Maggie Napaljarri Ross facts for kids

Maggie Napaljarri Ross (born around 1940) is an amazing Aboriginal Australian artist. Her beautiful paintings are kept in important collections like Artbank in Australia and the Kluge-Ruhe Museum in the United States.

About Maggie Ross

Maggie Ross was born in the Northern Territory of Australia. She was born near a place called Yuendumu around 1935 or 1940. She also worked on a large farm called Coniston Station. This farm is east of Yuendumu and north-west of Alice Springs.

It's sometimes hard to know the exact birth year for Aboriginal Australians. This is because they often remember dates by comparing them to other big events. They have a different way of thinking about time.

What is a Skin Name?

"Napaljarri" is a special "skin name" in the Warlpiri language. You might also see it as "Napaltjarri" in other Western Desert dialects. These skin names are part of a system that helps Aboriginal people understand their family connections.

There are sixteen different skin names. They show how people are related to each other. These names also help decide who people can marry. Sometimes, they are linked to special totems, which are like spirit animals or symbols. People might use these names to talk to each other. But they are not like surnames (family names) that Europeans use. So, "Maggie Ross" is the part of her name that is just for her.

Maggie's Art Journey

How Aboriginal Art Began

Modern Aboriginal art from the Western Desert started in 1971. It began when Aboriginal men in a place called Papunya started painting. A teacher named Geoffrey Bardon helped them. They used acrylic paints to create designs. These designs often looked like body painting or ground sculptures.

This new way of painting quickly spread. It went to many Aboriginal communities across central Australia. A government art program started in 1983, which helped even more. By the 1980s and 1990s, this art was shown all over the world.

At first, only men painted. The first artists, including those who started the Papunya Tula art company, were all men. Some Pintupi men in central Australia didn't want women to paint. But many women really wanted to join in. In the 1990s, lots of women started creating paintings. In places like Kintore, Yuendumu, and Balgo, people began making art just to show and sell.

Maggie's Art Career

In 1996, Maggie Ross was part of a big art project. Twenty-nine women and five men worked together on a painting called Karrku Jukurrpa. This artwork was made for a collection owned by John Kluge. It was shown at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection in the United States. The painting shows many mythological symbols and stories. These stories are about the people and land around Yuendumu.

Maggie also worked on another group painting in 1997. This one was called Ngapa Jukurrpa (Water Dreaming). It is now kept at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Besides these group works, Maggie Ross's own paintings are also held by Artbank.

Art Collections

Maggie Ross's art can be found in these important collections:

• Art Gallery of New South Wales
• Artbank
• Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection