The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Visual Artists Database (NATSIVAD) represents some 5,500 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists. The first edition of the database was developed by Dr Luke Taylor for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) in the period 1987-1990, and was published electronically by Discovery Media in 1991 listing some 1300 artists. The current edition, in addition to including many more artists, also contains more information on each artist. It was compiled by Ms Belinda Scott (Visiting Research Fellow), and by Ms Jane Dickens and Ms Eliza Hill (Research Assistants) for AIATSIS, assisted by two grants from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC), from 1993-1995.
The main purpose of the database is to assist the promotion and marketing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art. In particular, it will assist galleries and other purveyors of Australian indigenous art by providing more complete and accurate information on artists. It may also serve other purposes such as education and research.
To qualify for publication, a record must include a working name, a medium, and some geographic identification (eg region or community). Some records which do not satisfy these minimum criteria were omitted from the published version. In addition, the full version of the database includes biographical notes on some artists. The unabridged version may be consulted for research purposes at AIATSIS, Canberra.
Many people and organisations contributed to this database. To mention some, a number of indigenous art centres and art centre coordinators generously made their records available for inclusion. An advisory panel guided the project to its conclusions; its members were Mary Edmunds, Wally Caruana, Alana Garwood, David Horton, Kingsley Palmer, Luke Taylor, Stephen Wild, and Norm Wilson. Belinda Scott, Jane Dickens and Eliza Hill each spent long, painstaking and often difficult efforts in the collecting and compilation of the data. Thanks to these and other contributors not mentioned. We hope that the final result is worthy of their contributions and the trust they placed in AIATSIS.
Mary Edmunds
Director of Research
AIATSIS
Michael Aird Curator | Queensland Museum, Brisbane |
Kim Akerman Curator | Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences, Darwin |
Kim Barber | Anthropologist, Perth |
Kathy Barnes | Manager, Tiwi Designs, Bathurst Island |
Andrew Blake | Art Advisor, Buku Larrnggay, Yirrkala |
Ann Brody | Curator, Holmes a Court Collection, Perth |
Wally Caruana | Senior Curator, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra |
Susan Congreve | Warlukurlangu Artists, Yuendumu |
Sophie Creighton | Ph D Student, Dept of Archaeology and Anthropology, ANU, Canberra |
Brenda Croft | Boomalli, Sydney |
Pat D'Aranjo | Desart, Alice Springs |
Judy Daly | Aboriginal Economic Development, Perth |
Peter Danaja | Maningrida Arts & Culture, Maningrida |
Jan Dayman | Jilimara Arts & Crafts, Milikapiti |
Karen Dayman | Mangkaja Arts Resource Centre, Fitzroy Crossing |
Dr Jeannie Devitt | Anthropologist, Alice Springs |
Jane Dickins | Research Assistant, NATSIVAD, AIATSIS, Canberra |
Valda Dixon | Warnayaka Artists, Lajamanu |
Jenni Dudley | Ernabella Arts Inc., Ernabella |
Dr Mary Edmunds | Director of Research, AIATSIS, Canberra |
Maggie Fletcher | Research Officer, Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide |
Steve Fox | Director, 24 Hour Art, Darwin |
Murray Garde | Maningrida Arts & Culture, Maningrida |
Barb Graham Docker | River Womens Centre, Docker River |
Jenny Green | Linguist, Melbourne |
Dr Helen Groger-Wurm | Canberra |
Lousie Hamby | Ph D Student, Dept of Archaeology and Anthropology, ANU, Canberra |
Irena Hatfield | Arts Advisor, Galiwin'ku |
Cheryl Hawkins-Clarke | Adult Educator, Indulkana |
Eliza Hill | Research Assistant, NATSIVAD, AIATSIS, Canberra |
Isobel Hogan | Yuelamu Council, Yuelamu |
Glen James | Warlukurlangu Artists, Yuendumu |
Susan Jenkins | Assistant Curator, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra |
Thelma John | 24 Hour Art, Darwin |
Dr Bill Jonas | Director, National Museum of Australia, Canberra |
David Kaus | Curator, National Museum of Australia, Canberra |
Dr Ian Keen | Senior Lecturer, Dept of Archaeology and Anthropology, ANU, Canberra |
Kevin Kelly | Waringarri Arts, Kununurra |
Dick Kimber | Alice Springs |
Sylvia Kleinert | Research Fellow, Dept of Archaelogy & Anthropology, ANU, Canberra |
Babs Lamont | Warlayirti Artists, Balgo |
Christine Lennard | ANKAA, Darwin |
Nick Mc Grath | Arts Advisor, Galiwin'ku |
Dr Frank Mc Keown | Anthropologist. |
Doreen Mellor | Director, Flinders University Art Museum, Adelaide |
Diane Moon | Curator, Brisbane |
Jo Boniface and Ross and Katie Muir | Warm Family, Alice Springs |
Djon Mundine | Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney |
Daisy Narputta | Aboriginal Artist, Haasts Bluff |
Dr Russell Orrell | Osteopath, Canberra |
Dr Kingsley Palmer | Deputy Principal, AIATSIS, Canberra |
Bev Peacock | Kaltjiti Crafts, Fregon |
Michael Pickering | Director, Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority, Alice Springs |
Avril Quaill | Curator, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra |
Nick Richardson | Reeltime Research, Canberra |
Judith Ryan | Curator, National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne |
Gay Sculthorpe | Curator, Museum of Victoria, Melbourne |
Naomi Sharp | Hermannsburg Potters, Hermannsburg |
Judith Stokes | Linguist (retired), Adelaide |
Marina Strocchi | Ikuntji Womens Centre, Haasts Bluff |
Dr Peter Sutton | Anthropologist, Adelaide |
Dr Luke Taylor | Senior Curator, National Museum of Australia, Canberra |
Geraldine Tyson | Desart, Alice Springs |
Ryszard Wasko | The Artists' Museum, Lodz, Poland |
Christine Watson, | Tutor, Dept of Archaeology and Anthropology, ANU, Canberra |
Lavah Watts | Warnayaka Artists, Lajamanu |
Margie West | Curator, Northern Territory Museum of Arts and Sciences, Darwin |
Dr Stephen Wild | Ethnomusicologist, Research Section, AIATSIS, Canberra |
Norm Wilson | ATSIC, Canberra |
Kay Wilson | Nunga Designs, Derby |
Flick Wright | Injalak, Oenpelli |
Brian Yambal | Curator, Bulabula Arts, Ramingining |