23cmD x 8cmH

Tjanpi Desert Weavers operates as a social enterprise under the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) Women’s Council, engaging women in the remote Central and Western desert regions to generate income through contemporary fibre art. The term "Tjanpi," meaning grass in Pitjantjatjara language, symbolizes the collaboration of over 400 Anangu/Yarnangu women artists hailing from 26 distant communities across the NPY lands.

These skilled Tjanpi artists utilize native grasses to craft remarkable contemporary fibre art, skillfully weaving intricate baskets and sculptures that showcase boundless creativity and ingenuity. Rooted in the traditional art of making manguri rings, the practice of working with fibre has evolved into an integral aspect of Central and Western desert culture.

"Marlene Connolly Smith is minyma Anangu, a Pitjantjatjara woman from the Central Desert area of Australia. She lives in the remote community of Kaltukatjara (Docker River) in the Northern Territory, on her traditional lands in the Petermann Ranges. She began weaving in 2004, and has continued to make baskets with Tjanpi ever since."