Mimi Aboriginal Art and Craft: Katherine Region, Northern Territory
Mimi Aboriginal Art and Craft started in 1978, operating out of a modest demountable in the Yulgnu yards behind the main street of Katherine. It began as an Aboriginal initiative aimed at creating local employment, and it has grown from those origins into one of the most geographically expansive art centres in Australia. Now trading as Mimi Ngurrdalingi Aboriginal Corporation, it represents artists from 23 communities and outstations across 380,000 square kilometres — from south of Lajamanu to north of Pine Creek, and from the Western Australian border to the Gulf of Carpentaria.
Katherine sits on the traditional lands of the Jawoyn, Dagoman, and Wardaman peoples. The Dagoman country stretches south of Katherine toward the upper King River; the Jawoyn east toward Kakadu; the Wardaman westward to the Victoria River district. The sheer span of this territory means Mimi holds an unusual range of styles under one roof. Desert artists from the Tanami bring layered dot paintings. Arnhem Land artists work in rarrk, the fine cross-hatched ochre style. From the Ngukurr and Minyerri areas comes a looser figurative approach. Each tradition is distinct, and all are represented.
Mimi is 100% Aboriginal community-owned and not-for-profit. Visitors can watch and talk with artists as they work in the studios at 6 Pearce Street. Alongside acrylic paintings on canvas, the centre stocks carvings, fibre art, and weavings. Surpluses are reinvested to resource regional artists, and the centre is a signatory to the Indigenous Art Code.
Mimi Aboriginal Art and Craft at a glance
- Founded: Established 1978 as an Aboriginal employment initiative in Katherine, NT.
- Location: 6 Pearce Street, Katherine, NT. Open Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm.
- Region: Covers 23 communities across 380,000 sq km, from the Tanami Desert to the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Arnhem Land coast.
- Art Styles: Desert dot painting, Arnhem Land rarrk (cross-hatching), and figurative styles from the Ngukurr and Minyerri regions. Also carvings, fibre art, and weavings.
- Ownership: 100% Aboriginal community-owned not-for-profit (Mimi Ngurrdalingi Aboriginal Corporation). Signatory to the Indigenous Art Code.
Mimi Aboriginal Art and Craft website
