Judy Miller, Ninuku Tjukurpa, 122x91cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Judy Miller
• Community - Kalka
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Ninuku Arts
• Catalogue number - 19/72
• Materials - Acrylic on canvas  
• Size(cm) - H122 W91 D2  
• Postage variants - Artwork posted un-stretched and rolled for safe shipping
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

Tjukurpa minyma ninu palampa tjitji kutjara (this is the dreamtime story about the bilby woman and her two little boys). This is the story for Kalka. That minyma ninu (bilby woman) and her family were eating all the maku (witchetty grubs). There are a lot of different maku, tjilka-tjilka, punti, ngarkalya and kanturangu. She ate so much that there were only ngingirpa left (little immature ones). The wati mututa (ant men) got really angry and they chased the bilby family, husband, wife and kids and speared them. They finished off close to Pipalytjara at Iririiriri.

Judy was born in Amata to Ninuku Arts founding director, Molly Nampitjin Miller in 1964. The family moved to Pipalyatjara in the homelands movement of the late 1970's. Judy was a teacher in Pipalyatjara and then moved to Kalka where they now live. She is a key member of the art centre and works alongside the manager as a retail assistant and arts worker. Judy is a dedicated painter, punu maker and tjanpi weaver. Judy paints designs associated with the Seven Sisters, Minyma Tjukurpa, Wati Tjukurpa and bush tucker stories.

Ninuku Arts is a wholly-Indigenous owned and governed Art Centre which supports artists from two communities - Pipalyatjara and Kalka. Each have populations of around 100-150 Anangu and the majority are Pitjantjatjara speakers – Anangu simply means ‘people’ in Pitjantjatjara. Both communities are located in the far north-western corner of South Australia, near the tri-state border of South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Territory. The two communities, fourteen kilometres apart, are surrounded by the rolling, rocky hills of the Tomkinson Ranges and are part of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands. Both Kalka and Pipalyatjara are peaceful places. This is a result of strong governance, cultural engagement and pride among local Anangu. 

The Art Centre itself is located in Kalka and is housed in a mud-brick building (the only one in the Lands), which was built as an office in the early 1980’s by Anangu and white staff, and has since been extended to accommodate the growing number of artists keen to paint. A silver bullet caravan (formerly a mobile health unit) is also located on site, and has become a place for some artists to paint, mostly during the winter months while the morning sun warms the deck. Despite being the most remote art centre on the APY Lands, having limited working space and access to services, Ninuku Arts has continued to grow in success with each year. The artist’s commitment to both the art centre and painting is unflappable. The art centre prides itself on its inclusivity (providing opportunities for all generations) and embracing individuality in artists.