Image is from ABC News website see link below.
Sitting in my gallery, immersed in the rich beauty that has been generated by a community of Aboriginal artists far away in the Central Australian Desert I’ve received news from the other side of the world that the area where my artists live has been cut off by flooding. The sudden and often brutal monsoons that strike at this time of year are expected - it’s the wet season there - but this one has been more severe than usual.
Although I have made many trips to the Outback, the challenges these incredibly talented people have to overcome to make their work is never far from my mind.
This region has been left completely cut off for a week now. The dirt roads are under too much water for even the most robust vehicles to use, leaving those living there with dwindling supplies including food and, in the midst of their first Covid cases, vital medical supplies. The current situation has been described by local officials as “absolutely dire”.
At the community health clinic, there are just five medical staff to treat 600 patients. In recent days, they have had to handle three emergencies, including a birth, without access to Royal Flying Doctor Service support as the airstrip is completely inundated with water - it looks like a river.
From our gallery 12,000 miles away in Tetbury, we help support the Aboriginal art communities, as do many galleries across Australia and around the world, through the sale of the paintings, our ‘My Country’ interiors collection, homewares and accessories. This week we are excited to share our fabulous new rectangular cushions that have landed oh-so-softly in the gallery.
The limited run of locally-made soft furnishings, featuring the work of major art prize-winning Betty Pula Morton, Rosie Ngwarraye Ross, Melita Pitjara Morton (already sold out), Ruth Nungarrayi Spencer are plumped up and ready to go. You can see the collection on our Cushion page.
Over the weekend drop by our gallery and see what our artists are achieving in often very difficult circumstances. You’ll be as awestruck as I am every day.
