Mary McLean Paintings
Pantjiti Mary McLean is a Ngaatjatjarra artist from Docker River in the Western Desert.
 Mary McLean | Water HoleSold |  Mary McLean | Women Drinking at WaterholeSold |  Pantjiti Mary McLean | People are Camped at a Small RockholeSold |  Mary McLean | People at Camp with GoannaSold |  Mary McLean | People are Camped at a RockholeSold |  Mary McLean | Hey, Come for MiyaSold |
Pantjiti Mary McLean (c 1928-2023) is a Ngaatjatjarra artist, born in the desert south-west of Uluru (Ayers Rock). Her country, and her grandmother’s country, is around Docker River in the Western Desert, near the border corner between Western Australian, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Harsh drought conditions prevailed over the Western Desert from late 1940s into early 1950s, and many desert families had to leave their traditional lands to survive.
Mary McLean with her husband and son, joined many other people to walk huge distances out of the Western Desert through the Warburton Ranges. The people headed towards the settlement of Cosmo Newbury in the Eastern Goldfields, and from there on to Laverton. Government policy at the time ruled that local Aboriginal children were to be raised and schooled by the missionaries at Mt Margaret Mission. Mary McLean’s son went to Mount Margaret Mission, 230 km north-east of Kalgoorlie.
When the children were at the mission the parents were directed to work on the district sheep stations. Mary McLean chose to be a station hand musterering the sheep rather than to take on the domestic work expected of the women. The report was that Mary McLean was a number one horse rider and a highly esteemed musterer. After many years Mary McLean left station life and worked in the sandalwood camps, before moving to Kalgoorlie for the remainder of her life.
After beginning painting in 1992, Pantjiti Mary McLean’s paintings have been exhibited widely. In 2001 Curtin University awarded Mary McLean an Honorary Doctorate for her contribution to art and the broader community.
Aboriginal art status – Collectable artist.
Selected Exhibitions
1992 Central Australian Aboriginal Art & Craft, Araluen Centre, Alice Springs
1993 Hunting Grounds, Fremantle Arts Centre
1993 Border Art workshops Indigenous Arts exhibition, San Diego USA
1993 Warta Kutju Street Art Project Perth Institute of Contemporary Art. Perth WA
1994 Bush Women, Fremantle Arts Centre, Perth, WA
1994 Narratives, Boomalli Gallery. Sydney NSW
1994 Gallery of Aboriginal and South Pacific Art. Sydney NSW
1995 12th National Aboriginal Art Award, MAGNT, Darwin
1995 Minmya Kutjara. With Nalda Searles. Fremantle Arts Centre. WA
1995 Pantjiti Mary McLean. Survey Exhibition. Australia House, London UK
1995 Aboriginal & South Pacific Gallery, Sydney
1996 Telstra National Aboriginal Art Award. MAGNT. Darwin NT
1996 Pantjiti Mary McLean Festival of Perth Exhibition. Fremantle Arts Centre
1996 Pantjti Mary McLean Recent Painting. Boomali Gallery Sydney, NSW
1996 Language of the Land. Goldfields Art Centre with Nalda Searles
1996 No Sickness Then. Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi Melbourne Vic
1997 Telstra National Aboriginal Art Award. MAGNT Darwin
1997 Off Shore On Site. Festival of the Dreaming. Casula Powerhouse Arts, Sydney
1998 Blake Exhibition for Religious Art, Mitchell Gallery. National Library of NSW + touring
1998 Pantjti Mary Mclean. Recent Paintings. Greenaway Gallery, Adelaide SA
1998 Pantjti Mary Mclean. Recent Paintings. Hogarth Gallery Adelaide SA
1998 Telstra National Aboriginal Art Award. MAGNT Darwin
1999 Go Along Now. Mustering Series. Fremantle Art Centre
2000 Hogarth Gallery Sydney NSW
2000 “Side by Side”. Art Gallery of Western Australia
2000 Australian Heritage Commission Indigenous Art. Reconciliation section. Canberra
2000 Telstra Indigenous art Awards. MAGNT. Darwin
2000 Victorian Tapestry Exhibition Australian Galleries, Sydney
2000 Yuwayi Art Centre, Sydney
2000 Telstra Award Winners Exhibition. Customs House, Sydney
2001 Mary McLwean & Minnie Pwerle, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle WA
2014 Desert Song, Japingka Gallery, Fremantle WA
Collections
ArtBank
Art Gallery of Western Australia
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Australian Capital Equity
Berndt Museum of Anthropology, University of Western Australia
City of Fremantle
City of Perth
Crothers Collection.
Edith Cowan University
Holmes A Court Collection
Museum & Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Queensland State Art Gallery
Tandanya Aboriginal Arts Centre, Adelaide
Wollongong University