Ada BIRD PETYARRE c. 1930 - 2009

Ada Bird Petyarre was born around 1930 on the old Utopia station at Atnangkere. Ada was an Anmatyerr speaker, she spent her younger years assisting with work on the station and looking after goats.

Ada was an acclaimed artist and elder of the Utopia community. She was well known for her vibrant Awelye body paint designs and for her distinctive representation of Arnkerrthe (Mountain Devil Lizard) paintings. Ada also painted a variety of other Dreaming images including Bush Bean, Emu, Pencil Yam, and Grass Seed in common with Emily Kngwarreye and Gloria Petyarre.

Ada was the eldest of the Seven Sisters Petyarre (Kathleen, Gloria, Nancy, Violet, Myrtle and Jean), all sisters are well known artists. The sisters share the same dreaming stories. (Seven Sisters is a reference to the mythological dreamtime story- Seven Sisters Dreaming)