The World Vision-supported Epenarra Artists recently participated in a silk dyeing workshop in their community, Wutunugurra, located in the Northern Territory.

Members of the art group came up with the idea of using their knowledge of plants from their region to create natural dyes.

In preparation for the workshop, which was supported by the Northern Territory Government, members of the art group travelled to Alice Springs to purchase art supplies. Here they learnt where to source the supplies and how much things cost.

Art workers were also involved in preparing an application for funding which allowed the group to bring in an arts trainer to work with them. Liz Mullen, World Vision Indigenous Art Project Manager, believes that involvement in these activities supports the development of self-management skills amongst the artists and art workers.

During the two-week workshop, the artists kept a photographic diary of the process which was then compiled into a reference guide that they plan to keep adding to as they learn more about natural dyeing.

Now that they have such a comprehensive reference guide, it is anticipated that the Epenarra Artists will take a greater leadership role in continuing to develop this unique style of art.

“I have never seen the women work so hard. Even on the final day of the workshop they were busy ironing, sewing and packaging their work. This is definitely something many of the artists want to continue to experiment with,” Liz explained.

She added that activities like this also create opportunities for learning across generations. This is an important element of World Vision’s Indigenous Arts Project because it recognises the strength and importance culture has in people’s lives and builds on people’s existing knowledge.

The Indigenous Arts Project aims to raise the socio-economic status of Indigenous artists and their families through the development of sustainable community art enterprises. It involves training community artists and art workers in all facets of the industry so that they can successfully run their own art programs in the long term.

World Vision’s Indigenous Arts Project works closely with Barkly Regional Arts in Tennant Creek and other organisations such as Desart, Barkly Shire and Charles Darwin University. Funding for this project has been received from The Department of Premier and Cabinet, supporting Indigenous Australian cultural activities. The project has also attracted two major private donors and also relies on donations from the general public. Further funding is needed for its expansion.

Take a look at a short video on the Epenarra Artists.