Renita Stanley, Minyma Kutjara(near Ernabella), 92x92cm

• Aboriginal Artist - Renita Stanley
• Community - Ernabella
• Aboriginal Art Centre - Iwiri Arts 
• Catalogue number - 349-23
• Materials - Acrylic paint on linen
• Size(cm) - H92 W92 D2
• Postage variants - Artwork posted un-stretched and rolled for safe shipping
• Orientation - Painted from all sides and OK to hang as wished

There are many stories about the two sisters (Minyma Kutjara). This part of the story is significant to the women of Ernabella. There was a gathering of minyma mingkiri (mouse women) at a hill called Yunanpa, which is near Ngarutjara (to the north of Ernabella). They are all collecting bushfoods together when the two sisters decide to go travelling. They travel to several water places to the north and east of Ernabella including Alalka. They keep going until they get to Wamitjara, a waterhole near Kenmore park. Here they come across a man sleeping. They hit him over the head with their wana (digging stick) and knock him unconscious. Then they tie up his arms and legs and head towards Alice Springs, carrying him between them. They sing and dance sacred women's stories all the way. They leave him at Stuart's Well, and continue on to Alice Springs to meet up with a large group of women.

Renita was born at Ernabella Mission in 1962. She has lived there all her life, attending the mission school and following her mother, Nungalka, into the 'craft room' upon leaving school. She has one son who has also recently taken up work in the ceramics studio. The oldest of five children, Renita and her siblings spent much of their time growing up out at their parents’ homeland, Tialyritia in times when the homelands movement was stronger.

Renita has travelled overseas and participated in batik workshops in Indonesia in Yogjakarta. She has exhibited widely around Australia, in the varied mediums of batik, painting, and more recently ceramics. She likes demonstrating her decorative skills to other people. Renita's distinctive walka/design draws from traditional mark-marking but is her own interpretation of these patterns. 

As well as her full-time arts career, Renita is strongly involved with the church, in particular the singing of hymns in Pitjanjatjara at regular gatherings at Ernabella. She has written and recorded her own songs and plays the keyboards proficiently. Renita was amongst the new and younger choir members who traevlled to Adelaide to perform as part of the 2004 Festival. Renita has an ever-present sense of humour and a highly recognisable laugh! She was the Chairperson of Ernabella Arts in 2006-2007.

Renita has now moved to adelaide for health reasons and has begun working in the Iwiri Studio.

Iwiṟi was established by Aṉangu in 2018, many of whom had been forced to move to Adelaide due to chronic health conditions and lack of services in their home communities. Living far from their traditional homelands, Anangu were concerned about the cultural and social isolation they were experiencing and saw a need to act.  Iwiri was formed initially to help retain, promote and transmit Anangu culture and language through the areas of arts, language, knowledge and community. Since then Iwiṟi has grown rapidly into an organization that delivers  a range of programs that aim to strengthen and advance Aṉangu wellbeing.

Iwiri strengthens the Aṉangu community through cultural and arts activities, creating employment opportunities and enterprise development. We want our young people to be strong in their language and culture and to take up opportunities to work in our community.

All paintings come with a certificate of authenticity provided by the community-run Aboriginal Art Centre, not us, which is the gold standard for ethical purchasing and documentation.

We take great pride in offering high-quality, authentic Aboriginal Art pieces to you and in addition to our 120-day returns(they don't come back), we are pleased to offer a lifetime money-back authenticity guarantee to all customers who purchase Aboriginal Art from us, both past and present.

This guarantee covers any disrepute or wrongdoing in association with the authenticity of any Aboriginal artwork ever sold by ART ARK®. We understand that purchasing authentic Aboriginal Art is important to you, and we want to provide you with peace of mind in knowing that you are getting what you expect.

We take the authenticity of Aboriginal Art seriously and are committed to providing you with high-quality and genuine works of art. If at any time you have any concerns whatsoever about the authenticity of any art piece, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will investigate further. If we find any wrongdoing or disrepute in regards to the provenance or authenticity of any artwork sold by us we will promptly provide a full refund to you at any time in the future, be it in one year, or in ten!

Please find more information on authenticity here: https://artark.com.au/pages/aboriginal-art-authenticity

All of our Desert Paintings, with the exception of the Stretched Desert Paintings Collection, are sent rolled.

Sending paintings rolled is the best option for their safe arrival and allows us to include free shipping, provide timely service, and maintain consistent and transparent pricing relating to the prices set by each Aboriginal Art centre.

The size of the painting listed relates to the painted surface. There is also a painted edge(2cm) and additional canvas for stretching.

A local framer will easily stretch the work for you at a nominal cost. Framers are everywhere and there is likely one just up the road. We recommend choosing one with good reviews and if you call ahead you will generally get a better-quoted price than if you turn up, painting in hand.

Please find further details and examples relating to framing here: https://artark.com.au/pages/how-to-frame-your-aboriginal-art