Toogarr Morrison was born in Katanning, Western Australia, in February 1950. He is of the Bibbullmun language group and it is the spirit of this heritage that provides him with the inspiration for his artwork. He works with oil and acrylic on canvas and paper and also works as a muralist and community arts project worker.
In 1993 Morrison began working in West Australian primary and high schools, providing workshops and painting murals. He also began working in community arts and was involved in various projects as a cultural advisor, lecturer, art coordinator and designer. The first school Morrison worked at was the Jigalong Community School in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, approximately 1,400 kilometres northeast of Perth; others include the Carnamah Primary School (1995), Meekathara District High School (1998), Carnarvon Senior High School (2000), Salmon Gums Primary School (2004) and Doon Doon Station Community School (2007). By 2009 he had been involved in over fifteen artist-in-residency programs within West Australian schools, beginning in 1996 at Merriwa Primary School.
In 1994 Morrison was one of four artists commissioned by Australia Post to design a 45cent postage stamp featuring images of a bunyip. His stamp bunyit was depicted as part human and part spirit guarding the waterholes of the southwest region of Western Australia. The other artists involved in this project were David Lancashire, Marg Towt and Ron Brooks.
Morrison began exhibiting in group and solo exhibitions in Perth and Fremantle in 1994; these include solo shows at the Blender Gallery in Joondalup, Victoria Park Centre for the Arts and The Moores Building Gallery. He was included in the 2000 group show 'Aboriginal artists of the South-West: Past and Present’. This show, curated by Sandra Hill and John E Stanton, drew upon works that were exclusively held in the Berndt Museum of Anthropology collection. The artists that were included in this exhibition were Arthur Bropho, Jody Broun, Lance Chadd, Revel Cooper, Julie Dowling, Malcolm Ellis, Athol Farmer, Wendy Ffeifer-Nannup, Peter Hansen, Sandra Hill, Clarrie Isaacs, Bella Kelly, Irwin Lewis, Marie Lockyer, Norma MacDonald, Sally Morgan, Jerry Morrison, Shane Pickett, Valerie Takyo, Alma Toomath, Primus Ugle, Vera Wallam,
Roma Woods (Yibiyung) and Val Woods.
Morrison holds an Associate Degree in Aboriginal Art from Curtin University of Techonology (1999), a Bachelor of Arts (ART) from Edith Cowan University (2004) and a Master of Visual Arts also from Edith Cowan University (2006). He has worked as a Lecturer of Aboriginal Art at Medina, South Fremantle and Midland Colleges of TAFE.
Morrison’s work is held in the collections of Dumbartung Aboriginal Corporation and the Berndt Museum of Anthropology.
In 2009 he was living and working in Perth.
- Writers:
- Allas, Tess
- Date written:
- 2009
- Last updated:
- 2011
