Agnes Wilfred

Agnes is an Alawa Mara woman from Minyerri in the Northern Territory. Her mother’s language is Mara, her father’s language is Alawa, and her first language is Kriol. Agnes’ totems are the king brown snake and mermaid. At the start of the textile design process Agnes said, “I’m not an artist but I’m giving it a try”. When she saw the completed prints on clothes she said, “Seeing this now makes me feel like a real artist.” Agnes helped set up the Minyerri Arts and Cultural Centre (MACC) with other community members in 2017, because “old people wanted to acknowledge the young people, and teach them to follow law and culture, and respect each other.”

She says that doing artwork makes her feel good. “Keeps us busy, out of stress, learning about country, and learning from each other.” Alongside her work at the Cultural Centre, Agnes is studying media and bible studies at Nungalinya College in Darwin and is involved in the Gulbarn Tea enterprise.