Paper short abstract

Contemporary expressions of Nyungar (South-West Australian) identity focus o the production of landscape art inspired by museum collections.

Paper long abstract

The existence of a historical museum collection from the late 1940s of Aboriginal children's pastel drawings has influenced since their re-exhibition in 2005 the production of Nyungar art in the South-West of Western Australia. This is a region not previously known for its art production. Why have these creative expressions emerged, and how have they been influenced by the role of the participants? These range from internationally based collector, a New York university art gallery bequest, across the world to a university anthropology museum in Perth, a South-West Aboriginal art gallery and, most recently, an Aboriginal art exhibition reflecting on the Carrolup school and its significance to Nyungar people today? Given that much of today's cross-cultural expression of Aboriginality is through art, the Carolup school has created an environment within which contemporary manifestations of South-West indigeneity can be focussed.