The small but lively centre of Alice Springs has a big reputation for Aboriginal artwork and one of the oldest living traditions in the world.
You may have heard the small centre of Alice Springs has a big reputation for Aboriginal art. Set foot in one of the town’s many and diverse art galleries, and be welcomed into one of the oldest living traditions in the world.
Learn a visual language
Connect with the Red Centre’s vibrant culture and landscape through contemporary art works that tell traditional stories. Discover superb dot paintings and watercolours by some of Australia’s most successful and prominent Aboriginal artists, including Barbara Weir, Minnie Pwerle and Albert Namatjira.
Trace the visual heritage and stunning craft of the Papunya Tula and Utopia artists. Be inspired by the styles and symbols of the Central and Western Desert peoples, and share their Dreamtime stories. Enjoy many more works by local painters – some already well-known, and others waiting to thrill you for the first time.
In town or further afield
Art lovers big and small can easily lose themselves in the range of private and collectively owned galleries lining pedestrian-only Todd Mall. You’ll find some of the largest collections of Aboriginal art in Australia, and many internationally renowned names. Works are available for purchase or for browsing.
Reward yourself with a visit to the Araluen Arts Centre, a hub of the visual arts scene. Here you’ll find collections and exhibits from both local and Australian artists, and historical Papunya boards showing early Western Desert dot painting. The Albert Namatjira Gallery is sure to amaze with paintings by this most famous of Aboriginal artists.
Venture further to community art centres in and around Alice Springs for opportunities to see artists at work and to talk with them about their paintings. Head out of town to Hermannsburg, a Lutheran mission now returned to the Aboriginal people and once home to Namatjira, where his originals are still on display.
