Araluen Arts Centre
Araluen Collection
The Araluen Collection incorporates works from Australian artists on a national level with a specific focus on artists living and working in Central Australia. Works date from the early 1930’s through to the present. A key focus of the Araluen Collection is the development of work by Indigenous artists in Central Australia.
The Araluen Collection is composed of two separate community collections which began in the early 1970’s by the Central Australian Art Society and the Alice Springs Art Foundation. These two collections were donated to Alice Springs Town Council in 1989 and 1990.
Since 1992, the Araluen Arts Centre has collected works from Indigenous artists from the annual Desert Mob exhibition that features new works from Indigenous community Art Centres in Central Australia.
Acquisitions have also been made possible with financial support of the Federal Government, the Northern Territory Government, the Alice Springs Town Council and many generous individuals and businesses who have either donated works or funds for the purchase of works via the Cultural Gifts Program.
The Araluen Collection also includes a number of site specific works commissioned for the opening of the centre in 1984.
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Marina Strocchi, Big Country, 2001, acrylic on linen, 86.5 x 109 cm |
Art Foundation Collection
The Alice Springs Art Foundation was formed in 1969 with the purpose of organising an art prize that would raise the profile of the town and bring more nationally recognised artists’ work to Alice Springs.
The first acquisitive Alice Prize was in 1971. The event utilised many makeshift venues until 1984 when the Araluen Arts Centre was opened and became home to the Alice Prize. The biennial event continues to attract strong national participation.
In 1990 the Alice Springs Art Foundation commenced preselection by a panel for the Alice Prize with a residency for the winning artist. The collection drawn from the Alice Prize is a fascinating record of the development of contemporary art in Australia.
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Billy Benn Perrurle, Artetyerre, 2006, acrylic on linen, 60 x 120 cm |
Art Society Collection
The Central Australian Art Society was established in 1963 with the members interested in the betterment of art in Central Australia. The Society organised exhibitions as field trips and studio nights.
In 1968, Caltex sponsored the first of the art Society’s annual exhibitions which was known as the Caltex Art Award. Entries were open to Northern Territorians artists only. 58 works were collected up until 1983 when Caltex ended sponsorship. The annual exhibition now continues as the Central Australian Advocate Art Award.
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Jerry Keyte, Mount Allan Bangtail,1977, oil on canvas, 111 x 130 cm |
Alice Springs Town Council Collection
The Alice Springs Town Council managed the operation of the Araluen Arts Centre until 1996 when the management was handed back to the Northern Territory Government.
In addition to the Central Australian Art Society and the Alice Springs Art Foundation collections, the Alice Spring Town Council Collection contains the Jock Nelson Bequest: a significant collection of Aboriginal paintings purchased form the fledgling Papunya Tula Company in the early 1970’s.
The collection also contains a significant collection of watercolours by Albert Namatjira and his mentor Rex Battarbee.
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Unknown, Untitled, 1972, acrylic on hardboard, 53.2 x 61cm |
Ngurratjuta Collection
The Ngurratjuta Collection, on loan from Ngurratjuta Pmarra Ntjarra Aboriginal Corporation contains important Central Desert watercolours from Albert Namatjira, his family and his contemporaries. Ngurratjuta have also loaned works by Alfred Cook, John Gardner and documents relating to Albert Namatjira and his works.
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John Gardner, Finke Gorge - Glen Helen, oil on linen. 104.5 x 120 cm |
Rex Battarbee Collection
The watercolour landscapes in the Albert Namatjira Gallery are drawn primarily from the Rex Battarbee Collection, a distinct archive within the collections of the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory (MAGNT). The collection was acquired for the MAGNT in 1998 from the artist’s daughter, Gayle Quarmby.
It consists of two hundred items created by artists of the Hermannsburg School – of whom Albert Namatjira was pre-eminent – and by artists in the Battarbee circle including Rex Battarbee himself.
The works of art, which date from 1925 to 1972, represent a comprehensive record of early Hermannsburg art and Rex Battarbee’s responses to Ntaria, the Hermannsburg area.
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Otto Pareroultja, Untitled Landscape, c 1960, watercolour on paperboard, 40 x 58 cm |
Manguri Collection
The Manguri Collection was purchased from Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council by Araluen Arts Centre in 2004.
This collection represents a unique artistic and historic story within the Aboriginal arts industry in Central Australia. It documents the development of a basket weaving initiated by NPY Women’s council in 1996 thru to 2000.
The 81 works describe a wide variety of grass textile objects from 28 artists all over the Central Desert region and was exhibited in touring exhibition across Australia and overseas. It contains objects ranging from woven and coiled baskets, figures and includes materials like emu feathers, wool, grass, wooden animals, beads and raffia.
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Niningka Lewis, Untitled, 2000, wool, wangurri grass, raffia, ininti beans, paint and wood, 13.4 x 30.4 x 29.4cm |
Warlukurlangu Aboriginal Artists Association Collection
In 2007, the Warlukurlangu Aboriginal Artists Association placed 38 paintings and 30 prints for safe keeping at Araluen Arts Centre.
These selected works by Warlukurlangu Artists range from 1989 to 2004 and represent most of the seminal artists work from this time. They include works by well known artists Judy Napangardi Watson, Maggie Napangardi Watson, Paddy Japaltjarri Stewart, Paddy Japaltjarri Sims and Darby Jampitjinpa Ross to name a few. The works have been exhibited in America and at Araluen Arts Centre.
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Darby Jampitjinpa Ross, Liwirringki Jukurrpa, 1997, acrylic on canvas, 183 x 76cm |
Keringke Arts Collection
The Keringke Arts Collection has been housed at Araluen Arts Centre since 2000.
Keringke Arts has selected 49 artworks from paintings, wire sculptures and painted boxes and punu dating from 1994 to 2005. The collection contains several fine examples of works by eastern Arrernte artists Kathleen Wallace and Gabriella Wallace.
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Kathleen Wallace, Seed Spirit, 1999, acrylic on canvas, 50.8 x 40.5 cm |
Papunya Community School Collection
The Papunya Community School Collection consists of 14 early paintings from the old Pintupi men at Papunya who were painting in 1970’s with Geoffrey Bardon as school teacher.
The paintings are superb examples of the early works, all painted on either chipboard or masonite and restored by MAGNT. They were mostly painted of children’s stories and only one of the artists, Long Jack Phillipus is still alive. Some of the artists are unknown but they include works by Johnny Warrangkula Jupurrula, Mick Namarari Japaltjarri, Uta Uta Jangala and Tim Leura Japaltjarri.
They are on long term loan from Papunya community.
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Shorty Lungkata Tjungurrayi, Goanna Love Story, c 1971, acrylic on chipboard, 50 x 40cm |
