Last week, Anika Valenti, Senior Associate, travelled with a team from the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), to Maningrida in Arnhem Land. Anika and the team went to visit the Maningrida Arts and Culture centre to speak with artists, sharing knowledge about the continued management of the artworks housed at the MCA since 1994.
Maningrida Arts and Culture is based on Kunibídji country in Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory. The MCA, in Sydney, holds a permanent exhibition of 573 works by Maningrida artists, titled The Maningrida Collection.
The MCA invited Anika to join their trip to inform art centre staff and artists about updates to the agreement between MCA and Maningrida Arts and Culture, originally signed in 1994. Anika facilitated yarns about the agreement and the ongoing protection of intellectual property and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) in the Collection.
Visiting the centre in Maningrida offered an in-person explanation of contract terms and to receive and record staff and artist feedback. Anika said that “It was nice to return to direct, face-to-face engagement with community members, and yarning in-person.”
Some photos from the trip...
