Tara Munkanome is a senior Tiwi artist and textile designer based in Wurrumiyanga, Bathurst Island. Since beginning at Bima Wear in 1981, Tara's prolific body of work has profoundly shaped the visual identity of the art centre. Her practice blends traditional art methods with contemporary textile design, spanning a range of mediums including screen-printing, garment design, and tunga (traditional bark paintings). Working primarily in screen-printing, Tara is celebrated for her striking designs and distinctive colour palettes that reflect her bold personality and deep cultural knowledge.

Tara's designs are drawn from Country, ceremony, and the stories of Palaneri, the Tiwi creation period. Her iconic motifs—including Pukumani poles, spider webs and stars —carry layers of cultural meaning and ancestral memory. It's these memories from the old days that inspire her creative practice. Tara learned art through observation: "I used to sit with my grandma and aunties, I used to watch them painting and weaving basket. Sitting with my old lady watching her do design on the bark, that's how I learnt." This intergenerational knowledge, passed down through patient observation and practice, now guides Tara's own role as a mentor to younger artists at Bima Wear.

Her vision for the future is rooted in cultural continuity and pride: "I want to see Bima growing, I want to see more young people coming in, doing their own designs. I want to see young ones proud of themselves." Tara speaks with quiet pride about wearing her creations: "I am proud to be Tiwi and wearing our designs." Through this project, Tara is developing her first body of work for exhibition—a significant milestone that will bring national recognition to an artist whose designs have helped shape Bima Wear’s visual identity and cultural legacy for over forty years.