Webinar – Artist Panel (In-person & Zoom) Papunya Tula Artists: Contemporary Art and Community Activism in the Australian Desert

In conjunction with the exhibition Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu: Contemporary Aboriginal Painting from the Australian Desert (January 22–April 11, 2026).

The Grey Art Museum at NYU is honored to host a panel with acclaimed Aboriginal Australian painters Sally Rowe Nakamarra, Marlene Nampitjinpa, Mantua Nangala, and Yukultji Napangati. Hailing from Australia’s remote Western Desert, these four women are leading members of Papunya Tula Artists, the oldest Indigenous-owned arts organization in Australia. The panelists will reflect on the impact of Papunya Tula on life in remote desert communities and explore the role of art in promoting economic empowerment, community health, land management, and political representation. Join us for this unique opportunity to hear firsthand accounts of resilience, determination, and the power of art.

The panel will be introduced by the exhibition’s curators Dr. Henry F. Skerritt (University of Virginia) and Prof. Emeritus Fred R. Myers (NYU) and moderated by Nici Cumpston OAM (Director, Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection) and Gretel Bull (Business Manager, Papunya Tula Artists).

Co-sponsored by Center CIRCL at NYU and the Department of Anthropology, NYU.

Irriṯitja Kuwarri Tjungu is organized by the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection of the University of Virginia in partnership with Papunya Tula Artists.