The Aboriginal Women Artists Project began in 2008 and combines the fashion accessory designs of Catherine Manuell with the artworks of women from remote Australian Aboriginal communities.
On receiving a postcard showing some beautiful work by Maureen Thompson from Ngukurr in Arnhem Land, Catherine decided to approach the art centre to see if Maureen and another artist, Amy Johnson, would like to be part of establishing an ongoing artist/accessory project.
The project was met with excitement by us all, and a visit to the artists by Catherine and her family, led to new friendships and an exciting collection ready to be launched to the Australian market. Launching our Aboriginal womens art/accessories collection into the Australian fashion market, where very little Aboriginal art had been incorporated into our mainstream fashion at that time.
The project has always aimed to contribute/support and help enable artists to create an income stream while they were staying in their communities, and to help promote the wonderful work of the artists to a broad city-based Australian and international audience.
The project has expanded over the years to include many artists’ works. Within the project, an ongoing range has been developed, available on our site, as well as exclusive individual collections developed for overseas and Australian projects.
In our ongoing collections we feature the paintings of Maureen (Murrarngulu) Thompson, Amy Johnson and Gwyneth Blittner based in the Ngukurr Community in Arnhem Land, Evelyn Pultara from the Utopia region of Central Australia and Dianne Robinson and Mary Brumby from the Iwantja Arts Centre in Indulkana in Northern SA. Together with the artists, we have created a vibrant and colourful collection we hope you will all enjoy.
Catherine has established a licensing set up with the artists. As a result they will benefit from the production of every item made. We hope you enjoy our wide choice of gorgeous designs and prints!
