FORM Building a State of Creativity and Spinifex Hill Studio

For nearly two decades, cultural organisation FORM Building a State of Creativity has worked to support the creative community of Western Australia’s remote Pilbara region. In 2008, realising there was no established support for Aboriginal artists living in the Hedland area, FORM starting providing materials, art sessions and mentoring opportunities specifically so that local artists could paint together and develop their practices. This group of artists were the foundation of the collective that now paints at Spinifex Hill Studio, one of Australia’s most dynamic art centres, and the only Aboriginal art collective in the wider Hedland area.

In 2014, with the support of Principal Partner BHP, FORM established the Studio’s permanent home in South Hedland. This is essentially FORM’s base in the Pilbara, and the Studio’s Aboriginal and nonAboriginal support and management personnel are part of the FORM team. From Monday to Friday the Studio opens to facilitate the practices of a core group of around twenty artists daily, however around a hundred artists are associated with the Studio and will paint there when in town. With a focus on acrylic painting, artists are given professional support in the preparation, creation and documentation of artwork. They are also given transport to and from the studio, lunch, and the opportunity to work with studio staff in refining their paintings for exhibitions, awards, markets and other professional opportunities.

Artists regularly participate in major national exhibitions and events, and are represented in national collections including the Janet Holmes à Court Collection, the Art Gallery of South Australia, The Art Gallery of Western Australia, Curtin University, Flinders University Art Museum, the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, and the Western Australian Museum.

The aim has been to make the Studio a safe, holistic and dynamic environment for artists, and it has grown into an important cultural and community place for South Hedland and the wider Pilbara region. It is unique in Australia as an urban-based art centre representing Aboriginal artists from numerous cultural backgrounds and language groups; there is no dominant ‘house style,’ rather the Studio supports an eclectic range of art practices in recognition of the diversity of Indigenous experience.

Many artists have been able to build esteem and pride through their art making, gain confidence to share stories in a culturally appropriate way, travel outside their home region to attend exhibitions and art fairs, and create new income streams for themselves and their families. Most importantly, the Studio has supported the artists in articulating their culture to audiences around Australia and the world, helping build the reputation of the Pilbara as a dynamic cultural and artistic artmaking region.