The art centre has an ‘open door’ policy, any artist or aspiring artist over school age living in the community or outstations is welcome to participate. Young and old, men and women are encouraged to join the Corporation and work with the centre. Children attending school are not allowed to paint with the art centre unless they have permission. Over a 150 Anangu (about a third of Papunya’s population) have so far registered with Papunya Tjupi Arts. We support artists from Three Mile Outstation, Five Mile Outstation, Town Bore and Blackwater Outstation. The artists from Papunya and surrounding outstations are intrinsically linked through family and culture.
From the very beginning, the artists strongly indicated that passing on culture to young people was the primary motivation for the establishment of Papunya Tjupi Art Centre. The co-founder and member, Long Jack Phillipus and elder/artist, Michael Jagamara Nelson AO, expressed a deep-held belief that young people need to learn the stories and the painting skills from the older artists.
Papunya is lucky in having a wealth of internationally renowned senior artists involved in the beginnings of the Central Desert art movement. The art centre is a conduit for their expertise and experience to be passed onto the next generation who make up the current group of over 100 artists, many of whom have never painted before.
“We really want to teach our young people to paint too, and to teach our traditional culture through painting. This is very, very important to us.” Michael Nelson AO, Artist, Founder Papunya Tjupi Art Centre, 2007.
Buying from accredited art centres ensures that the artist is well represented and remunerated for their work. Prior to the establishment of Papunya Tjupi, numerous private dealers had established relationships with the otherwise unrepresented artists. Sometimes these relationships were exploitative. To be sure that all proceeds from sales go directly back to the artists and into further community projects, buy only through Papunya Tjupi and other reputable Art Centres.
We are committed to accurately documenting and cataloguing all artworks to ensure protection of the artists’ intellectual property rights. All artworks have a corresponding certificate of authenticity that explains the cultural significance of the work and includes a unique catalogue number, as well as a biography of the artist.
Contact details:
web: papunyatjupi.com phone: 61 8 8964 7141 email: art@papunyatjupi.com.au Location: 240km north west of Alice Springs or one hour from Glen Helen (4WD only). Access: Permits are not required for day visits. Please call to make an appointment.