Legacy, Lineage, and the Market: Honouring Jorna Newberry and the Future of Western Desert Art: Exhibition Launch and Keynote Discussion

May 29, 2025 
Overview
Open a larger version of the following image in a popup: Legacy, Lineage, and the Market: Honouring Jorna Newberry and the Future of Western Desert Art, Exhibition Launch and Keynote Discussion
Talk starts at 6:30pm Runs from 6 - 8pm

About the talk

Nanda\Hobbs is proud to present a powerful Keynote Discussion to officially launch our latest major exhibition, celebrating the late Jorna Newberry: a Pitjantjatjara artist whose luminous, meditative canvases earned her a place amongst the most innovative painters of the current Western Desert art movement. This is the first time since her passing in February 2025 that the public will be able to access the last of her richly expressive paintings in one place.

 

To mark the opening, we invite our patrons and supporters—as well as new and established collectors—to join us in the gallery for an educational evening and intimate discussion on Jorna's extraordinary life and legacy, and the future of the Western Desert Art Movement. 

 

This is a unique opportunity to listen and learn from Director, Ralph Hobbs and respected author, Dr. Ken McGregor as they unpack the complexity of collecting First Nation artists and the future of the market.

 

Key Topics

Jorna Newberry: Why her work matters now more than ever

  • A deep dive into Newberry's artistic legacy; her connection to cultural inheritance, her distinct painterly language, and why her work holds enduring appeal for serious collectors and institutions.

What's happening in the Western Desert Art Movement today?

  • An examination of the current creative energy coming out of key art centres across the APY and Ngaanyatjarra lands, and the evolving visual language emerging from remote communities.

Demystifying Indigenous Art collecting: Things to know

  • Exploring truths and misconceptions: from ethical acquisition to market value and authenticity—and how collectors can engage meaningfully with desert works.

Generational shifts: The rise of Second and Third generation artists

  • Second- and third-generation artists are now forging new directions in the Indigenous Art Movement, while honouring ancestral narratives. What does this intergenerational evolution mean for the movement and its future?

Looking Forward: The Future of the Desert Movement

  • From increased institutional support to international recognition, the talk will forecast what's shaping the next chapter of the Western Desert movement, and why it matters now more than ever.

The Market and Investment: What's driving value now?

  • What's driving the market? Which works are being acquired? Who's collecting, and why? A candid look at investment, value, and the role of collectors in sustaining legacy.
What's collectable and what's not
  • How do you know what makes a work significant? Hobbs and McGregor share decades of experience in understanding artistic merit, provenance, and market viability.
This talk is more than a reflection. It's an invitation to understand, to celebrate, and to invest in the oldest continuing vital culture in the world.