Utopia Art Centre

The Utopia Art Centre falls within the umbrella of the Urapuntja Aboriginal Corporation.  The Urapuntja Aboriginal Corporation is an  Alyawarr and Anmatyerr Aboriginal community controlled organisation.  It  is a non for profit organisation, holding charity status. Located on Arlparra Country, 250kms northeast of Alice Springs, Utopia Art Centre works across 16 remote homelands. The Art Centre supports emerging and established artists, providing a space for intergenerational learning and cultural expression in the Homelands. "We’re keeping our generations stronger, through knowledge on our land." - Joyce Pitjara Jones

Utopia artists have produced some of Australia’s most recognisable works of art, within the remote region. Works painted by leading artists who include one of the most prominent and successful of all Australian artists, Emily Kam Kngwarray. Her dreaming continues to be shared through family, having artistically influenced family across the region.

Utopia was one of the first remote area regions to be artistically and commercially successful, with workshops and exhibitions from the late 1970’s and onwards.  While these early successes were built on community-focused activities, this soon shifted.  Aside from a short period around 2001 and 2002, Utopia has never had a community-owned and governed art centre. The dominant commercial practice has been direct artist-dealer relationships and the promotion of individual artists. This independent and free-range approach has created significant controversy, including numerous instances of unethical and/or illegal practice, alongside significant artistic successes. With the opening of the art centre in 2020, in Arlparra Homeland, the artists now have an ethical, safe, and supportive space to create and sell their work. This has helped them become more involved in the national and international economy in a fair and empowering way. Having the space to celebrate their culture and heritage through painting and storytelling.