Desart Incorporated

Desart is the peak arts body for over 30 Central Australian Aboriginal Art centres. Our members are community-based enterprises, owned and governed by Aboriginal people, which provide economic, social and cultural benefits to their communities.

Desart is the peak industry body for 35 Central Australian Aboriginal art and craft centres, covering three state borders. Our member art centres are community-based enterprises, owned and governed by Aboriginal people. Desart is committed to supporting Aboriginal art centres, which provide autonomy, sustained growth and stability for Central Australian Aboriginal Communities. Art Centres are a vital part of community life in remote Central Australia, providing income and employment;cultural maintenance;social and cultural activities and the means to celebrate Aboriginal identity. Buying artwork from Aboriginal-owned Art Centres means you are supporting families, jobs, community and the next generation of Aboriginal Artists. Art Centres are important community places. They are innovative and vibrant creative spaces where culture is kept strong, passed on between old and young, and places where Aboriginal people can share their arts and culture with the world.
Desart member art centres are Aboriginal owned and controlled. They are professionally managed to ensure ethical support for the production, marketing and distribution of authentic Aboriginal art. When an artwork is sold from an art centre, most of the funds go to the artist and a small portion is invested back into the art centre for operational costs and community programs.
Art centres are dependent on the income they earn because government funding only pays for some of their operational costs. Some art centres are mobile such as Tjanpi Desert Weavers and Maruku Arts but they are all Aboriginal owned.
Art centres are a vital part of community life in remote Central Australia. As well as providing much-needed income and employment opportunities they support the maintenance of culture in communities by providing a focus for family connection, social and cultural activities and the means to celebrate Aboriginal identity. Art centres are the only sustainable and ethical model with serious government reporting requirements and financial transparencies.  Purchasing and sourcing art from a Desart member art centre provides a guarantee that your artwork is authentic and ethical.
Buying artwork from Aboriginal owned art centres means you are supporting families, jobs, community and the next generation of Aboriginal artists.