Department of Infrastructure and Transport – Tjanpi Desert Weavers woven sculptures

Julie grew up in Mimili, South Australia.

She is a dedicated Tjanpi weaver, a strong cultural woman, and a superb traditional dancer. Julie makes distinctive, beautiful and highly sought after baskets featuring wangunu and minirri (native grasses), multi-coloured twined raffia and stitched emu feathers. Julie is a slow and steady weaver, taking her time to make well formed, strong baskets and sculptures.

Amy Yilpi is an artist belonging to the Pitjantjatjara language and cultural group and lives in the remote community of Mimili, South Australia.

Amy was born in Alice Springs, Northern Territory, but later returned to Mimili for schooling. She is the daughter of Julie Yangki, a dedicated Tjanpi weaver and a strong cultural woman in their home community. Amy continues to reside in Mimili with her husband Michael Butler and their three children.

As Amy’s husband is related to the Butler’s of Warakurna, Amy regularly travels there for extended periods of time. It was on one of these trip in 2018 that Amy began to learn to weave from her sister-in-law Ruth Bates. Very quickly, Amy became both an astute artist and business woman, producing a high volume of well-made, brightly-coloured animal sculptures. Prior to weaving, Amy has also been an accomplished painter and punu (wood) carver.

Pinuka Lives in Mimili Community and makes beautiful strong and thoughtful baskets.

Pinuka works with local grasses, coloured raffia and wool, weaving with great attention to detail and a refined technique. While she has only been weaving for a few years, Pinuka has already developed a distinct style based on her neat and considered weaving approach.

Sheena Dodd lives at Mimili Community on the APY Lands. Sheena’s mother is Margaret Ngilan Dodd and her father is Sammy Dodd.

Her mother’s country is associated with Ted’s Bore, near Sandy Bore, about 20 kilometres from the Mimili Community, and her father’s country is near Kenmore. Sheena is married to Richard Neilson and has five sons and one daughter.

Sheena commenced making baskets for Tjanpi Desert Weavers in 2010, then following a workshop held at Mimili in mid-2011 commenced making sculptures. In a very short time she has become highly skilled as a fibre sculptor, creating works that reveal her exceptional eye for form, shape and colour.

Sheena delights in creating a range of animals that catch her eye, not only those with which she is familiar from around the community and out bush, but also animals from afar. She captures the essential qualities of the birds and animals she creates in a highly expressive and entertaining way.

Kunmanara (Ngilan) Dodd was a Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara woman born at Teeta Bore.

She transitioned from living nomadically in her first years to working at Everard Park Station as a young woman, before it was returned to Aṉangu traditional owners. Alongside her husband Sammy, she remained one of the most knowledgeable songkeepers for Mimili community until her passing in 2023.

Kathy Dodd is an artist belonging to the Pitjantjatjara language and cultural group and lives in the remote community of Amata, South Australia.

Kathy was born at Imanpa near Mount Ebenezer in the Northern Territory. Kathy is married to Sandy Dodd, the son of Margaret and Sammy Dodd from Mimili. Both of Kathy’s parents passed away when she was very young. Kathy has three children, two sons (one deceased) and a daughter.

Kathy began making baskets for Tjanpi in 2010, then following a workshop held at Mimili in mid-2011 commenced making sculptures. Her creative flair and skill as a sculptor soon became evident. Like so many of the Tjanpi weavers, Kathy has a wonderful eye for detail and is a keen observer of the natural world. Her expressive works reveal her great dexterity as a sculptor.

Fiona is the daughter of Senior Artist Sheena Dodd, and has learned her craft from one of the best.

She has two little daughters herself and enjoys making baskets and animated faces on her animals. Fiona likes walking around on country, picking up the tjanpi grasses that grow not too far from Mimili community, sometimes she also goes and sits with her Aunty Margaret Dodd who is an expert basket maker and generally lovely company for an afternoon of weaving.

Rhonda Young is an artist belonging to the Pitjantjatjara language and cultural group and lives in the remote community of Mimili, South Australia.

Rhonda picked up her weaving skills from watching her family members make baskets and sculptures throughout her life. Taking part in Tjanpi weaving workshops in the past, Rhonda was excited to participate in the making of several large-scale sculptural pieces that were commissioned by Guildhouse in  2022.

