In A Story to Tell, Nyoongar artist Laurel Nannup tells her own story, through woodcuts, etchings and photographs. These works illustrate the artist's memories of place, particular events and people, all of which contribute to an overview of her life.

At the age of eight, the Native Welfare Department took Laurel, her sister and her cousin away from the Pinjarra region and their families, to the Wandering Mission where they lived and worked until they were old enough to work on farms in the area. The prints in Laurel’s exhibition are a reflection of her life, both with her family and mission life; the stories are told with honesty and affectionate humour and build up a unique picture of the reality of life for many Indigenous people of Laurel Nannup’s generation.

'As a young Nyoongar girl growing up in the bush, I learnt a lot from my parents and grandparents about the old ways. They taught me how to find water, how to track animals and how to find food to eat when I was hungry. My family and I lived in the bush around the Pinjarra region, where mum and dad worked on farms, felling trees to make fence posts for the farmers. They also worked on dairy farms where they would milk the cows and stook hay for the cows' feed. From time to time we live on the Pinjarra reserve with my grandparents and other relatives until my sister, Cecelia, my cousin Madeline and I were taken away by the Native Welfare, I was just eight years old. We were sent to the Wandering Mission where I spent the next eight years of my life. I don’t remember much about the trip to the Mission, I just remember Mum bathing us and putting new clothes on us, that’s all I remember about that event.'

The collection of works that make up A Story to Tell comprise of woodcuts and etchings, together with a selection of photographs.

This exhibition has been supported by the National Exhibitions Touring Structure for Western Australia Inc. through the State Exhibition Development for Touring Funds. It has also been made possible by ART ON THE MOVE, the Australia Council for the Arts, the Visual Arts and Craft Strategy, ArtsWA and the Lotteries Commission.