Ada Bird Petyarre

Ada Bird Petyarre was born c.1935 on old Utopia Station, Atnangkere country Aboriginal Art Regions of Central Australia.

Ada Bird Petyarre became very well known for her batiks painted on silk and now is known for her beautiful and bold paintings done with acrylics on canvas.

The batik programme at Utopia started in 1997. Ada Bird Petyarre along with a group of other artists was introduced to painting in acrylics in CAAMA's Summer Project in 1988. Two years later, in 1990, Ada had her first solo exhibition at Utopia Art in Sydney.

Ada Bird Petyarre paints Dreamtime stories from the Atnangkere country, which she shares with her sisters: Gloria Petyarre, Kathleen Petyarre, Myrtle Petyarre and Violet Petyarre.

Sadly Ada Bird Petyarre suffered a stoke in 2004 and no longer paints.

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Collections:

National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Robert Holmes a Court Collection, Perth
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
Museum of Victoria, Melbourne
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, Darwin
Aboriginal Art Galleries of Australia, Melbourne
Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
University of Queensland, Brisbane
Artbank, Sydney
Richard Kelton Foundation, Santa Monica, USA

Exhibitions:

Utopia Art, Sydney
1988 numerous group exhibitions with other Utopia batik artists, including Queensland Art Gallery, Brisbane
1988 Aboriginal "Dot" Painting, Melbourne
1989 Australian National Gallery, Canberra
1989 Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
1990, 1994 National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
1991 Harvard University, Boston, USA
1993, 1998 Araluen Art Centre, Alice Springs
1993 Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
1997 Sutton Gallery, Melbourne
1997, 1999, 2000 Aboriginal Art Galleries of Australia, Melbourne
1999 Embassy of Australia, Washington, USA
1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 Chapel off Chapel, Melbourne
2000 "From Utopia to Kintore"
2001 "Icons of Australian Aboriginal Art", Singapore
2002, 2003 Glen Eira City Gallery, Melbourne

Awards:

1997, Finalist in the 14th NATSIAA

Central Art Exhibitions:

Source: Kreczmanski, Janusz B & Birnberg, Margo (eds.): Aboriginal Artists: Dictionary of Biographies: Central Desert, Western Desert & Kimberley Region (JB Publishing Australia, Marleston, 2004)

Artist: Ada Bird Petyarre

Skin Name: Petyarre

Language: Anmatyerre/Alyawarre

Region: Utopia

Vendor: Central Art

Dreaming: Angertla (Mountain Devil Lizard Dreaming) Engcarma (Bean) Unyara (Emu) Annlara (Pencil Yam) Kadjeta (Grass Seeds) Elaitchurunga (Small Brown Grass)

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