Symposium: Yurruntitja Tjurtaku | For Those Who Came Before: Honoring Fifty Years of Papunya Tula Artists

Celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Papunya Tula Artists, this one day symposium brings together prominent artists, art historians, and curators for a lively discussion on one of Australia’s most historically significant First Nations art movements. Founded in 1972, Papunya Tula Artists have consistently stood at the forefront of global contemporary art, while providing a potent model of economic and social advancement in remote Australia. From humble beginnings, Papunya Tula has built a multimillion-dollar industry, changing the face of contemporary art and creating a powerful voice for Indigenous artists. Inspired by the sweeping ancestral landscape of the Australian desert, it is one of the world’s greatest stories of resilience, self-determination and the power of art.

Corresponding to the conversations will be the remarkable exhibition Irrititja Kuwarri Tjungu | Past & Present Together: Fifty Years of Papunya Tula Artists, the inaugural exhibition for the newly opened Quentin Bryce Gallery organized by Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection.

Presenters include:

John West Tjupurrula, Papunya Tula Artists
Jodie Napurrula Ward, Papunya Tula Artists
Prof. Brenda L Croft, Gurindji | Malngin | Mudburra Peoples; Anglo-Australian | Chinese | German | Irish heritage, Professor, Indigenous Art History and Curatorship, Centre for Art History and Art Theory, Australian National University School of Art and Design, Australian National University College of Arts and Social Sciences; 2024 Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser Visiting Professor of Australian Studies, Harvard University.
Franchesca Cubillo, Executive Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts, Creative Australia
Prof. Françoise Dussart, Professor, Department of Anthropology and the Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of Connecticut
Dr. Jessyca Hutchens, Lecturer, School of Indigenous Studies, University of Western Australia
Dr. John Kean, Former manager of Papunya Tula Artists and author of Dot, Circle and Frame: The Making of Papunya Tula Art (Upswell, 2023)
Prof. Fred Myers, Silver Professor of Anthropology at New York University
Dr. Margo Smith AM, Director, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia
Prof. Terry Smith, Emeritus Professor of Art History, University of Pittsburgh and University of Sydney
Dr. Henry Skerritt, Assistant Professor, Department of Art, University of Virginia