Collection: Kay Baker

Kay was born in the early 1950s at Palvwell, near Ernabella. She spent her childhood at Ernabella Mission, where her father, Jimmy Baker, a well-known artist, had relocated to in the early 1930s. At the age of 10, she started attending school. When she turned 12, Kay relocated with her family to Mimili (Everard Park), her mother's homeland. Her father worked in the area tending sheep, shearing, and fencing. During this time, Indigenous families camped in the bush together, away from the main homestead but in the vicinity of it.

When she turned 15, Kay moved to Fregon with her family. This brought together the families of Jimmy Baker and his cousin Wipana Jimmy, who played a significant role in establishing Kanpi and Watarru. Kay only stayed for a brief time at Fregon before moving to Yirara Lutheran College in Alice Springs when it was founded. After spending around a year in Alice Springs, she returned to Fregon and secured a job at the Fregon Arts Centre. There, her aunt Wipana Jimmy taught her various arts and crafts, including batik and basket weaving. Kay spent approximately 15 years working at the art centre, during which she married and gave birth to five children, including Patricia Tunkin and Teresa Baker, both of whom have since become renowned artists in their own right.

In 1985, Kay relocated with her father and others to the newly formed Kanpi settlement, which at the time consisted of only a shop and two houses.