Photo of artists and staff with painted car bonnet sign to be located at the turnoff on the Plenty Highway.

Sign of the times

Arial photograph of the community of Engwala in Central Australia.

Engawala from the air

About Us

Engawala Art Centre is a not-for-profit business that aims to preserve and promote Aboriginal cultural values of the area. We encourage participation by Aboriginal people in the arts and to promote local Aboriginal arts to the wider community.

The indigenous visual arts and crafts sector is absolutely central to cultural sustainability for Indigenous Australia and is a living demonstration of the continual connection to land, family, dreaming, culture and place that dates back many millennia. Arts practice is a fundamental part of the way of life for Indigenous artists and communities.

Part of the role of the Centre is to provide professional development for local artists in order to increase the scope of their work (e.g. painting, screen printing, pottery, carving etc.). We only sell genuine, original Aboriginal artworks and our membership of the Indigenous Art Code means we treat our artists and customers fairly and with respect.

We bring together community members to develop arts related enterprises involving art sales, exhibitions, tourism experiences and cultural maintenance.

The Centre also provides employment and income in a community where unemployment is very high and there are very few job opportunities.

Artists work at the Centre creating paintings, pottery, printed materials and other artworks. In 2024 the Centre relocated to an old Supermarket which was renovated as an Art Centre and Gallery. It has plenty of space for the production of artworks and is in a central location in the community, opposite the present community store. The Centre also serves as a gallery where visitors are welcome to browse and purchase artworks.