Lucy Wanapuyngu facts for kids

Lucy Malirrimurruwuy Armstrong Wanapuyngu, born on July 1, 1955, is a talented Aboriginal Australian artist. She is known for her amazing work with natural fibres. Lucy is an elder in the Gapuwiyak community. She plays a big role in sharing knowledge about making art from fibres. Since 1995, she has worked with anthropologist Louise Hamby. Many of Lucy's artworks have been shown at art festivals, in collections, and in museums around the world.

Lucy's Story

Lucy Malirrimurruwuy Armstrong Wanapuyngu was born on July 1, 1955. This was at Mainoru Station, a big cattle station in Australia's Northern Territory. When she was four, she moved to the Roper River area. She lived there for eight years.

During this time, Lucy became very sick and could not walk. Community elders helped take care of her. A doctor from Adelaide visited Roper River and helped her get better. Later, some of her family joined her in Roper River.

After some time, Lucy and her family moved to Galiwin'ku (Elcho Island). There, Lucy met her husband, Ian Wurruwul. They had five children together. Then, they moved to Gapuwiyak, also called Lake Evella. They now have five grandchildren. Because of her fibre art, Lucy has traveled the world. She leads workshops and teaches others about the cultural meaning of fibre art to her community.

Her Amazing Art Career

Lucy has been around fibre art since she was a child. Many traditions in fibre art show how important motherhood is in Yolngu culture. Making baskets and other fibre art is very important to Yolngu women. Older women in the community teach these skills to younger generations.

Families often gather to share knowledge. They learn about finding and preparing plants. They also learn special craft skills. This knowledge is passed down and changed over time. Lucy taught many family members, including her sisters and children. She showed them how to make special dyes and complex fibre art.

In 2001, an exhibition called "Art on a String" opened in Sydney, Australia. This show featured Lucy's beautiful string jewellery. Necklaces are a very important part of Aboriginal Australian culture. Both men and women traditionally wore them. Artists use things like shells, feathers, and plant seeds. They also use dried fruit, snake bones, and other materials found in the desert and coastal areas.

Lucy has also taken part in and led workshops at the Selling Yarns Conferences. These conferences happened in 2006, 2009, and 2013. They focused on finding the best ways to make and sell Indigenous textiles. They also looked at how important it is for artists to learn from each other. The conferences helped Indigenous communities across Australia connect. They also shared ideas with artists and experts from other countries.

In 2010, Lucy's art was shown in an exhibition called "Women With Clever Hands Gapuwiyak Miyalkurruwurr Gong Djambatjmala". She helped Louise Hamby organize this show. It was the first time the women of Gapuwiyak showed a collection of their fibre art. The artworks in this show reflected their land and culture. Lucy and other Gapuwiyak women also led workshops to teach others about their traditions.

In 2011, Lucy's artwork Healthy food from the past won an award. It received the Highly Commended Wandjuk Marika 3D Memorial Award. This was at the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA). The Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory hosts these awards. NATSIAA shows new and exciting art by Indigenous artists. It highlights the new ideas from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

In 2013, Lucy's art was shown in Japan. It was part of the Second International Triennale of Kogei in Kanazawa. This exhibition explored how "regional character" shows up in kogei (craft). It featured folk art, Indigenous art, and modern craft from different places. These included Australia, Santa Fe, Taiwan, and parts of Japan. The main goal was to compare important art elements from different regions.

In the same year, Lucy attended the Bark Workshop. This was part of the Harvesting Traditional Knowledge Project. The Association of Northern Kimberley and Arnhem Aboriginal Artists hosted it. They worked with the Buku-Larrnggay Mulka Centre and the University of Melbourne. This project brings together Indigenous artists from northern Australia. It also connects them with people who care for art in museums. The workshop taught about gathering and preparing barks, pandanus, dyes, and other natural materials. Lucy and other senior weavers taught scholars about using pandanus in fibre art. They also showed how to make bush string.

In August 2013, Lucy and Dr. Hamby gave a talk. They discussed their 2010 exhibition, "Women With Clever Hands Gapuwiyak Miyalkurruwurr Gong Djambatjmala". This talk was at the University of Queensland. Lucy and Hamby explained that many items in the exhibition are no longer needed for daily life. Things like plastic containers now replace traditional items. But older women still make these traditional items. Some fibre artworks are used for ceremonies. Some teach younger generations about old practices. Most of them are sold.

Art at Kluge-Ruhe Collection

From July 2019 to April 2020, an exhibition was held in Charlottesville. It was called "With Her Hands: Women’s Fiber Art from Gapuwiyak: The Louise Hamby Gift". This show was at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection. It featured 100 artworks given by Louise Hamby. These artworks explored ideas about tradition, new ideas, and family roles. Many of Lucy's works were in this collection. These included baskets, necklaces, and gay’wu (string bags).

When the Hamby Collection was being put together, Lucy and her daughter, Anna, helped Louise Hamby. In July 2019, Lucy, Anna, and Lucy's grandson, Ryan, visited the Kluge-Ruhe. They stayed for three weeks. During their visit, they helped the museum team. They also led workshops for visitors to the exhibition.

Where You Can See Her Art

• Art Gallery of New South Wales
• The Louise Hamby Collection at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia

Exhibitions She Was Part Of

• Art on a String (2001)
• Women with Clever Hands: Gapuwiyak Miyalkurruwurr Djambatjmala (2010)
• Telstra National Aboriginal (2011)
• Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (2013)
• 2nd International Triennale of Craft in Kanazawa, Japan (2013)
• With Her Hands: Women's Fiber Art From Gapuwiyak (2019–2020)