Ada Bird Petyarre

DOB: c.1930 - 2009
BORN: Atnangkere, NT
LANGUAGE GROUP: Anmatyerre / Alyawarre
COMMUNITY: Utopia, NT

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Born on the old Utopia station at Atnangkere in 1930, Ada Bird was an Anmatyerre speaker and one of the senior women at Utopia. Her country is Atnangkere and she painted the Angertla (Mountain Devil Lizard), Engcarma (Bean), Unyara (Emu), Annlara (Pencil Yam), Kadjera (Grass seeds), and Elaitchurunga (Small Brown Grass) Dreamings which she shared with Gloria Petyarre, Emily Kngwarreye, Myrtle Petyarre, Kathleen Petyarre, Violet Petyarre and Jeanna Petyarre.

She lived at Mulga Bore (Akaye Soakage) and has been involved with the Utopia Women's batik group since its inception in the late '70s. Her batiks are held in major collections in Australia and overseas. The German film-maker Wim Wenders acquired one of her batiks and gave the artists a role in one of his films, partially shot in Central Australia.

She incorporated both traditional designs and representational elements in her paintings and used linear patterns which are increasingly distinctive of her work. She has two daughters, June and Hilda and four sons Colin, Steven, Paddy and Ronnie.