Aboriginal Culture, Heritage
& Arts Association of NSW

A strong, culturally sensitive and innovative space

The Dunghutti-Ngaku Aboriginal Art Gallery (DNAAG) is a small-scale community-based gallery located in Kempsey. As indicated in the name, the gallery is situated on the traditional lands of the Dunghutti nation.

The Macleay Valley is the heartland of the Dunghutti people, with their ancient culture connecting to the present day. Extending from the east coast to the tablelands in the west, Dunghutti country encompasses Kempsey, Bellbrook, and the towns of the Macleay Valley Coast.

The Dunghutti people have an unbroken connection to the land and this is expressed through their artmaking and through the maintenance of the Dunghutti language and cultural practices.

There are significant Dunghutti cultural sites on the Macleay Valley Coast – including middens and a fish trap in the Limeburner’s Creek Nature Reserve and a Bora Ring at Richardson’s Crossing just north of Crescent Head.

Along the creeks and on the tablelands of the Macleay River hinterland, stone implements have been found, as well as spears, boomerangs, shields, digging sticks, and water and food carriers. Sacred sites were marked by scarred trees, and axe-grinding grooves have also been found.

DNAAG maintains a significant cultural presence on the NSW Mid North Coast, providing services which continue to reflect its original stated mission:

To assist in the cultural development and economic sustainability of the Aboriginal visual arts industry for the Dunghutti-Ngaku and other Aboriginal artists residing on the mid north coast of NSW through a strong, culturally sensitive, and innovative Gallery.

The Dunghutti-Ngaku Aboriginal Art Gallery (DNAAG) was established in 2008 and was developed in response to community discussions and planning for an Aboriginal Cultural Centre in Kempsey, NSW.

Through the development of an initial business plan during an eight-month consultation process, it was identified that there was a specific need for the facility, and that there was overwhelming community support for the establishment of an Aboriginal Art Gallery.

This initial and ongoing need centres on a range of factors including:

• There is a need for a designated, specific outlet for Aboriginal visual art display and marketing in the Macleay River Valley, there being a significant number of practicing Aboriginal artists living in the region.
• There has been a history of visual arts training for local Aboriginal artists (Digay Centre, TAFE; CDEP-funded support for artists). As a result, there are emerging artists keen to develop their visual art practice and who continue to benefit from an outlet for the professional presentation and marketing of their work.

DNAAG’s current operations are influenced and moderated by established relationships with key partnerships.

The gallery benefits from recurrent Australian Government Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support (IVAIS)

The gallery operates under the auspices of the Durri Aboriginal Corporation Medical Service, which offers both professional and business support. Durri ACMS was established in 1976. The name Durri means "to grow in good health" and was bestowed upon the organisation by members of the local Aboriginal community.

Through in-kind support from the Kempsey Shire Council, the gallery is housed in the Val Melville Centre - a building designed by internationally renowned architect Glen Murcutt. The building attracts Australian and international visitors with an expressed interest in the arts who then visit the gallery.

The gallery maintains an active website providing information to a broader public.