Perspectives: The Art of Yirrkala

Join us for a fascinating discussion led by ethnomusicologist Eliot Stone, centered around art from Yirrkala currently on display in our exhibition Ancestral Modern: Australian Aboriginal Art from the Kaplan & Levi Collection.  The works will be placed in the context of Stone’s personal experiences living with Aboriginal artists in Yirrkala and his twelve-year involvement in the international sale and marketing of Aboriginal art and musical performance.  This event will take place in our Butler gallery exhibition space where the exhibition is taking place.

Admission is free on Thursdays.  The Blanton is located at the intersection of Congress Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Paid parking is available in the Brazos Garage on Brazos Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. Parking is $4; bring your ticket with you to the museum.

Eliot Stone

Eliot Stone is the founder of Austin Aboriginal Instruments and an ethnomusicologist.  His interest in aboriginal music began at an early age and led him to study didgeridoo craft and performance with some of the world’s most respected didgeridoo craftspeople and musicians. In 2005 and 2006, Eliot served as an in-house didgeridoo instructor at an aboriginal art gallery in Amsterdam, during which time he also performed alongside Dutch electronic musicians in some of the Netherland’s largest music venues.  His passion for craft and performance inspired Eliot to visit a Yolngu aboriginal community in Northern Territory, Australia in the summer of 2009.  While in Australia, Eliot studied with Djalu Gurrwiwi and his family, who are internationally regarded as master didgeridoo craftspeople and musicians, as well as Yolngu cultural custodians and representatives.