ATW weavers were inspired and challenged through the translation of Anmanari Brown’s painting Kungkarrkalpa (The Seven Sisters) into tapestry in 2012. Brown was born in Purpurna and is culturally associated with the Pitjantjatjara people of the Northern Territory. She currently lives in the Ngaanyatjarra Lands in Western Australia, painting with the Papulankutja artists.

After being born in Purpurna in the 1930s, Brown grew up in the desert before kartiya (non-Aboriginal people) came to the lands, and eventually settled at Warburton mission in Western Australia.

When creating this painting Brown found herself running out of space on the canvas before her story was complete. She kept on painting—in some cases covering existing images. This created complex colours, with background colours appearing through the foreground imagery. When translating the artwork to a larger scale, the weavers faced the challenge of capturing the texture of the paint and mixed colours of the painting. The original work was generously loaned to the Workshop by Vivien Anderson Gallery. The resultant tapestry is painterly, while still retaining a sense of simplicity and power.

Like many senior Indigenous artists, Brown works in other art forms in addition to painting, including punu (carving utilitarian and sacred objects), tjanpi basket weaving and inma. Her work has been collected by many important national institutions.