movements and cooperatives are special groups. They help Indigenous artists create and share their amazing artwork. Unlike many artists who work alone, most Indigenous art is made in these community groups. They are called art centres.

These art centres are very important. They help famous artists and new artists. They also help young people learn about art and find jobs. This can be as artists or in other art-related roles. The centres care a lot about the community. They focus on family connections and celebrating Aboriginal culture. They also help keep the culture strong. For many remote communities, art is a big way to earn money and live.

Big Groups Helping Indigenous Art

Some large organisations support many Indigenous art centres. They help make sure artists are treated fairly.

Aboriginal Art Association of Australia

The Aboriginal Art Association of Australia (AAAA) helps everyone involved in Indigenous art. This includes artists, galleries, and art dealers. It started in Alice Springs in 1998. The AAAA talks to the government for its members. They discuss how to support Indigenous art. They also talk about fair rules for selling art and artists getting paid when their art is resold.

Adam Knight used to be the vice president of the AAAA. He became the president in 2018.

Arnhem, Northern and Kimberley Artists

The Arnhem, Northern and Kimberley Artists, Aboriginal Corporation (ANKA) is a big group for Aboriginal artists. It helps Aboriginal-owned art centres. These centres are spread across a huge area. This includes the Top End of the Northern Territory and Western Australia. ANKA is a not-for-profit group. This means it uses its money to help artists, not to make a profit.

The group started in 1987 as ANCAAA. It covered art centres in Northern and Central Australia. In 1992, a separate group called Desart was made for the central regions. ANCAAA then focused on Northern Australia. In 1995, it changed its name to ANKAAA. It was decided that only Indigenous people would be on its board. This new board was chosen from four regions: Arnhem Land, the Kimberley, Darwin/Katherine, and the Tiwi Islands.

In 2000, the group changed its name again to ANKA. As of 2020, ANKA helps almost 50 Aboriginal-owned art centres. It supports more than 5000 artists. ANKA's main office is in Darwin.

Desart

Desart started in 1992. It separated from ANCAAA to focus on artists from the Central Desert. In 2016, it helped over 8000 artists. By 2021, it had 37 independent Aboriginal art centres in Central Australia. These centres represent over 11,000 artists. They are in the southern Northern Territory, the APY Lands of South Australia, and Ngaanyatjarra country in Western Australia. Desart is run by an all-Aboriginal committee. This committee is chosen by the members. As of January 2024, Desart has 30 member centres. In 2022, Desart became fully Aboriginal-owned.

Desart helps art centres in many ways. It speaks up for them. It also runs programs to help them with business, buildings, and how they are run. Desart also promotes Aboriginal art and culture.

Desart also organises "Desert Mob". This is a yearly event in September or October. It includes an art show at the Araluen Arts Centre in Alice Springs. There is also a symposium (a meeting to discuss ideas), a marketplace, and art demonstrations. People can also visit studios and art centres. The 32nd Desert Mob event in 2023 showed art from 35 art centres. It also featured short films from Tjanpi Desert Weavers and fashion shows.

Indigenous Art Centres Across Australia

There are many different art centres. All of them are owned or controlled by Indigenous people. They are usually not-for-profit groups. Some are companies owned by the artists themselves. The oldest art centre is Ernabella Arts, started in 1948. In 2006, Papunya Tula and Warlayirti had the most sales.

Here is a list of some Indigenous art centres: