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This week, Nicki Cumpston, director of the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection, sits down with Robert Fielding to talk about his recent exhibition Tjukurpa | Handle It, and his time as the 2025 artist-in-residence at Kluge-Ruhe. Learn more about the exhibition at: https://kluge-ruhe.org/all-exhibitions/tjukurpa-handle-it-robert-fielding/

In 1997, artists from Tjuntjuntjara in the desert of Western Australia, formed the Spinifex Arts Project. Their goal was to create art that would serve as evidence in their legal battle to reclaim their land. Thanks to a generous gift, you can now view many of these pieces in a new exhibition titled "In the Beginning: Paintings by Senior Artists of the Spinifex Arts Project" on display at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia. In this episode, we learn about the Spinifex Arts Project and the pieces in the exhibition from its curator, Katina Davidson.  Simon Hogan painting. Photo by Amanda Dent courtesy of Spinifex Arts Project More information about the exhibition and Kluge Ruhe: https://kluge-ruhe.org/exhibition/in-the-beginning-paintings-by-senior-artists-of-the-spinifex-arts-project/#exhibition

Art and storytelling allow sisters Dora and Jan Griffiths— Aboriginal artists from Western Australia—to maintain an unbroken line of culture from the past and carry it into the future. Learn more: https://kluge-ruhe.org/

This week we introduce a new project from the Kluge-Ruhe made in collaboration with UVA Press. Curator Henry Skerritt dives into the history of the Papunya Tula Artists — a movement started in Northern Australia that is now celebrating its 50th anniversary. The Kluge-Ruhe’s current exhibit and launch of their new project both serve as a tribute to the Papunya Tula Artists who changed the face of global contemporary art.  Learn more about Papunya Tula: https://kluge-ruhe.org/exhibition/irrititja-kuwarri-tjungu-past-present-together-50-years-papunya-tula-artists/

Artist Marrnyula Mununggurr is well renowned in the Yonglu community for her warmth and creative genius. Her work will finally go on display in the United States this September with the the opening of “MAḎAYIN: Eight decades Aboriginial Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala.” Mary Garner McGehee spoke with Kluge-Ruhe curator Henry Skerritt to get an inside look on Marrnyula’s work and creative process. Learn more about MAḎAYIN: https://madayin.kluge-ruhe.org

Artist Djambawa Marawili came up with the idea for the exhibition "MAḎAYIN, Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala" over six years ago. Soon his vision will become reality when MAḎAYIN opens at the Hood Museum at Dartmouth in September. In this episode, Kluge-Ruhe curator Henry Skerritt introduces us to Djambawa Marawili and tells us the story of the birth of MAḎAYIN.  Learn more about MAḎAYIN: https://madayin.kluge-ruhe.org

https://kluge-ruhe.org/exhibition/boomalli-prints-paper-making-space-art-collective/

https://kluge-ruhe.org/exhibition/boomalli-prints-paper-making-space-art-collective/

https://kluge-ruhe.org/exhibition/boomalli-prints-paper-making-space-art-collective/

https://kluge-ruhe.org/exhibition/boomalli-prints-paper-making-space-art-collective/

As a collective, Boomalli helped to promote the idea of urban Aboriginal art. However, the ten artists had distinctive artistic and personal identities. The work in this exhibition cuts across multiple generations, sexual orientations, and language groups to defy both cultural and artistic expectations. The inclusive environment of Boomalli created a space for these identities to intersect. The spark lit by the founding members of Boomalli transformed what Aboriginal art could be, igniting a movement that spread across Australia. Read more and make a free reservation: kluge-ruhe.org/exhibition/boomal…e-art-collective/

New Series alert!  The next few episodes in your feed will feature the new exhibit “Boomalli Prints and Paper: Making Space as an Art Collective.” In this episode we introduce the collective and the exhibit. Read more and make a free reservation: https://kluge-ruhe.org/exhibition/boomalli-prints-paper-making-space-art-collective

Human figures, stenciled hands, and ancestral beings gather on the surface of this painting in a dynamic circle of ceremonial activity. Thompson Yulidjirri’s _Ngurlmarrk—The Ubarr Ceremony _is a work on paper crafted by the late artist as part of the John W. Kluge Commission of works on paper in 1991-1992 from Injalak Arts & Crafts Association. Yulidjirri's multimedia expertise across rock, bark, and paper is evident here in his depiction of the Ubarr Ceremony, as the patterned background resembles the rock walls of nearby Injalak Hill. Visualizing connections across media and time, Yulidjirri’s painting attests to the role art plays in evoking and transferring stories and knowledge to the next generation of artists and audiences. Thompson Yulidjirri,  Ngurlmarrk—The Ubarr Ceremony 1990 Natural pigments on paper 150 x 100 cm Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection

When Aboriginal Art started to explode in popularity in the 1980s, galleries, collectors, and museums were most interested in the major works on huge canvases. However, now that the art movement has achieved so much acclaim, collections like the Kluge-Ruhe are focusing more on the earliest works from important art centers like Papunya Tula. Curator Henry Skerritt shares what we learn about contemporary Aboriginal Art by studying the often anonymous works from the early days of Papunya Tula. https://kluge-ruhe.org/exhibition/irrititja-kuwarri-tjungu-past-present-together-50-years-papunya-tula-artists/

The Kluge-Ruhe works very closely with Aboriginal artists and their descendants in designing their exhibitions. For this exhibit, Curator Henry Skerritt wasn't able to make his usual trip to Australia to meet with artists in person, so they solicited photos, stories, and input on the gallery from artists and descendants virtually. All which they've compiled for the accompanying exhibition catalog.