"I think that there's a lack of understanding of what art centres mean to Indigenous communities … on the APY lands they are the only vehicle that's used by elders to impact disadvantage that they face," O'Meara said.
"There are responsibilities for all us to ensure that the money that we're spending on these beautiful art works is impacting where the artists and the elders want it to impact — in their communities, on their country." And while O'Meara said events like the Darwin fair were a great opportunity to purchase art ethically, she said it was critical to remember exploitation in the industry was still rife.
"Our biggest challenge is with unscrupulous private dealers based in Alice Springs — now this seems to be a real area of the marketplace where there hasn't been any solutions," she said. "We're really hoping that government and the various agencies with bigger responsibilities in this area will start taking a bigger interest."
I like the woven pieces, that is genuine culture, but I can't see why they have a right to protect modern derivative designs above what is already protectable under existing laws and applicable to all artists and craftspeople.