24 April
Arts Law's former CEO, Robyn Ayres and KWM Solicitor Karen Litherland with participants at the education session at Jilamara

Arts Law & Artists in the Black go on Outreach

Arts Law CEO, Robyn Ayres, and King & Wood Mallesons pro bono lawyers, John Swinson and Karen Litherland travelled to remote Northern Territory earlier this month to visit three First Nations art centres.

Visiting the art centres of Jilamara and Munupi on Melville Island and Bula’bula Arts in Ramingining, Arnhem Land, Robyn, John and Karen worked with local artists and art centre managers to assist with contracts, draft wills and deliver education workshops.

Covering some of Australia’s most remote areas, Robyn says AITB outreach is a way for artists and Indigenous art centres to have access to high quality legal services and support. This is vital to building trust and confidence in Arts Law so that the artists and art centres get help when they need it and are encouraged to put sustainable legal and business practices in place.

Working with staff members Madeline Challender and Talitha Klevjer from the Arnhem, Northern and Kimberley Artists Aboriginal Corporation (ANKA), Robyn says she is excited to continue to visit the region and work with ANKA as part of the Artists in the Black (AITB) outreach.

“We will be visiting the Mangkaja Arts in Fitzroy Crossing, Nagula Jarndu Women’s Art and Resource Centre in Broome in Western Australia and Maningrida Arts and Culture and Bábbarra Women’s Centre in Maningrida in the Northern Territory during May. We will work to deliver education workshops, draft wills for artists and provide legal advice on contracts for artists in these communities.”

“The art centres are very remote from the large metropolitan cities, but all need the same access to high quality legal service and support and Arts Law will be there to deliver these services.”

The Artists in the Black service works with First Nations artists in the provision of legal advice, advocacy, and education.