The Hermannsburg Potters are a collective of highly respected senior women artists of the Western Arrarnta (Arrernte) community. Through their vibrant hand-coiled, hand-painted terracotta pots, they tell stories of the local wildlife, Country and everyday life, reflecting their cultural beliefs and traditions. Each of the artists has their own individual style and approach. The pottery is located in Ntaria (Hermannsburg), a former Lutheran mission located 130 km west of Mparntwe (Alice Springs) in the Northern Territory. In the mid-1930s, painter Albert Namatjira developed the watercolour painting style that resonates through the art of the region. South Australian ceramicist Victor Jaensch built a small kiln at the mission in the early 1970s and advised on making clay sculptures. The land was returned to the traditional Arrarnta owners in 1982. Hermannsburg Potters was established in 1990 when Arrarnta Pastor Nahasson Ungwanaka, who had been taught by Jaensch, encouraged the local women to revisit their interest in modelling with a view to creating a viable industry. Ungwanaka invited potter Naomi Sharp to teach the hand-coil technique to the women, including his wife Rahel Ungwanaka Kngwarria. Since then, Hermannsburg Potters has thrived, becoming a source of revenue for the community and an important form of traditional and contemporary expression for the local people. Hermannsburg pots have been widely exhibited and represented in national and international collections.
