A member of the Stolen Generation, Marcelle Riley, was born in Moora and grew up on a mission known as the Moore River Settlement. She later lived in Narrogin. Riley studied Visual Arts at TAFE and shared her craft through community arts and social arts practices, leading workshops for Community Arts Network of WA, the Song Room and other organisations. She taught many Nyoongar women and children how to make story dolls as a tool for healing.
Riley was a finalist in the 2017 National Self Portrait Prize for her work Bibool Yok (Paperbark Girl) and participated in a cultural doll making exchange for the third Tamworth Textile Triennial, with subsequent work toured nationally in the textile art exhibition ‘Open House’.
In 2020, Riley held her first solo exhibition ‘Walking Across Country’ at SHAC Gallery, Fremantle. This exhibition showcased artworks created by Riley across many years of her artistic career, telling her story, and acknowledging the power of the arts in Nyoongar culture and as a way of healing.
Sadly, after a long battle with cancer, Riley passed away on New Years Day in 2022.
