Wipana Jimmy

Wipana Jimmy was the cousin of Jimmy Baker (noted artist who featured in the National Indigenous Art Triennial `07: Culture Warriors Triennial exhibition) through his mother's side. She is the mother of artist, Anne Dixon Nangala.

Wipana was born bush, west of Fregon, in 1931. She first saw white man in the country around Sandy Bore and Kalpi. Her father worked on a sheep station at Mimili (Everard Park). It was here that she first met her cousin, Jimmy. Wipana's family moved to the church mission at Ernabella when she was about 8 years old and she continued living there during most of her formative years. It was at the Ernabella art centre that Wipana first became involved in art. She was taught basket weaving and batik. Eventually, Wipana moved to Fregon where she worked in the art centre until the mid 1980s. During that time she played a key role in teaching the younger folk, including her niece Kay Baker, batik, basket weaving and painting. In 1985, at around the same time that her cousin led the move to Kanpi, Wipana was part of a group that moved to an area at the base of Mount Lindsay and established Watarru.

Wipana lived at Watarru, where she was an integral part of her community, including taking a leading role in the Watarru Land Management Program. Her role included taking children out and showing them bush tucker and natural, bush medicines. Wipana sadly passed away in 2019.