The Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Belongs On Your Bucket List
- Words by Peppermint
Fancy a chance to thaw those frigid digits while mingling with the big guns of Australian Indigenous art? If a Top End escape is on the cards, we suggest you time that sun-soaked break for the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair. Running from 6 to 11 August 2024, this annual event brings together the work of more than 1500 artists and designers, plus industry buyers and enthusiasts of all stripes.
Of course, there are workshops to get stuck into, plus painting demos, dance performances and panel discussions. Held on Larrakia Country, at the Darwin Convention Centre, the fair drew a crowd of almost 16,000 last year (plus more than 13,000 people shopped the goods online). And did we mention that entry is free?
Every dollar made from art sales goes directly to the remote community-owned art centres. And with more than 70 centres attending – representing makers from the desert to the coast – you’ll be blown away by the diversity of the work. Expect prints, carvings and canvas paintings, plus fibre art, textiles and clothing.
top JOY GARLBIN, BABBARRA WOMEN’S CENTRE; FABRIC DESIGN BY KAREN SHUAN, YALANJI ARTS (PHOTO BY ALISON GEORGE, CATSEYE PRODUCTIONS); REGINA WILSON, DURRMU ARTS (PHOTO BY LEICOLHN MCKELLAR) THE RED FLAG DANCERS middle DAPHNE BANYAWARRA FROM RAMINGINING (PHOTO BULUBULA ARTS) bottom (left) THE RED FLAG DANCERS
As for workshops, there’s plenty on offer, from shell-and-raffia jewellery-making taught by Torres Strait artisans to watercolour landscape sessions, where you’ll have the opportunity to paint alongside artists inspired by the Hermannsburg School, including the descendants of Albert Namatjira. For those in the industry, there are free professional development sessions, including grant-writing and concept-planning workshops. Little artists will be kept busy, too, with free painting and lino-printing classes.
top KEN WAYNE KANTILLA, NGARUWANAJIRRI ART CENTRE; WIK & KUGU ARTS CENTRE; JULIEANNE NGWARRAYE MORTON, ARTISTS OF AMPILATWATJA bottom YN THORPE, KAIELA ARTS (PHOTO BY JAMES HENRY)
Over the years, fashion has become a major part of the program. For the full experience, we suggest you snap up seats at the Country to Couture Runway Shows (full disclosure: Peppermint happens to be the biased – and very excited – Premium Media Partner). There will be 22 stunning collections to admire, featuring the big names of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island design community (including Gammin Threads, Magpie Goose and Ikuntji Artists), plus non-Indigenous collaborators (among them, Linda Jackson AO and Akira Isogawa).
THE DARWIN ABORIGINAL ART FAIR RUNS FROM 6 TO 11 AUGUST 2024 ON LARRAKIA COUNTRY AT DARWIN CONVENTION CENTRE. FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO DAAF.COM.AU.
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Look, I don’t want to make anyone panic but IT’S DECEMBER!!! If you’re planning to give homemade gifts, you’re going to have to act fast. …
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This is a much-loved staple, created for Issue 50 in 2021. We love seeing the #PeppermintPaddingtonTop continually popping up in our feeds!
How stunning is our model Elon MelaninGoddessEfon – she told us it was one of the first times she had been asked to come to a shoot with her natural hair. 🌻
We worked with South African patternmaker Sarah Steenkamp of @FrenchNavyNow_ to create this wardrobe essential – the perfect puff-sleeve blouse. Raglan sleeves make it the ultimate beginner sew, plus the gorgeous back buttons let you add your own personal twist.
Pattern via the link in bio! 🪡
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Fabric: @Spoonflower
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“In the 1940’s, Norwegians made and wore red pointed hats with a tassel as a form of visual protest against Nazi occupation of their country. Within two years, the Nazis made these protest hats illegal and punishable by law to wear, make, or distribute. As purveyors of traditional craft, we felt it appropriate to revisit this design.”
Crafters have often been at the heart of many protest movements, often serving as a powerful means of political expression. @NeedleAndSkein, a yarn store in Minnesota, are helping to mobilise the craftivists of the world with a ‘Melt The Ice’ knitting pattern created by @Yarn_Cult (with a crochet pattern too), as a way of peaceful protest.
