The community art centers helping Australia’s Indigenous artists flourish

Marlene Rubjunta’s love affair with soft sculpture – the art of shaping soft materials like cloth and rubber – was slow to ignite. When the Australian Indigenous artist first walked into a community arts center in her Northern Territory hometown almost a decade ago, she had to overcome her lack of familiarity with the medium.

“When I first went (to the art center) I couldn’t stand sewing. I was terrible at it, like a kindergarten kid. But then I learnt about it, started concentrating and using a lot of colors.

“And now look at what I can do,” Rubjunta said with a shy smile, pointing to the sculpture that she spent weeks fashioning and refers to as her “bush queen.”

Indigenous artist Rhonda Sharpe is a member of the Yarrenyty Arltere Artists in Alice Springs. There are more than 80 community art centers across the country, and are owned and operated by Aboriginal Australians.

A soft sculpture by Indigenous artist Dulcie Sharpe, whose work is currently on display at the 21st Biennale of Sydney.

A soft sculpture by Dulcie Sharpe of the community art group, Yarrenyty Arltere Artists. The artworks often depicts elements of traditional Aboriginal life, such as hunting, food and wildlife.

"My Dogs" by Marlene Rubjunta. The blankets used to create Rubjunta's soft sculptures are dyed using local plants and rusted metals. They are then boiled for a week to create the distinctive patterns.

The Yarrenyty Arltere Artists community arts center was founded in 2000 as a way of tackling social issues such as violent crime and substance abuse.

The soft sculptures by the Yarrenyty Arltere Artists group have won several awards and are represented in major collections around Australia.

The soft sculptures don't yet have the same demand as the better known Indigenous dot paintings, but prices are 'climbing' says art center manager Sophie Wallace.