Charles Darwin University Art Collection & Gallery

It has been said that the art collections of regional universities are 'a well-kept secret': the Charles Darwin University Art Collection is no exception, but it is exceptional.

Established in 1980 as an Art School teaching collection, the CDU Art Collection today has a University-wide and NT regional mandate with a focus on community engagement in northern Australia and Southeast Asia. Its permanent holdings comprise close to 2000 works of art.

The Collection features paintings and drawings (mainly works on paper) and works of mixed media, by Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian artists; some sculpture and ceramics; bark paintings; a collection of Indigenous material culture items; and a number of works (paintings, prints and textiles) by artists from Southeast Asia.

It also comprises more than 1000 limited edition prints (workshop proofs) of national and international significance. These include prints produced by Northern Editions' printmaking studio and its predecessor printmaking studio/workshops from 1993 to the present, as well as prints created or editioned by University printmaking staff from the School of Creative Arts and Humanities.

The Collection also includes the Red Hand Print Studio Archive, featuring 79 poster prints produced between 1997-2002, under the management of Darwin-based artist Franck Gohier and ex-Red Planet (Melbourne) printmaker Shaun Poustie.