Rosie Goodgii

Rosie Goodgii was born on the other side of Nila near the waterhole (pily) c1930. As a child Rosie walked all over the Nila country. Her animal spirit is Mingajurru (Bandicoot). Her paintings often depict bushfoods found around this country and include mingajurru and tjirrilpatja. Her language group is Wangkajunga and her skin name is Napanardi (also spelt Napangardi).

Rosie is one of the Wangkajunga artists and is represented by Mangkaja Arts Resource Aboriginal Corporation.

"We paint to keep em strong you know"

George Tuckerbox is one of the key artists from a group of around twenty artists who paint at the Wangkajunga annexe of the Karrayili Adult Education centre. As a response to community requests, the centre was established in 1994 to assist the elders with literacy and numeracy skills.

As with the education centre in town, painting has been a core component of these classes.

Concurrent with this development, the establishment through Mangkaja Arts of a wider profile for Fitzroy Crossing art in part paved the way for these painters to emerge as a distinct group of Kimberley artists who now exhibit nationally and internationally. It is characteristic for the artists to exhibit as a group.

Although they are not all from the same country, they share Wangkajunga as their common language, and they have very similar histories. Most were born in the desert to the east of the Canning Stock Route and then they shifted into the stations with their grandparents and parents.

Source: Short St. Gallery, Broome