394-24UA, Women's Collaborative, 200 x 200 cm Acrylic on Linen, Umoona Arts
Pollyanne Smith, Tjunguarra (Mantuwa) George, and MatjangkaNorris painted this collaborative work at Umoona Art Centre over twoweeks while passing through Coober Pedy on the way to their homelands inFregon.
They are otherwise proud members of Kaltjiti Art Center.
This joint work was largely directed by lead artist Pollyanne Smith and hersister Mantuwa with Mrs Norris punctuating the canvas with her signaturegraphic accents. The two sisters were born into a large family of eightchildren, daughters of Georgie—a well-known figure in the Fregoncommunity remembered for his watermelon gardens—and his second wife,whose Country lies around Ikari, near Watarru.
Raised between Ernabella and Fregon, the sisters were guided by bothtraditional teachings and classroom education. Pollyanne, the eldest of thetrio, was taught by educators like Nancy Nicholson (Shepherd), Bob Capp,and Rodney Sheridan, and later worked as an Anangu Education Worker atthe Fregon School from 1994 onwards. As a young woman, she trained inbatik, tie-dyeing, and floor rug making at the Fregon Art Centre before becoming a dedicated painter at Kaltjiti Arts. Her works focus on Untju-kungura—her mother’s Country to the north of Watarru, marked by aprominent hill with a central rockhole and home to Mamungari'nya, thepowerful site of minyma tjukurpa (women’s dreaming).
Each sister brings her own voice and experience to the canvas, yet theirworks are united by shared stories, intergenerational knowledge, and acommitment to honouring women’s Country.
