Shanna Napanangka Williams Australian, Warlpiri, b. 1988

Shanna Napanangka Williams was born in 1988 in Alice Springs Hospital, the closest hospitalto Yuendumu , a remote Aboriginal community located 290 km north-west of Alice Springs inthe NT of Australia. Shanna is the great grand-daughter of Paddy Japaljarri Sims (Dec) andBessie Nakamarra Sims (Dec), two of the founding artists of Warlukurlangu Artists AboriginalCorporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed Art Centre located in Yuendumu. Shanna hasbeen painting with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, since 2002, when she was14 years of age. She began painting during the school holidays when the art centre rancultural maintenance programs for the school children. Shanna paints her father’s Jukurrpastories, Dreamings which relate directly to her land, its features and the plants and animals thatinhabit it. These stories were passed down to her by her father andher great grandfather.Shanna uses an unrestricted palette, building on traditions that stretch back at least fiftymillennia, developing a modern interpretation of her traditional culture. The Sims family isindicative of how community based the art centre is with 4 generations actively participating inart centre activities at the sametime. Shanna attended the local Yuendumu School. She isnow a fulltime mum looking after her two children Ivan and Diona. When she is not painting orlooking after her children she likes to go hunting. She particularly likes hunting for Honey ants