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Monday 9am - 4:30pm Tuesday 9am - 4:30pm Wednesday 9am - 4:30pm Thursday 9am - 4:30pm Friday 9am - 4:30pm

Jilamara

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Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association is an indigenous governed art centre.

As the cultural hub of Milikapiti, it houses the Kutuwulmi Gallery, Muluwurri Museum, Wurrungura Kowledge Centre as well as screen printing and wood carving workshops.

03/11/2026

Nginingawula Ngirramini Warrangui — This Is Our Story is a short film Jilamara Arts produced in collaboration with the great team at Global Headquarters and Arnhem Northern & Kimberley Artists Aboriginal Corporation - ANKA — link to full version here! https://jilamara.com/about/

It showcases how indigenous controlled community governed non-profit arts and culture centres like Jilamara Arts operate and support indigenous leadership, employment opportunities, skills development, cultural advocacy and creative career outcomes.

Jilamara Arts was established on Wulirankuwu Country in 1988 as an indigenous governed centre with 100% Tiwi board of directors. This first board created the mission statement to “keep culture strong through art” and established the Muluwurri Museum — the first Tiwi governed museum collection on the Tiwi Islands.

29/10/2026

After showing at Frieze London Kaye Brown is starring on the cover of the latest issue of Sullivan + Strumpf’s gallery magazine ✨✨ The edition also features rising Jilamara star Barbara Puruntatameri ahead of her solo at the Melbourne gallery in December and words by Henry Skerritt and Emmy Monaghan about both artists and their use of the kayimwagakimi (Tiwi painting comb).

Sullivan + Strumpf • The latest issue of our gallery magazine is now available in print and online. This edition expands on the ideas and practices behind the gallery’s current and forthcoming exhibition program.

It brings together writing on Atong Atem, Sydney Ball, Seth Birchall, Kaye Brown, Maria Fernanda Cardoso, Sis Cowie, Lynda Draper, Lindy Lee, Michael y, Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, Barbara Puruntatameri, Gemma Smith and Angela Tiatia.

This issue includes contributions from writers and arts practitioners across the Australasian arts community, including Sasha Blackman, Yvette Dal Pozzo, Max Delany, Jenn Ellis, Santilla Chingaipe, Henry Skerritt, Talia Smith, Mikala Tai, Astrid Lorange, Emmy Monaghan, Gary Warner, Dr Peter Hill as well as Jenn Ellis in The Last Word.

Read this issue online via the link in bio or purchase a copy now.

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28/10/2026

Ahead of enrolling in a Masters of Conservation next year, Jilamara Arts and Muluwurri Museum staff Arthurina Moreen and Colin James recently spent a week at the University of Melbourne. They were working on a project studying the mineral qualities of the ochre earth pigments Jilamara artists dig up from Country to make all the art produced at the centre. Rina and CJ were able to present on where the colours are sourced and how they are used creatively and culturally, while learning more about how to analyse the composition of these materials.

Jilamara artists have remained dedicated to using locally sourced ochres from Country to paint and this was a great chance to learn more about the material makeup of every Jilamara artwork produced throughout the art centre’s 40 year history.

This project was in partnership with the university’s Cripps Institute of Cultural Conservation (formally Grimwade) and the School of Geography, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences.

Group photo left to right: Venera May, Rachel Popelka-Filcoff, Colin Puruntatameri, Vanessa Kowalski, Arthurina Moreen, Antonia Papasergio.

27/10/2026

Wally Brooks has had a stellar couple of years at Jilamara Arts including a recent trip to the USA for his aminya Timothy Cook’s solo exhibition in New York at D’Lan Galleries and worked in conservation at the Kluge-Ruhe collection at the University of Virginia repairing a Tiwi tutini pole that had been damaged since 1987.

As a younger member of the organisation he wears many hats, working part time supporting the workshops and studios, as an artist himself and as the organisations Vice President.

Jilamara Arts and the Muluwurri Museum is 100% Tiwi controlled non profit ACNC registered charity. It is governed by a board of directors like Wally and they make the governance decisions for their centre.

Wally’s story really shows how working at an arts and culture centre like Jilamara can offer so many different opportunities including meaningful employment, cultural advocacy and significant public outcomes celebrating ancient living Tiwi art and culture!

This clip is an edit from a longer piece developed by Jilamara in association with Global Headquarters and ANKA to share the structure and governance of these great indigenous governed centres. Link to full version here https://jilamara.com/about/

22/10/2026

It is so great to see Jilamara artists represented in the newly opened Margaret Preston retrospective National Gallery of Victoria !

In her pursuit of a unique Australian visual language, Margaret Preston studied and appropriated imagery from indigenous Australian art including Tiwi Island tunga (folded bark baskets decorated in earth pigments). As part of this exhibition the NGV acquired these three great contemporary examples of tunga made by three senior female artists working at Jilamara Arts — Kaye Brown, Mary Elizabeth Moreen and Raelene Kerinauia.

Congratulations ladies, these works powerfully represent Tiwi art and culture in this important exhibition!

