Wangka Wakaṉutja: The Story of the Papunya Literature Production Centre Exhibition

Between 1979 and 1990, the Papunya Literature Production Centre (PLPC) produced hundreds of Pintupi-Luritja bilingual readers guided by the community’s Elders, among them pioneers of the Western Desert Art movement.

The readers – illustrated books – were produced as literacy tools for local schoolchildren and tell stories of first contact, Dreamings, community life, plants, animals and more. The exhibition, ‘Wangka Wakaṉutja: The Story of the Papunya Literature Production Centre’, brings the readers to life and builds on a recent exhibition on show at the Library and Archives NT in Darwin.

The exhibition is curated by Karen McDonald, Roslyn Dixon, Kuḻaṯa Dennis Nelson, Priscilla Brown, Charlotte Phillipus, Vivien Johnson, Samantha Disbray, Dr Guy Hansen, Allister Mills and Loris Gulliver.

The exhibition runs from 4 April to 11 October 2026 and is exclusive to Canberra.

Cultural Advisory Notice: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this exhibition contains a range of material which may be considered culturally sensitive, including the images and records of people who have passed away. Some material in the Library’s collections contains terms that reflect author’s views, or those of the period in which the item was written or recorded but may not be considered appropriate today.