Nura was born at Tjitapiti, near Angatja, South Australia.
As a young teenage girl, Nura learnt weaving at the craft room and also made hooked floor rugs, She knitted jumpers for the men at work. She learnt wood carving and pokerwork making snakes, birds, tingka, wira, and rabbits. In recent years, Ernabella’s involvement in the Alice Springs Beanie Festival bought her back into the arts centre where she has applied herself successfully to the mediums of painting and printmaking and her quirky style has become highly sought after.
Selected Exhibitions
1999 Milpatjunanyi ARALUEN, Alice Springs and FLINDERS UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM touring show
2000 This Earth for Us COMMONWEALTH INSTITUTE LONDON, Bristol, UK and Edinburgh City Gallery
2002 Mina Wala ARALUEN, Alice Springs
2004 Inuntji JAM FACTORY, Adelaide
2004 Manta Atunmangkuntja/Looking after country FLINDERS UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUM CITY GALLERY, Adelaide and regional SA touring exhibition 04-06
2005 Inuntji WALKABOUT GALLERY, Sydney
2006 Senior Pitjantjatjara Artists RAFT ARTSPACE, Darwin
2006 Artist in Residence SAILS IN THE DESERT, Yulara, NT
2006 The Second Sharom Gamarada Aboriginal Art Exhibtion UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES
2006 Desert Mob ARALUEN CENTRE, Alice Springs
2006 Homeland Heartland JAMFACTORY, Adelaide
2006 Our Mob ADELAIDE FESTIVAL CENTRE, South Australia
2006/07 Anangu Backyard ADELAIDE FESTIVAL CENTRE, South Australia
2007 From the Desert to the Sea: Nura Rupert – A remarkable and Joyous Mind MOGO RAW ART AND BLUES, New South Wales
2007 Ernabella – Recent Paintings and Ceramics BIRRUNG GALLERY, Sydney
2007 APY Grandeur ART MOB, Hobart
2007 Divas of the Desert GALLERY GONDWANA, Alice Springs, NT
2007 Desert Diversity FLINDERS LANE GALLERY, Melbourne, VIC
2007 Skin to Skin TUGGERANONG ARTS CENTRE, Canberra, ACT
2007 Visions of Country, SEYMOUR COLLEGE, Adelaide, SA
2007 Nganampa Ngura AUSTRALIA AND PACIFIC ART, Sydney NSW
2007 Best of the Best FRAMED GALLERY, Darwin NT
2007 Desert Mob ARALUEN CENTRE, Alice Springs NT
Acquisitions & Achievements
1997 Artback Nets, Darwin
1997 Dreamtime Gallery, Florida, USA
2006 Largerberg Swift Collection
2006 Marshall Collection
2006 Finalist NATSIA Telstra Award
2007 Flinders University Art Museum Collection
2007 National Gallery of Australia
2007 National Museum of Australia
2007 Finalist NATSIA Telstra Award
2007 Finalist Fremantle Print Award
2007 The Merenda Collection