Our Lady of the Assumption Feast Day, August 15th, 2007. Dancers from Kalumburu in the north Kimberley, young and old, gather for the procession to the outdoor Mass, to honour Our Lady and remember their foundation day.
Photo: CAS

"Let them dance in praise of his name, playing to him on strings and drums!"
Psalm 149:3

Issue 7, November 2007, Highlights:

Editorial

Viewpoint

New Staff Member

Caritas - Caritas applauds Indigenous communities doing it for themselves

WYD08 - World Youth Day

The Blake Art Prize - A Kimberley Winner

That's what they do - Army Reservist to Footy Coach

Larger view of cover image

KCP Magazine

The Blake Art Prize – A Kimberley Winner

The Blake Art Prize, Australia’s most prestigious religious art award, has been won by a Kimberley Aboriginal artist, Shirley Purdie, of the Warmun Community.

Her rendition of Catholic devotional Stations of the Cross is painted in a distinctive motif reflective of the renowned Warmun art school. The large canvas features outlines of the hilly country that marks that part of the Kimberley as being so remarkable and each Station is painted in specially prepared local ochres.

Shirley says she wished to express her beliefs and practice in a way that combined naturally with her country which figures prominently as her spiritual foundation.

Bishop Christopher Saunders, Bishop of the Kimberley, said the award not only recognizes Shirley Purdie’s talent and giftedness but is also a resounding compliment to indigenous art particularly the Warmun School of Art. “This prize recognizes the coming of age of Warmun art in the mind of mainstream Australia. Shirley’s ability to reflect Catholic devotional practices in a manner compatible with her distinctive art style points to the richness of ‘two-way learning’ and definitely reflects the synergy of two traditions in a way that makes the Kimberley unique as part of an emerging Australian culture”.

Pic: Artist, Shirley Purdie. Photo: T Morellini rsj

Pic: Stations of the Cross - Shirley Purdie.

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