First Lights – Winthu Wangga

About the artists

Dr Charmaine Papertalk Green

Dr. Charmaine Papertalk Green was born at Eradu (between Geraldton and Mullewa) on Southern Yamaji country. She is a member of the Wajarri, Badimaya and Nhanagardi Wilunyu cultural groups of Yamaji Nation in Western Australia. Green is a visual artist, poet and writer and began writing poetry in Mullewa in the late 1970’s. Charmaine was instrumental in the incubation of the nationally and internationally touring exhibition “Ilgarijiri – Things belonging to the Sky” arts and cultural project a Yamaji Art collaboration with the Curtin Institute of Radio Astronomy Curtin University, Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project Australian Government and City of Greater Geraldton. Her publications include Just Like That (Fremantle Art Press 2007); Tiptoeing Tod the Tracker (Oxford University Press 2014); collaboration with WA poet John Kinsella, False Claim of Colonial Thieves (Magabala Books 2018); Nganajungu Yagu (Cordite Publishing Inc.’s 2019); and numerous anthologies and other publications.

In 2019 Charmaine was shortlisted in Adelaide Festival John Bray Award 2020 and the ALS Gold Medal 2019 for False Claim of Colonial Thieves. In 2020 Charmaine won the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards 2020 poetry category, shortlisted for the Australian Literature Society Gold Medal (2020) winning the ALS Gold Medal 2020 and shortlisted in the 2020 Queensland Premiers Literary Award Judith Wright Calanthe Prize for Nganajungu Yagu (Cordite Publishing Inc). 

Nicole Dickerson

Nicole Dickerson is a proud Yama(t)ji Woman from Geraldton WA, she is connected to the Amangu, Naaguja, Wilunyu People & also to the Ngarluma people on her Mother’s side.  Her current practice reflects the feelings of her personal narrative. Her work is influenced both by contemporary Aboriginal art and her strong tie to where she comes from, through sharing stories, memories of family traditions & times spent at special places. In Nicole’s work, she uses fine intricate line design and bright colours, which adds uniqueness to her style. Her main medium is acrylic on canvas and on local scallop shells, the dot technique is also used, but in a more contemporary way.  Nicole’s artwork is bold, poetic and she always puts her soul into everything created, which is evident in her artwork, it’s her form of healing, it’s her strength, it’s her words when she cannot speak and most importantly it’s her story.