16 years ago, Anna Kanaris and Arthur Clarke, her partner in life ‘and crime’, as Anna puts it, started up Artitja Fine Arts Gallery in South Fremantle.
This venture followed Anna’s career in radio – community radio/6UVS/6NR, talks producer; then as an ABC radio-producer – and working as a researcher for the Arts Industry Training Council (now FuturesNow),
Initially, Anna and Arthur found themselves running a successful business in Fremantle Markets but then it grew to become Artitja as we see it today. It’s a lovely story.
Artitja has been the recipient of a number of Fremantle Business Awards:
2018: Finalists: Corporate Social Responsibility | Excellence in Innovation;
2017: Winner: Outstanding Cultural Enterprise;
2016: Winner: Corporate Social Responsibility.
The works Anna and Arthur source are of high quality, as the images accompanying this story show.
You won’t want to miss their next exhibition at Earlywork, 330 South Terrace, South Fremantle commencing 6 June 2020 and featuring works from Melville Island in the Tiwi Islands, and Maningrida. See their website for more details here.
Anna kindly spoke to our Editor, Michael Barker, about the how she got into the Aboriginal art scene, about why she loves Aboriginal art, and about the challenges of running a business, especially in the time of covid.
Here’s the interview .
