Sisters Tamisha and Montana Williams are learning the art of stretching canvas and material handling at the highly successful Martumili gallery in Newman. 

The two trainees are part of a pilot Supported Accommodation program with the Newman Women’s Shelter and live in a BHP house. The Newman Women’s Shelter provides a range of support services, which allow Tamisha and Montana to focus on their day-to-day work and learn skills to live independently.

As part of their work at Martumili, the girls took a trip to Melbourne to visit prestigious art suppliers, Chapman & Bailey, to discover the materials used in the art process.

Tamisha and Montana also install artwork for exhibitions, working with curators and operating a scissor lift.

Their work often involves marketplace sales, photography, filming and story recording for cultural purposes.

It’s a family affair, with the two sisters recently supporting their brother Corban to install his art exhibition in Port Hedland, which showed his grandfather’s Country of Kaalpa (Well 23 on the Canning Stock Route).

“Having our own home makes us happy,” said Tamisha. Tamisha said her favorite part of working at Martumili is helping the old people, getting them paints, making tea and handing out lunch.

“I also like mixing paint and making new colours, priming and stretching the canvases too.”

BHP is proud to have supported Martumili Artists and the Newman Women’s Shelter for several years, helping artists and women find a voice … and a home.

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