Ruth Napaljarri Stewart

Ruth Napaljarri Stewart was born near Coniston, about 75 km west of Yuendumu. “We walked everywhere with my family. It was a good life.”

Although Ruth did her schooling at Yuendumu, a remote Aboriginal community 290 km from Alice Spring in NT of Australia, she and her family would frequently travel between Yuendumu, Mt Wedge, Napperby Creek, and Mt Dennison.

Ruth spent some time doing domestic work in Yuendumu, before finding employment as a health worker at Yuendumu Clinic. She also worked for a period of time for Yuendumu Council.

Ruth has painted with Warlukurlangu Artists since the 1980’s, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre located in Yuendumu. She paints many different themes and stories that were passed down to her by her father. Ruth is the younger sister of the successful artist Paddy Japaljarri Stewart, a senior elder at Yuendumu. Her traditional country is in the Mount Allen region of the Northern Territory.