Textile artists at Bábbarra Women’s Centre © Bábbarra Aboriginal Women’s Centre
Aboriginal Art Textiles and Social Enterprise in Arnhem Land
Bábbarra Women’s Centre has been a place of culture, creativity, and empowerment since 1983. Located in Maningrida, Arnhem Land, the centre supports Indigenous women from the town and 32 surrounding homelands. Its purpose is to preserve culture, foster economic independence, and provide meaningful employment in one of Australia’s most remote regions.
Originally established as a women’s refuge, Bábbarra has grown into a leading social enterprise. It provides training and small business opportunities while maintaining a strong cultural focus. The centre operates an op shop, a community laundromat, and has helped establish the Maningrida Women’s Committee. It has also refurbished several outstation women’s centres, ensuring that families remain connected to their homelands. For country to be healthy, the right families must live on it, walk it, and care for it with knowledge passed down through generations. Bábbarra plays an active role in making this possible.
The textile workshop is the heart of Bábbarra’s art practice. Women create hand-printed fabrics using screen-printing techniques. These designs draw on deep cultural knowledge and connections to Country, depicting plants, animals, stories, and ancestral ties. Each textile is both a work of art and a record of culture, with pieces used in fashion, interiors, and exhibitions nationally and internationally. Weaving also remains central, carrying forward women’s knowledge through traditional methods adapted for contemporary practice.
By producing and selling art, Bábbarra Women’s Centre generates vital income that supports women, families, and communities. The model is responsive, sustainable, and community-driven. Artworks made here are now recognised around the world, ensuring that the strength and creativity of Maningrida women continues to be seen and valued.
Bábbarra Women’s Centre at a glance
- Origins: Founded in 1983 in Maningrida, Arnhem Land, originally as a women’s refuge.
- Language/Culture: Serves Bininj/Mungguy and surrounding clans across 32 homelands.
- Art Style: Hand-printed textiles and weaving, featuring designs of Country, flora, fauna, and ancestral narratives.
- Cultural Significance: Provides women with income, preserves culture, and sustains connection to homelands.
- Recognition: Exhibited nationally and internationally, highly regarded in the field of Aboriginal textile art.
