This is a story of how life was before. It’s a beautiful landscape without problems like we have today. There were no problems then, people were happy. They were connected as families. It shows what life was like for our people in the past before we had houses. Everything was silent, and all the animals were close by to the people. Everyone looked after the animals and the environment. People don’t have that life anymore.
Name: Anne Nginyangka Thompson
Language: Pitjantjatjara
Community: Pukatja
Biography:
Anne grew up at Black Hill #2, her family's homeland. Anne’s father was an integral part of the APY Land Rights movement, and her mother Carlene Thompson, is a senior Ernabella artist. Anne attended Kenmore Park Anangu School and boarded at Woodville High School. On completing school, Anne worked for PY Media, recording, editing and broadcasting, and on coverage for arts projects such as Seven Sister's Songlines performance in Canberra in 2013.
Anne began making ceramics in high school and then started working in the Ernabella Arts ceramic studio in between media projects.
Anne is a qualified interpreter as well as an artist, and like her father, she is also a talented speaker. Anne delivered an address at the Australian Ceramics Triennale conference in July 2015 in Canberra on the role of young people at Ernabella Arts and the importance of art centres in remote communities. Anne is also a talented jeweller. She has worked with contemporary resin jeweller Kate Rhode, developing her skills and techniques.
In 2014 and 2022 Anne was the winner of the Shepparton Arts Museum’s prestigious Indigenous Ceramic Art Award and her work was acquired for their collection.
In 2023 Anne won the Wandjuk Marika Memorial 3D Award at the Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards for her ceramic artwork, Aṉangu History.
Anne is currently the Chair of the Ernabella Arts Board and she continues to be a strong voice and advocate for the APY community.
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