Albert Namatjira

These individual and group projects build on your research of Albert Namatjira and encourage a range of creative responses.

The National Portrait Gallery invites you to share your projects online by uploading images, video, audio and text to the Portrait of a Nation: Australian Schools Portrait Project website.

Visit the projects page for more information on how your school can contribute.

Explore the biography and links to find more information about Albert Namatjira.

Use a combination of text and images to create a timeline of Namatjira’s life.

The National Portrait Gallery collection includes paintings photographs, drawings, sculptures, prints, textiles and multimedia portraits.

Experiment with a range of materials to create your own portrait of Albert Namatjira.

Create a short performance about Albert Namatjira.

This could be a play, a song, an interview or a dramatisation of an event. Make a video of your performance or document your activity in a series of photographs.

Aboriginal man, you walked with pride,
And painted with joy the countryside.
Original man, your fame grew fast,
Men pointed you out as you went past.

These are the first lines of the poem, Namatjira, by Oodgeroo Noonuccal (Kath Walker).

Compose your own poem, story, or song based on the life of Albert Namatjira.

In the ACT, Namatjira Drive connects six suburbs and is named after Albert Namatjira.

The Canberra suburb of Aranda was named after Namtajira’s people, the Arrernte (pronounced ‘Arunda’), of central Australia.

What do you know about the place names in your area? Select a town, suburb or street name and write a news article about what you discovered.

Suburbs in Canberra are named after Australia's local and national high achievers, its geography, heritage and history. Each suburb also has a theme by which its streets are named.

Imagine your group has the opportunity to plan a new suburb. Create a map of your suburb with street names based on your chosen theme.