MLC School Hosts Artists in Residence

From Monday 30 May to Friday 10 June 2022 the MLC School Design, Art and Technology (DART) Department had the pleasure of hosting a Cicada Press Custom Printmaking residency for four Indigenous artists for the Hermannsburg Region of Central Australia, Josh Dykgraaf and digital media artist and Pert Solness a photographer who paints with light.

Michael Kempson, Director and founder of Cicada Press and a prolific Australian Master Printmaker, has been working with the artist form Iltja Ntjarra Art Centre since 2016. Being able to share this experience with our students has been extremely rewarding and deepened their understanding of the Hermannsburg tradition of watercolour painting that traces back to Albert Namatjira the first Indigenous man to be granted Australian Citizenship. Michael is able to translate these complex and detailed paintings into a multiple-coloured zinc plate etchings. We have recorded some of the chats the artist had with the students and staff along with the process. The artists enjoyed meeting and working alongside staff and students while they worked on their etchings and then in a watercolour based Mono Type print process which will be edited into a video to share with the School community early next term, if not sooner. Many of the senior art students had excellent success with the technique and will be exploring it further in their own practices. Below are the artist’s profiles and links to their work.

• Hubert Pareroultja
• Mervyn Rubuntja 
• Selma Coulthard 
• Vanessa Inkamala

There is an option to purchase artworks from the arts centre and through the MLC School DART Department. If you are interested please contact me.

It was amazing to watch the artist create and paint their country. I was fortunate enough to spend a bit of time with them. I got to see how master artists like Michael Kempson give these story tellers another medium to tell their stories. I got to paint a mono type print alongside Selma and Vanessa. They are from the Hermannsburg area around Alice Springs. They answered question of how their art and being an artist has a role in everything. They also helped me to become a better Art teacher by sharing guidance on how I can respectfully teach about Indigenous art. This is something I will remember for a long time. Thank you MLC School for giving me this opportunity. – Mx. Nugent, UNSW Practicum Teacher

– Sally Marks
Head of Department – Design, Art and Technology (DART)

Click on the image gallery to view full-sized images.