THE Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority social club is supporting a Canberra artist through an exhibition of 10 representative artworks.

A partnership between the club and a remote community is supported by Katherine Reckord, a Canberra artist who  relocated to Kaltjiti-Fregon on SA Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands last year as a TAFE SA community lecturer to teach numeracy, literacy and digital skills to adults. She is the only trainer at the learning centre.

Initially trained as a sculptor, Reckord now mainly takes photos, draws and paints using ink, watercolours, gouache acrylics, oils and dyes and believes her background in art has been a tool for communicating and connecting with her new community.

“Artists out here, when they show you their work, discuss it very differently to our western ideas,” she says.

“They tell you the story of the image they made and may even break into song in language which is the most amazing artistic experience to witness.”

She describes living and working in the APY lands as “a two-way learning experience”.

“To be a good teacher you have to be a good learner, and open to different ways of looking at things. Living and working in the APY Lands with Anangu people and learning Pitjantjatjara language is a very precious thing.”

Katherine Reckord exhibition, atrium, Finance building, One Canberra Avenue, Forrest.