Chips Mackinolty is a Darwin-based (Australia) artist and writer who has worked for Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organisations over four decades as an advocate, researcher, journalist, artist and graphic designer.

He has worked as a printmaker since 1969, and was a member of the Earthworks Poster Collective (1973-1980). After a stint in Townsville as a community arts officer (1980-81), he worked in the Northern Territory as an Aboriginal Arts advisor in Katherine and Uluru (1981-85); Northern Land Council field officer, researcher, graphic artist and journalist (1985-1990); as a journalist with Fairfax, Murdoch and others (1990-2001).

A collectively-run graphic arts and research group, with Peter Cooke and Therese Ritchie, Green Ant RAP, followed in the 1990s. In the 2000s he worked for the Northern Territory Government, among other things as a ministerial arts adviser, and then for the Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance NT as a policy, research and advocacy officer, with a bit of graphic arts thrown in.