Join us for an interactive painting program for the whole family, featuring a hands-on workshop and artist demonstration that explores the materiality of bark painting from Yirrkala. Drawn from techniques used for thousands of years and materials sustainably harvested from the gadayka (eucalyptus tetrodonta) forests of northeast Arnhem Land in Australia, this workshop will allow participants an opportunity to delve into the process of ochre painting on bark.

Visiting Yolŋu artists will demonstrate how they make paint brushes of human hair and grind ochres to create natural pigments. Participants will gain perspective on this unique approach to painting that’s been passed on through generations of leading artists. We will also learn about the importance of these contemporary artists becoming custodians of the patterns and designs displayed in works on view in Madayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala.

This program is appropriate for children 5 years old and above.