The proceeds from the $5 pattern will go to local immigrant aid organisations – or you can donate without buying the pattern.
Raise those needles, folks – art and craft can change the world. 🧶
Link in bio for the pattern.
Images: @Gather_Fiber @NeedleAndSkein @a2ina2 @KyraGiggles Sandi.204 @WhatTracyMakes AllieKnitsAway Auntabwi2
#MeltTheIce #Craftivism #Knitting #CraftForChange
TWO WEEKS TO GO! 🤩
"The most important shift is moving from volume-led buying to value-led curation – choosing fewer, better products with strong ethics, considered production and meaningful stories. Retailers have real influence here: what you buy signals what you stand for. At Life Instyle, this means using the event to discover and invest in small-scale, planet-considerate brands that align with your values and your customer’s conscience. Consumers don’t need more things; they need better things, and retailers play a key role in selecting, contextualising, and championing why those products matter."
Only two more weeks until @Life_Instyle – Australia`s leading boutique retail trade show. If you own a store, don`t miss this event! Connect with designers, source exquisite – and mindful – products, and see firsthand why this is Australia’s go-to trade show for creatives and retailers alike. And it`s free! ✨️
Life Instyle – Sydney/Eora Country
14-17 February 2026
ICC, Darling Harbour
Photos: @Samsette
#LifeInstyle #SustainableShopping #SustainableShop #RetailTradeEvent
Calling all sewists! 📞
Have you made the Peppermint Waratah Wrap Dress yet? Call *1800 I NEED THIS NOW to get making!
This gorgeous green number was modelled (and made) by the fabulous Lisa of @Tricky.Pockets 🙌🏼
If you need a nudge, @ePrintOnline are offering Peppermint sewists a huge 🌟 30% off ALL A0 printing 🌟 when you purchase the Special Release Waratah Wrap Dress pattern – how generous is that?!
Head to the link in bio now 📞
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8 Things to Know About January 26 - from @ClothingTheGaps:
Before you celebrate, take the time to learn the truth. January 26 is not a day of unity it’s a Day of Mourning and Survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
It marks the beginning of invasion, dispossession, and ongoing colonial violence. It’s time for truth-telling, not whitewashed history.
Stand in solidarity. Learn. Reflect. Act.
✊🏽 Blog written by Yorta Yorta woman Taneshia Atkinson.
🔗 Link in bio of @ClothingTheGaps to read the full blog
#ChangeTheDate #InvasionDay #SurvivalDay #AlwaysWasAlwaysWillBe #ClothingTheGaps
As the world careens towards AI seeping into our feeds, finds and even friend-zones, it`s becoming increasingly hard to ignore.
We just wanted to say that here at Peppermint, we are choosing to not print or publish AI-generated art, photos, words, videos or content.
Merriam-Webster’s human editors chose `slop` as the 2025 Word of the Year – they define it as “digital content of low quality that is produced usually in quantity by means of artificial intelligence.” The problem is, as AI increases in quality, it`s becoming more and more difficult to ascertain what`s real and what`s not.
Let`s be clear here, AI absolutely has its place in science, in climate modelling, in medical breakthroughs, in many places... but not in replacing the work of artists, writers and creatives.
Can we guarantee that everything we publish is AI-free? Honestly, not really. We know we are not using it to create content, but we are also relying on the artists, makers and contributors we work with, as well as our advertisers, to supply imagery, artwork or words created by humans. AI features are also creeping into programs and apps too, making it difficult to navigate. But we will do our best to avoid it and make a stand for the artists and creatives who have had their work stolen and used to train AI machines, and those who are now losing work as they are replaced by this energy-sapping, environment-destroying magic wand.
Could using it help our productivity and bottom line? Sure. And as a small business in a difficult landscape, that`s a hard one to turn down. We know other publishers who use AI to write stories, create recipes, produce photo shoots... but this one is important to us.
`Touch grass` was also a Merriam-Webster Word of the Year. We`ll happily stick with that as a theme, thanks very much. 🌿
