Dorothy Napangardi
c.1950 – June 2013
Dorothy Napangardi (born early 1950s – 1 June 2013) was a Warlpiri speaking contemporary Indigenous Australian artist born in the Tanami Desert and worked in Alice Springs.Dorothy Napangardi was the daughter of Indigenous Australians Jeannie Lewis Napururrla and Paddy Lewis Japanangka, born in the early 1950s in a location referred to as Mina Mina, near Lake Mackay in the Tanami Desert. Napangardi (in Warlpiri) or ‘Napangati’ (in Western Desert dialects) is a skin name, one of sixteen used to denote the subsections or subgroups in the kinship system of central Australian Indigenous people. These names define kinship relationships that influence preferred marriage partners and may be associated with particular totems.Dorothy began painting in 1987 at the “Centre for Aboriginal Artists”. Her initial works were highly influenced by Eunice Napangardi in particular, as they share a number of stories, close friends and are of the same skin group and both paint Bush Banana Dreaming.Dorothy lived a traditional lifestyle until the early 1960’s when her family group walked into the pastoralist station of Mt Doreen. Holding a senior position in the field of traditional law within the Warlpiri society, Dorothy’s works play an integral role in the preservation and communication of her Dreamings. When painting Women’s Dreamings she refers to the Mina Mina site, which is a highly significant site as it is recognized as the point of origin for Karntakurlangu Jukurrpa (Women’s Dreaming) for both the Kukuja and Warlppiri. Containing two large clay pans and numerous water soakages the land is relatively fertile. It is also thought to be the place where the digging sticks originated, emerging from the ground during the era of creation.In 1991 Dorothy won the Museum’s and Art Gallery’s Award for the best artwork in Western Media at the National Aboriginal Art Award. This work is now part of a permanent collection for the Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern territory. In 2001 Dorothy won the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art AwardDorothy passed away on June 1st, 2013.Selected Awards and collections
1991
• Museums and Art Galleries Award (Best painting in European media), National Aboriginal Art Award, Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences, Darwin
1999
• Highly Commended, 16th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of NT, Darwin
2001
• First Prize, 18th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory, Darwin
• Artbank, Sydney
• Art Gallery of South Australia
• Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Germany
• Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory
• National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
• National Gallery of Victoria
• Queensland Museum
• South Australian Festival Centre Foundation
• The Australia Council Collection, Sydney
• The Erskine Collection, NSW
• The Homesglen Institute of TAFE Collection, Victoria
• The Kaplan-Levi Collection, Seattle, USA.
• The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, LA, USA.
• The Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth, WA
• The Vroom Collection, The Netherlands
Dorothy Napangardi (born early 1950s – 1 June 2013) was a Warlpiri speaking contemporary Indigenous Australian artist born in the Tanami Desert and worked in Alice Springs.Dorothy Napangardi was the daughter of Indigenous Australians Jeannie Lewis Napururrla and Paddy Lewis Japanangka, born in the early 1950s in a location referred to as Mina Mina, near Lake Mackay in the Tanami Desert. Napangardi (in Warlpiri) or ‘Napangati’ (in Western Desert dialects) is a skin name, one of sixteen used to denote the subsections or subgroups in the kinship system of central Australian Indigenous people. These names define kinship relationships that influence preferred marriage partners and may be associated with particular totems.Dorothy began painting in 1987 at the “Centre for Aboriginal Artists”. Her initial works were highly influenced by Eunice Napangardi in particular, as they share a number of stories, close friends and are of the same skin group and both paint Bush Banana Dreaming.Dorothy lived a traditional lifestyle until the early 1960’s when her family group walked into the pastoralist station of Mt Doreen. Holding a senior position in the field of traditional law within the Warlpiri society, Dorothy’s works play an integral role in the preservation and communication of her Dreamings. When painting Women’s Dreamings she refers to the Mina Mina site, which is a highly significant site as it is recognized as the point of origin for Karntakurlangu Jukurrpa (Women’s Dreaming) for both the Kukuja and Warlppiri. Containing two large clay pans and numerous water soakages the land is relatively fertile. It is also thought to be the place where the digging sticks originated, emerging from the ground during the era of creation.In 1991 Dorothy won the Museum’s and Art Gallery’s Award for the best artwork in Western Media at the National Aboriginal Art Award. This work is now part of a permanent collection for the Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern territory. In 2001 Dorothy won the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art AwardDorothy passed away on June 1st, 2013.Selected Awards and collections
1991
• Museums and Art Galleries Award (Best painting in European media), National Aboriginal Art Award, Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences, Darwin
1999
• Highly Commended, 16th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of NT, Darwin
2001
• First Prize, 18th NATSIAA, Museum and Art Gallery of Northern Territory, Darwin
• Artbank, Sydney
• Art Gallery of South Australia
• Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Germany
• Museum and Art Galleries of the Northern Territory
• National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
• National Gallery of Victoria
• Queensland Museum
• South Australian Festival Centre Foundation
• The Australia Council Collection, Sydney
• The Erskine Collection, NSW
• The Homesglen Institute of TAFE Collection, Victoria
• The Kaplan-Levi Collection, Seattle, USA.
• The Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, LA, USA.
• The Kerry Stokes Collection, Perth, WA
• The Vroom Collection, The Netherlands
Paintings
