Introduction:

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


Acknowledgements:

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