Carrolup art

30/06/2023

My Good Friend, Noelene White RIP

It is with deep regret and great sadness that I have to announce that Noelene Melville White, beloved daughter of Carrolup teachers Noel and Lily White, passed away Sunday night in Perth. She was 89 years old. I received the news Tuesday morning from Noelene’s close friend Stephanie […]
23/12/2022

Looking for a Last Minute Christmas Present?

Then why not check out my eBook Connection: Aboriginal Child Artists Captivate Europe, written with John Stanton, which is available via Amazon, Apple or Kobo (price: £4.99, A$9.99, US$6.99, €5.99)? You, or a family member or friend, can read the book on a phone, other hand-held device or computer. […]
16/08/2022

Cliff Ryder’s Artwork Returns Home

Last week, I wrote about the beautiful relationship John and I have with the family of Cliff Ryder, one of the renowned Aboriginal child artists of Carrolup. There, I linked to the nine blog posts I have written about the family over the past three years, in particular […]
02/08/2022

Magical Happenings in Carrolup Schoolroom and Beyond

Some months ago, I thought it was time to write a blog post summarising major happenings at Carrolup Native Settlement during the second half of the 1940s. However, I didn’t post the summary immediately and then forgot all about it. Recently, I was going through the website database […]
09/03/2022

The First Carrolup Art Exhibition in England, July 1950

I was writing a new blog post this morning when I realised that I had not previously included a section from my book Connection: Aboriginal Child Artists Captivate Europe about the first exhibition of the Carrolup children’s art in England. Here is that section: “In their book, Child […]
05/12/2021

John Stanton Interview, Part 2

In a previous blog post, I linked to three film clips from the interview I did on the 6th of October 2017 with my colleague John Stanton about the Aboriginal child artists of Carrolup. Here are three more film clips from this interview, all which are on The Carrolup […]
01/11/2021

Noelene White Interview, 2005

Noelene, along with her siblings Janette (Jenny) and Ross, went with her parents Noel and Lily White to Carrolup Native Settlement in May 1946. She was 12 years old at the time. John first met Noelene in 1985 and learnt a lot from her about the Aboriginal children […]
18/10/2021

Carrolup Artworks Displayed in India

On the 19th of August 1949, the following article appeared in the Great Southern Herald newspaper: ‘The art of Carrolup native children is to be shown at exhibitions in various countries arranged by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. Through the Education Department, 28 water colours, […]
13/10/2021

Letters from Two Royal Houses

In the second half of the 1940s, the artworks of the Aboriginal children of Carrolup captivated audiences in the south-west of Western Australia and then in cities around Australia and New Zealand. In the early 1950s, audiences in the Netherlands, England and Scotland were captivated. Amazingly, staff from […]
11/10/2021

Development of the Carrolup Art: Charles Crabbe’s Letter

I first wrote about local Department of Education school inspector Charles ‘Sammy’ Crabbe back in March 2020. He played a pivotal role in helping Noel White connect with the Aboriginal children of Carrolup, and in the development and promotion of the Carrolup children’s art. Noel was a close […]
04/10/2021

Development of the Carrolup Children’s Art: Noel White’s Role

It is important to emphasise again that teacher Noel White was not teaching the children of Carrolup to draw from his own skills as an artist. He did not paint or draw. However, he no doubt influenced the children, as both Sammy Crabbe and he describe. The following […]
21/09/2021

Facilitating Healing at Carrolup, Part 2

I continue my article focused on the process of healing that occurred at Carrolup Native Settlement. These sections are taken from my eBook Connection: Aboriginal Child Artists Captivate Europe. ‘Prior to November 1946, the children had been closeted away on the Settlement. However, they were taken to the […]
10/05/2021

Development of the Carrolup Children’s Art

In a previous blog, I described how the children’s art was initially just one aspect of a school curriculum that used drawing as the necessary means of communication in almost every subject. Early in 1947, Noel introduced a scheme where he and his wife spent time with the children five […]
14/04/2021

Carrolup Art at the Katanning Show, 1948

In an early blog, I described how the children of Carrolup first attended the Katanning Show in November, 1946. They also attended the Show the following year and again in 1948. Here is what I wrote in my book Connection: Aboriginal Child Artists Captivate Europe about this latter […]
07/04/2021

Boans Exhibition of Carrolup Drawings, Part 2

In a previous blog, I described how the Carrolup children’s art was exhibited in the ‘Crystal Section’ of Boans, the largest department store in Perth, from October 21 to October 24, 1947, thanks to the initiative of teacher John Stokes. The exhibition of over 400 Carrolup drawings was opened by Western […]
31/03/2021

Out To Prove

In a previous blog, I highlighted the pivotal role that teacher Noel White played in the development of the art of the Aboriginal children of Carrolup Native Settlement. We know from a letter written by School Inspector Sammy Crabbe to Dr Kenneth Stewart Cunningham, Director of the Australian […]
03/03/2021

A Pivotal Role: Noel White

Teacher Noel White [left side, just behind children in the above photograph] played a pivotal role in the development of the Carrolup children’s art, as described by John Stanton in the film clip below. Noel first connected with the children and helped them overcome their fear. He provided […]
15/02/2021

Appeldoorn Exhibition of Carrolup Art, Part 2

In my last blog, I revealed that the first exhibition  of the Carrolup children’s art organised in Europe by Mrs Florence Rutter took place in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands in June 1950.  I described how Florence kept a book of letters and comments from people who attended her Carrolup […]
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