Article about the Roebourne Art Group:
Roebourne, known as Yirramagadu to the region’s indigenous peoples, is a place rich in culture and arts and nowhere is this more evident than at the Roebourne Art Group.
Located in a small unassuming building in Roe Street, from the outside it is impossible to know the rich variety of artwork which awaits inside.
In a town which has had a lot of negative publicity, the Roebourne Art Group provides opportunity for indigenous peoples of the area to contribute in a positive way, and gives them hope for the future.
Roz Yakas is manager of the Roebourne Art Group and is relatively new to the role.
From Adelaide, she has previously worked as a primary teacher but has always had an interest in Aboriginal art, collecting works herself.
There are about 50 artists all up which come and go, but we have about seven core artists here who are regulars,says Roz.
Some of the artists like to paint here at the studio and some prefer to work from home.
The group’s core artists include accomplished artists such as Pansy Hicks, recipient of a prestigious 2008 Telstra Art Award and Cossack Art Award prize winner Loreen Samson.
Much of Loreen’s work has political undertones, such as the stolen generation or the loss of cultural grounds.
One of her paintings is on exhibit at the National Museum in Canberra.
Another core artist of the group, Alice Guinness, paints Bundut Ground, which is representations of the circles in the ground after ceremony and contain many bright colours.
