Aboriginal Art Centres of Central Australia

The acrylic painting movement that most people recognise as Aboriginal art began at Papunya, north-west of Alice Springs, in the early 1970s, when senior men started translating ceremonial designs onto board. It spread across the Western Desert, and today dozens of community-owned art centres operate across Central Australia, employing local artists and handling sales on their behalf. Alice Springs is the hub: several galleries in town represent the centres, and the Araluen arts precinct holds exhibitions and a permanent collection. Buying through a community art centre or a dealer bound by the industry code means the money reaches the artist, which is the main thing distinguishing serious galleries from the souvenir trade along the main street.

What to look for

• The Araluen galleries - exhibition spaces and a permanent Central Australian collection on the edge of Alice Springs.
• Town galleries representing art centres - painting sold with documentation naming the artist and the community.
• The desert painting styles - regional differences in colour and mark that become obvious once you have seen a few rooms.
• The annual desert art exhibition - a large yearly survey bringing work from many centres into Alice Springs at once.

When to go

May to September, the cooler dry months, is the practical season; summer temperatures in Alice Springs regularly pass forty degrees. The main desert art exhibition falls in early spring and fills the town, so book accommodation early. Art centres in remote communities keep their own hours and often close for cultural business without notice, which visitors are expected to accept.

Good to know

Much of what is sold to tourists on the main street is mass-produced and not made by the artists named. Prices at reputable galleries are high because the work is serious art, not a souvenir. Remote art centres are hundreds of kilometres away on unsealed roads and generally require permits, so most visitors will only see town galleries. Photographing artists or work without permission is not acceptable.

Nearby

The West MacDonnell ranges and their gorges begin just west of Alice Springs.