Lola Greeno facts for kids

Lola Greeno was born Lola Sainty on 27 May 1946. She grew up on Cape Barren Island. Lola is an amazing artist, a curator (someone who looks after art collections), and an arts worker. She is an Aboriginal woman.

Lola studied art at the University of Tasmania. She earned her degree in Fine Arts in 1997.

Her Amazing Shell Art

Lola Greeno is famous for making traditional Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklaces. This special skill was taught to her by her mother and her grandmother. Lola started making these necklaces when she was in her 50s. Her work has been super important for keeping these old traditions alive.

In 2004, Lola shared how she learned:

I learned to make solely from working with my mother … It was my mother who was very keen for us to work together and this has been the important cultural lesson I learnt from her – teaching respect for one another.

To create her beautiful works, Lola spends months collecting and polishing shells. These necklaces are very important culturally. They are often made by descendants of Tasmanian Aboriginal people from Cape Barren Island. They show feelings like devotion, saying goodbye, or love.

Lola's Career Journey

Besides making art, Lola also trained to be a curator of Aboriginal Art. She studied at the University of Tasmania. She also worked as an intern at the National Gallery of Australia.

From 2003 to 2013, Lola worked for Arts Tasmania. She helped create connections between Indigenous people from Tasmania, Australia, and other countries.

Awards and Special Recognition

Lola Greeno has received many important awards. In 2014, she was the first Indigenous person to get the Australian Design Centre's Living Treasure Master of Australian Art Award. This award celebrates top Australian artists.

In 2015, Lola was added to the Tasmanian Honour Roll of Women. This was for her great work in Aboriginal Affairs and the Arts. A special exhibition of her work, called Lola Greeno: Living Treasure, has traveled to galleries all over Australia since 2014.

Lola's exhibition, Cultural Jewels, showed fifty of her artworks. It was part of the 2016 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art. Her work is also kept in many public collections. These include the Powerhouse Museum, the National Gallery of Australia, and the National Gallery of Victoria.

One of her artworks, Shell Necklace, from 1995, is at the National Gallery of Australia. It is made from different shells like Cockles, Maireener shells, cat's teeth, and button shells, all held together with string.

In 2020, Lola's Green Maireener shell necklace was shown in the National Gallery of Australia's exhibition, Know My Name. This project celebrates the work of all women artists.

Key Exhibitions

Lola Greeno's art has been shown in many exhibitions:

• 1992, Parlevar Art, Devonport Gallery and Arts Centre.
• 1993, Trouwerner, Tasmanian Aboriginal Artists Exhibition, University of Tasmania.
• 1995, Nuini: Our culture is alive, Tasmanian Aboriginal Artists Exhibition, University of Tasmania.
• 1997, Cultural Forms, an exhibition of Tasmanian Aboriginal Baskets, University of Tasmania Launceston.
• 1998, Many Voices, Tamworth City Gallery, NSW.
• 2000, Beyond the Pale, Telstra Adelaide Festival, Art Gallery of South Australia.
• 2001, Strings Across Time, Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery.

Special Awards

Australia Council for the Arts

The Australia Council for the Arts helps fund and advise on arts in Australia. Since 1993, they have given out the Red Ochre Award. This award goes to an amazing Indigenous Australian artist for their lifetime achievements.

More to Explore

• Learn more about Tasmanian Aboriginal shell necklace making