Hello, I am Adrienne and I have designed this website tour page to present an overview of selected Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artforms and culture. These include paintings on canvas, bark paintings and artifacts. Aboriginal art is available for viewing and to buy in so many places, from duty free stores to souvenier and theme stores and art galleries. However, I have concentrated this tour primarily on websites that promote and sell this art direct from the Aboriginal communities themselves or those galleries with a special committment to positive relationships with the artists and communities they are from. In this way, the artforms are honored and enjoyed with knowledge and respect of the Aboriginal community and proper channels of trade are followed by which the artists are acknowledged and remunerated appropriately.

.....http://www.jintaart.com.au/art_slide.htm

This site is called Jinta Desert Art and is posted by the Jinta Desert Art Company which is a Sydney based art gallery that specializes in Australian Aboriginal art. I included this site on the tour as it contains various photographs of Aboriginal paintings with interesting and thorough explanations of the painting's "story". This site also discusses Aboriginal tradition, culture and "dreaming". A page is dedicated to artists' biographies which include some statistics about the artist and a photograph. I belive this site is intended to promote the gallery but also the honorouble trading relationship between the gallery and the Aboriginal people who's art they display and sell. This site has a polished layout and I believe it achieve's it's aims of a high quality facility with genuine and positive links with Aboriginal art and community.

This site would appeal to anyone who wants to view samples of Aboriginal painting and gain overviews as to the popular themes of this artwork. There is a lot of information available if you choose look at all of the links and pages. This site offers a good mixture of visual delights and interesting facts. Via the website you can contact the gallery to add your name to the mailing list, request further information or apply for a password to their art exhibition pages. The site is well laid out and easy to navigate. The download time of the photographs and picutes is rapid and the color scheme and overal design is uncluttered and tasteful.

http://www.dacou.com.au/index.html#anchor199455....

This site is owned by DACOU Aboriginal Gallery (this is also the site's name). The gallery is located at SalisburyPlain, South Australia. The art galley is owned and run by Aboriginal people. The gallery features the work of artists from the "Utopia" region, which is located 270km North-East of Alisce Springs. The art gallery was set up so than Aboriginal artists would have a base where their art could be exibited and sold both within Australia - to Australians and overseas visitors. The website álso allows the wares of this gallery to be viewed by the world and opens up further channels by which people can go "direct" to Aboriginal communities to find and purchase their art. I believe the Aboriginal people from the Utopia region have a wonderful wesite that succeeds in its purpose of providing direct links between themselves and the world at large in promoting Aboriginal art and culture.

This site opens with an enjoyable, though short, music file featuring the sounds of a didgeridoo. The site is simply set up and the home page features various links to other pages on the site such as meet the artists, current exhibitions and links to other sites of interest. There are plently of wonderful paintings to be seen on this site. Each artist has a link to their own page which features a short biography or "story" about the artist and also shows some of their paintings. The site layout is simple and easy to navigate. The black background somehow seems drab at times however when viewing the paintings it does reduce distraction, and highlights the painting itself. The site is for those interested in Aboriginal art, culture and the artisits themselves. It is a worthwhile stop to browse and learn more about the fascinating Aboriginal culture. 

.....http://www.boomerangart.com.au/index.htm

This site is owned by Boomerang Arts and Crafts which is located in Glenelg, South Australia. The site is Called Boomerang Art. There is very little on the site about the owners of the "gallery" or the history behind it. It is stated however, that the gallery has direct contact with some of the artists. I believe the purpose of this site is to promote quality Aboriginal artwork, books and artifacts. I feel that the gallery would have positive trade relations with the Aboriginal communities where the art originates. The site features, bark paintings, canvas paintings, didgeridoos and many books. Several artists are featured with a short biography and pictures of their work.

The home page feautes a picture of the gallery offering a warm welcome to visit and a scrolling banner with the gallery's name. The layout is uncluttered and easy to read. Some of the links to other pages are in the form of graphic images of Aboriginal art which provide an interesting change from the plain text found on the rest of the site. The images load quickly and most of the picutes are of a high quality showing the art or artifact in good detail. The books on offer cover many topics including Aboriginal art, folk lore, legends, culture, myths & legends, "dreaming", languages, Aboriginal "bush food and medicine. There is also a page dedicated to Aboriginal children's story books. The art, artifacts and books can all be ordered via the website and there is a link to send mail to the gallery. This site is an example of a more purely commercial site than others on this tour page. I do believe however, that the site is a good resource for books, art and artifacts and in this way the owners have achieved their purpose.

.....http://aboriginalart.com.au/gallery/index.html.....

This site is called Aboriginal Art and Culture Centre and is owned by the Pwerte Marnte Marnte Aboriginal Corporation. This organisation is run, owned and contributed to by members of it's community / family , the Southern Arrernte tribal group whose homeland is situated 100 km south of Alice Springs, near Rainbow Valley. There are approximately 700 members that make up the community/family - there are presently 5 staff and 3 directors in the organisation.

The purpose of the site is to provide a centralised resource by which the Arrernte tribal group can post information, advertise and sell their artworks and also promote their planned tourism facility in Alice Springs. The site appears dedicated also to become a comprehensive resource for for anyone interested in Aboriginal issues with information on the site about Aboriginal culture, history, tradition, art and community. Land and development iniatives are also addressed. This site really is a must see. It is professionally laid out with lots of interesting information, images and pictures set out in an easy to read yet eye catching fashion. The site is beautifully balanced with so much information and so much to see and learn without being overwhelming or repetitive. It is sure to be one that warrants a place in your favourites list so you can come back and look as it develops and new information is added. This site is valuable for all ages. This site would be useful for junior school projects up to any age or academic level. The owners of this site must be congratulated on the content, layout and thought put into this site - it gets the message about their community and so many other issues out into the world where other people can look and learn about it.

....http://www.ozemail.com.au/~hallpa/indexb.html ...

This site is called Aboriginal Fine Art of Australia and is owned by a company of the same name (but formerly known as Aboriginal Art Investments of Australia). The gallery of the "ÄFA" , as they are known, is located in Darwin. This organisation has developed with a strong committment to promoting the artwork and culture of Australia's indigenous people. The purpose of the site is to promote and sell various types of Aboriginal art from artistists and communities throughout Australia. Via this site you can search for specific art types, specific artists or have the gallery source artwork for you.

The site is comprehensive and focuses on artist information and Aboriginal artwork available from various areas in Australia. Featured artwork includes paintings on canvas & bark and also artifacts such as baskets, mats, weaving, carvings and didgeridoos. The site has lots of information about the artists and pictures of their work. You can contact the gallery via an e-mail link and also enquire about the purchase of goods. The site is informative but does lack the richness of color and design found on previous sites on this tour. It does have less information about Aboriginal history and culture than other sites on this tour but is still a good stop to take a look certain artforms that you may not have seen before. This site is suitable for people of all ages but is targeted at those who have a desire to know more about Aboriginal artisits and to purchase Australian Indigenous art.