About the Lockhart River Art Centre

The Lockhart River Art Centre was established in 1995 in the former Health Clinic building.

At the time there was a strong focus on art at the school and the Art Centre grew as a result of this.

The artists then in their teens joined the Art Centre and became known as the ‘art gang’. This name came from the C.D.E.P. program which included artists as a work team such as the ‘road gang’ etc. The Art Centre was incorporated in 1997.

Becoming a separate incorporated body run by artists gave the Art Centre freedom to make its own choices and move in the direction it wanted to go. The objectives of the Art Centre were established which are still relevant today. The objectives are to:

Support, retrieve, promote and encourage traditional Aboriginal Culture in Lockhart River.
Provide a cultural keeping place (museum) in Lockhart River Community.
Provide a public gallery in the Community.
Provide facilities for cultural and arts activities.
Support, promote and encourage artistic merit and innovation.
Provide facilities to assist, promote and encourage the development of contemporary aboriginal arts and artists.

The Art Centre is primarily self-funded through the sale of paintings and prints. Grant money from Arts Queensland every year helps to support some cultural projects with artists and elders. ATSIC also contributed towards a language maintenance program as well as paying the Art Centre Manager's wage which is administered through Council. Queensland Rail have been sponsoring travel grants which help to support artists early in their careers. Funding from other sources such as Australia Council and the Community Gaming Benefit Fund also have contributed towards projects and equipment at the Art Centre.

Although painting is the main medium being used, printmaking also plays an important role at the Art Centre. Artists attended print workshops with Basil Hall at the Northern Territory University (now Charles Darwin University) and attended various works on paper events. The Art Centre acquired printmaking equipment which enabled artists to produce prints at the Centre. This also led to visiting artists conducting numerous print and painting workshops within Lockhart River. Artists such as Garry Shead, Guy Warren, Yvonne Boag, Arone Meeks, Theo Tremblay and Max Miller visited the community in the earlier years and helped in the artists' development. This set up a great exchange program for renowned artists to experience life in an aboriginal community and produce their own work and share their knowledge with the artists.

Printmaking is a great way of producing works that can be sold at the Art Centre and distributed nationally. The sale of prints contributes significantly to the financial stability of the Art Centre and supplements the income of artists. Artists who are not making as much money by painting have the opportunity to do well with their prints. People who cannot afford paintings can afford prints and they have been popular with avid collectors and tourists alike.

The success of the 'art gang' is continuing to grow as the artists attend workshops, hold solo and group exhibitions and enter competitions. With a core group of about 10 artists more than half have achieved national recognition.

Rosella Namok, the most renowned of these artists, is self employed through her art making. She has been selected twice in the Australian Art Collector’s list of the 50 Most Collectable Artists in Australia and featured on the cover of the magazine. She exhibits nationally with sellout shows and has shown in Austria and recently in Berlin at the inaugural Indigenous Art Exhibition where she attended with Peter Beattie. In her twenties, she is the most successful artist of her age in the history of Australian Art.

Fiona Omeenyo is also shooting to success with sellout shows in Sydney and Melbourne. She is also self employed from her art and in her twenties has a bright future in front of her. Her stylised images depict traditional stories told to her by her uncle and also depict family life in the community.

Other artists include Samantha Hobson who has work in the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria and has been having successful shows in Melbourne. Her work depicts images of domestic violence and youth suicide as well as beautiful lyrical works of the landscape.

Silas Hobson who exhibits in Brisbane has been focusing on spirit figures using a free expressionist style. Adrian King who also exhibits in Brisbane focuses on life in the community. Terry Platt, Leroy Platt and Evelyn Sandy are working toward group shows in the near future. Their work is more traditional in style, often depicting family totems.

Elders play an important role at the Art Centre. The Elders have a lot of knowledge in the tradition, languages, song, dance and history of Lockhart River which they pass onto the younger generations. They help to inspire artists and young people by telling traditional stories and teaching how to make artefacts and gather bush materials. The Art Centre purchases artefacts made by Elders. These include necklaces, kuulups, punyas, baskets and spears. These artefacts are sold through the Art Centre, Museums, shops and galleries throughout Australia. Some of the special pieces are bought and held at the Art Centre for the Community collection and some are sent to the National Museum to be held in archival conditions.

The Art Centre is currently working in partnership with the Education Department. Since mid July 2001 the school has donated a qualified art Teacher for two days a week to work at the Art Centre. As well as helping with the ongoing day to day running of the Art Centre, the art teacher is working with young children to bridge the gap between the school and the Centre. This has resulted in workshops held at the Art Centre with the students producing prints that were displayed in a group show at Cairns Regional Gallery. The work was also shown in Japan and through our Art Dealer in Brisbane. This has given primary school students a connection to the Art Centre and an ownership that may lead to the next generation of artists.

Current plans are underway with extensions being made to the Art Centre. This will allow for the growth in artists and community members accessing the centre and further skill development and practice in trade. The new Art Centre will include a museum of local history, gallery space and retail store, new print studio and multimedia suite.

The success of the Art Centre has given people in the Community opportunities that otherwise would not have been possible. Financial independence, National and International recognition and travel to name a few. It is hoped that the continuation of the Art Centre will help in combating social problems that the Community is faced with.

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© Lockhart River Art Centre 2004
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