Helping locals access amazing First Nations art

RAINTREE Art is an Aboriginal Art gallery and gift shop located in beautiful Cambrian Hill, just south of Sebastopol and Bonshaw.

We have a range of incredible artworks, all for sale. We work directly with artists and art centres, mostly in Northern Territory, and are a member of the Aboriginal Art Association of Australia.

We also have a permanent artist in residence, Deidre Burgoyne Rosier, a local sensation who has been involved in community events, teaching, and exhibitions, as well as commissioned pieces for various Ballarat businesses.

The name Raintree Art has a fascinating history within the Australian Aboriginal Art Movement. In 1986, the late Aunty Shirley Collins (26 August 1938–19 July 2022) established her own Raintree Aboriginal Fine Art Gallery that would be recognised as the first Indigenous-owned and operated Aboriginal Art Gallery in the Northern Territory. As well as being a fastidious keeper of the sacred and ancient details and stories shared in the paintings she acquired for her gallery, Shirley Collins forged a ground-breaking and transcendent international pathway for Indigenous Art and fashion.

Why ‘Raintree’ Art?

A Raintree is a Central American tree and some were planted in Darwin many, many years ago. Raintree Park is located on the corner of Smith Street and Knuckey Street. Aunty Shirley Collins opened Raintree Aboriginal Fine Art Gallery in 1986 and her first shop faced Raintree Park. Thus the name.

In 2008, Shirly gifted me with the name Raintree Art and its logo. In the same year I opened Raintree Art in its current incarnation on Wadawurrung land here in Ballarat. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we diversified from selling just paintings to also incorporating ethical giftware into our shop and online store, which has helped us grow so much as a business. We are proud to be working with local Ballarat businesses and giving residents a source of amazing First Nations art.

We send beautiful Australian Art and giftware across the world to people who purchase through our website. We also welcome local visitors, as well as those travelling from across the country and internationally. Our mission is to continue Shirley’s legacy of offering ethically sourced art and giftware, and working directly with artists to help further their careers.

What began as a part time job, has become an all-consuming passion for me, and we are now open six days a week, Monday to Saturday 10am to 4pm, and send our beautiful paintings and giftware to their new homes all over the world.

Raintree Art acknowledge the Wadawurrung people as the Traditional Custodians of the land where Raintree Art operates. We recognise their continuing connection to Country and community and pay our respects to the Wadawurrung Elders, past, present, and emerging.

//SPONSORED CONTENT