Kala Desert Storylines by Evelyn Young Concert Ukulele

The Kala Concert Ukulele with Desert StoryLines Logo Bag – featuring *Blackwood Apple* artwork by Evelyn Young – is part of the stunning Desert StoryLines collection: a collaboration between Kala Brand Music, Jacaranda Music, and Keringke Arts that brings authentic Aboriginal artwork to life on Kala instruments. Each ukulele in the series showcases original designs by Australian Aboriginal artists, celebrating cultural storytelling, connection to Country, and the richness of desert landscapes.

The concept began in 2008, when Chris Martin (CEO of Martin Guitars) expressed admiration for Aboriginal artwork during a visit to Australia. Inspired by this, Greg Cooper of Jacaranda Music partnered with Keringke Arts — a renowned community art centre in Santa Teresa, about 100 km southeast of Alice Springs. This collaboration led artists Margaret Bloomfield, Evelyn Young, and Chantelle Mulladad to create a series of vibrant, meaningful artworks now featured on Kala ukuleles.

Each artist represented by Keringke Arts receives a 6% royalty from every ukulele sold, with additional royalties contributed by Kala USA once the series launches internationally. Every Desert StoryLines ukulele comes with a matching logo gig bag and a swing tag sharing the story behind the artwork.

The featured design, *Blackwood Apple* by Evelyn Young, represents the bush food known as the Black Apple or Bush Plum. Evelyn describes her piece:
*“This painting is about the bush food called ‘Black Apple’ or ‘Bush Plum’. The black apple looks like a plum but with seeds. Where I live, we still collect food from the bush like we have for generations – they are always there, in our country for us to collect. We try to teach the next generation to respect Country and pass on our knowledge to them.”*

More than an instrument, this ukulele is a celebration of Australian culture — a blend of music, heritage, and storytelling captured in a playable work of art.

Features

* Genuine Aboriginal artwork by Evelyn Young — *Blackwood Apple*
* Part of the Desert StoryLines series by Kala Brand Music & Jacaranda Music
* Artwork created in partnership with Keringke Arts, Santa Teresa, NT
* 6% artist royalty supports Evelyn Young directly
* Comes with a Desert StoryLines logo gig bag and artwork story swing tag
* Unique, collectible design celebrating Aboriginal culture and storytelling