Floor Talk with Fiona Walsh - Clay on Country

Join Fiona Walsh for an engaging floor talk at the gallery exploring the themes of Putu and Watunuma (Putu is Pitjantjatjara for termite pavement and claypan. There are synonyms in other desert languages. Watunuma is one Manjilyjarra and Walpiri term for flying termites).
Dr Fiona Walsh

Fiona is an ethno-ecologist who is curious about people and plants, country and its creatures. Her home is Mparntwe / Alice Springs on Arrernte Country. Her family are fifth generation settlers on Yamatji and Whadjuk Noongar places. Fiona learnt about bush foods from Martu people in the 1980s and 90s. She has a PhD in Biology and Anthropology. Her passion is to collaborate and support Aboriginal people to record deep and complex knowledges especially to help teach their younger generations. She’s worked for Central Land Council, CSIRO and other organisations. Fiona is currently a Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia and ARC Centre for Indigenous Environmental Histories and Futures. She has co-written many articles, reports and books. She relishes the creativity of storytelling within films and photographs, and collaborations with artists, linguists and others. The linyji fairy circle project co-led by Fiona won a national science award in 2024.  She believes that to know, use and care for country, helps to keep it alive.

Image courtesy of Fiona Webb. 

Print and Play with Tetra Paks, with Sally Mumford

1:00pm – 4:30pm 28 March 2026


Tickets: $20, Link: Print and Play with Tetra Paks, with Sally Mumford

Discover the creative potential of recycled Tetra Pak cartons (juice, milk, soup containers). These cartons can be incised like traditional dry point etching, cut, and peeled to produce unique textures. The process is non-toxic, accessible, and full of surprising results.

Bring your curiosity and enjoy a playful, hands-on printmaking session!

Sally Mumford

Sally Mumford is a visual artist based in Mparntwe (Alice Springs). Her many years immersed in the Central Australian environment deeply informs her artistic practice. Working primarily in printmaking and drawing, she explores contemporary environmental and cultural issues with a quiet, contemplative energy.

She is currently a lecturer at Charles Darwin University, Academy of the Arts, where she regularly facilitates workshops for Central Australian First Nations artists. Sally enjoys experimenting with diverse printmaking techniques, drawing inspiration from the desert landscape.

Image courtesy of Dr Fiona Walsh

Featured Work:

Ankerre Ankerre, 2024
Dry point etching using Tetra Pak on paper
25 x 30 cm
Image credit: S. Mumford

Developed by Artback NT to coincide with the 16th Australian Ceramics Triennale in Mparntwe / Alice Springs, Clay on Country brings together 32 artists and collectives from across the central desert. The works reflect ancestral stories, contemporary experiences and settler histories alongside the joys and challenges of making with clay, the push and pull of this most tactile of materials.

Curated by Jo Foster and Neridah Stockley, Clay on Country is proudly toured by Artback NT with the support of Creative Australia and Visions of Australia
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Please note that photographs and footage will be taken throughout the evening. These will be used by the Gallery for publicity and reporting in our publications, on our website and in social media. Young people aged under 18 years must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.