Rita Norman is an artist belonging to the Pitjantjatjara language and cultural group and lives in the remote community of Docker River, Northern Territory. She is a young weaver who began making baskets with Tjanpi in 2021.

Harriet Bryant is an artist belonging to the Pitjantjatjara language and cultural group.

Harriet was born in Amata, South Australia, but later moved to the neighbouring community of Mimili with her husband. Her father is from spinifex area, around Tjuntjuntjara. Together with her husband, they have three children.

Harriet first learned to make Tjanpi by watching her Aunty Julie Yangki and Pinuka Yai Yai at Julie’s home in Mimili back in 2014. She started just watched and then the ladies helped teach Harriet – she now enjoys creating whimsical animal forms such as donkeys and kangaroos.

Harriet is known by Tjanpi staff as a ‘workshop guardian angel’. She is a bizz of energy, always helping the workshops run smoothly, making tea for the ladies, helping translate Pitjantjatjara to English, and making sure things are in order. Harriet also works as an arts worker for Mimili Maku Arts, both painting and supporting other artists to paint at the local art centre.

Pauline was born in Indulkana on the APY Lands in the far northwest of South Australia. She grew up in the neighbouring community of Mimili.

Pauline started working at the art centre when it was first founded. For many years, Pauline was a dedicated artworker until she started focusing entirely on her painting practice in recent years. Her paintings resonate with a deep appreciation for the landscape and the stories that have created it, featuring elaborate detail and meandering pathways reflecting the intricate network of waterways on country.

Betty Mula was born in Mparntwe (Alice Springs) in 1973 and was brought up by her mother in Imanpa. After attending school in both Imanpa and Mparntwe, Betty starting painting at Imanpa Craft Room.

One of Betty’s sisters lived in Mimili community at the time. When she passed away in the late 1980s, Betty came to Mimili community for Sorry Business. In Anangu culture, funeral rites can last for many weeks. While in Mimili Betty met her husband, Teddy Wangin.

Betty is a cheerful woman who spends most days in the art centre, but also has a wealth of knowledge for Country and its traditional foods. On the weekends, Betty can often be found out bush hunting for tinka (goannas) or maku (witchetty grubs).

Eliza Wangin is a young woman belonging to the Pitjantjatjara language and cultural group and lives in the remote community of Mimili, South Australia.

She is the daughter of established Tjanpi weaver Pauline Wangin, who has gone on to shared these skills with Eliza. Having taken part in Tjanpi weaving workshops in the past, Eliza was eager to participate in the making of several large-scale sculptural pieces that were commissioned by Guildhouse in 2022.

Maringka was born near Wingellina and grew up in Ernabella community.

She went through school in Ernabella and spent most of her youth there. She later moved to Amata and then to Indulkana where she raised her family and still resides today.

Maringka is a mother and grandmother for lots of young kids. She is an artist of many mediums including Tjanpi weaving, painting canvas and beaded jewellery. Maringka is also a practising ngankari (traditional healer) and works with the NPY Women’s Council to provide traditional healing services.

“I am a senior lady at Iwantja, and I began working as an artist at Iwantja Arts a long time ago, me and Kunmanara Singer were the first women artists here. I help look after the art centre and go to the big meetings for them. I also enjoy singing and I travelled to sing in the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympic Games, I want to keep painting and doing inma (ceremonial song and dance) always. My father was a special ngangkari (traditional healer) and he taught me about healing; now I am ngangkari too. I do lots of work for the women’s council, I’m always helping at their big meetings and supporting Anangu women. As artists and as a community, we should always do more work with the young people, making things together and teaching them about the old ways too, always remembering country, this is a good way.”

Nellie Coulthard was born in desert bush and near Oodnadatta, on the remote property of the Wintinna Homestead Cattle Station.

Her father worked as a shepherd for a local station, Nellie and her family travelled constantly and slept outdoors supporting her father and caring for the sheep. Nellie has two brothers and two sisters and has lived at the Indulkana community since she was a young lady.

Nellie has been making paintings at the Iwantja Art Centre for many years. Her work often speaks to memories and stories of the country she recalls as a young girl, they reference her childhood experiences of living in the country. An accomplished textile maker, Nellie’s structural pieces are created with extreme skill and finesse, she enjoys making unique baskets and abstract forms with tjanpi grasses and coloured wools.