📸 — Phoebe Powell

21/10/2026

“This is my place, we own it together. Every decision we make is for our people.” — Mary Elizabeth Moreen, 2025

Jilamara Arts in partnership with the amazing team Global Headquarters and Arnhem Northern & Kimberley Artists Aboriginal Corporation - ANKA produced a short film outlining the organisation structure and governance story of Australia’s amazing indigenous governed art centres!

Thanks for the introduction Mary Elizabeth Moreen, we are thinking of you. We will be releasing short edits on socials, link to the full version in our bio and on our website. https://jilamara.com/about/

If you are interested in ethically supporting creative arts that celebrate and sustain ancient living culture, language and creativity please buy through these great organisations.

Jilamara Arts is controlled by a 100% Tiwi board of directors, it is a not-for-profit ACNC registered charity whose mission is to keep culture strong through art and manage the Muluwurri Museum collection — the only historical Tiwi collection on Melville Island.

The significant economic affect for these centres does not just go to a select few, but has real local community impact helping Tiwi people sustain meaningful careers in remote communities while staying home close to family and Country.

13/10/2026

Featured in The New York Times: Kaye Brown Debuts at Frieze London with Sullivan + Strumpf!

In the article, Vivian Morelli traces the development of Brown's painting technique and the significance of painting with kayimwagakimi, a traditional ironwood comb.
Living and working on the Tiwi Islands, off Australia's northern coast, Brown carries the ceremony and spiritual knowledge tied to her Country through her detailed line work.

“I paint on the bark like this so I can remember family who have passed away so that I can keep [our] culture strong.” – Kaye Brown

We are proud to present Kaye Brown's debut at Frieze London, experience the works at booth D29 at the fair or online via the viewing room at the link in bio.

Pictured: Kaye Brown, Yirrinkiripwoja (body paint design), 2026, locally sourced ochres on stringybark, 98 x 63cm.

12/10/2026

Congratulations Wally Brooks on being selected as a finalist in the National Emerging Art Prize opening in Sydney later this month with his incredible work Wangatunga Jirtaka Jilamara (folded bark basket with sawfish design)✨✨✨

The National Emerging Art Prize is thrilled to announce our 2026 finalists! Selected from more than 1600 submissions, the 45 paintings and 20 photographs shortlisted for this year’s prize can now be explored online ahead of the NEAP Finalists Exhibition – open at The Garden Gallery in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden from 29 October to 11 November.

Thank you to all of the incredibly talented artists who entered this year and congratulations to our exceptional cohort of finalists. Steered by Amber Creswell Bell, NEAP’s panel of leading artists, tastemakers and culture industry heavyweights pored over every entry to determine the Class of 2026 and was deeply impressed by the calibre of submissions.
australia

08/10/2026

The amazing Kaye Brown is presenting work at FRIEZE London this year! Showing with the great team at Sullivan + Strumpf, Kaye will have a selection of her works on stringybark showing at the major UK fair later this month. Congratulations mantanga ✨✨✨

Sullivan + Strumpf •
•
FRIEZE London: Kaye Brown

We are pleased to present Kaye Brown at Frieze London 2026.

Brown’s work explores themes of being on Country on the Tiwi Islands – the sun, the stars, the sky and bush tucker.

First Nations artist Kaye Brown a senior Tiwi culture woman, who is well-versed in Tiwi culture, traditional stories and ‘hard’ Tiwi language. Prior to joining the Jilamara Arts and Crafts association, Brown taught at Milikpiti Primiary School and worked in the library. Rather than painting with a brush, Brown uses the kayimwagakimi, a traditional Tiwi painting ‘comb’ carved from ironwood.

Frieze London
14 Oct – 18 Oct 26
The Regent’s Park, London

Pictured: Kaye Brown, Yirrinkiripwoja (body paint design), 2026, locally sourced ochre on stringbark. 129 x 94 cm.

30/09/2026

Behind the scenes look at material collection on the Tiwi Islands — the early stages of developing exhibitions like Timothy Cook’s incredible solo “Kurluwukari” on now in New York at DLan Galleries ✨✨✨

INSIGHTS | Process and Material Collection Short Film

Timothy Cook: Kurluwukari is now on view at D Lan Galleries in New York. We are delighted to share this short film offering insight into the material and processes fundamental to Cook’s practice.

Filmed on the Tiwi Islands in collaboration with Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association, the film follows Cook’s material and artistic processes, exploring how material, place and cultural knowledge come together to inform his work.

We invite you to view the full film on Insights via the link in our bio.

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Videography: Gus Davidson ()

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TIMOTHY COOK: Kurluwukari
10 September – 9 October

D Lan Galleries
25 East 73rd Street
New York / Lenapehoking
10021

Address

Lot 218/219, Milikapiti
Tiwi Islands, NT
0822

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	9am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	9am - 4:30pm
Thursday	9am - 4:30pm
Friday	9am - 4:30pm

Telephone

08 8978 3901

Website

http://jilamara.com/

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