The Pauline McLeod Awards celebrate and give recognition to community members who are “silent achievers” who work diligently in promoting Reconciliation through selfless acts. Nominations can be made in the Youth Award category (12 – 24), or the Open category. Nominees can be Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, or non-Indigenous. Nominees must either live, work…

A chance for audiences to catch new and distinctive voices in Australian theatre, Yellamundie National First Peoples Playwriting Festival is the biennial showcase of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and international First Nations playwriting. Presented by Moogahlin Performing Arts and Carriageworks since 2013, and taking its name from the Darug word for storyteller, Yellamundie National…

Yabun Festival is the largest one day celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in Australia, held annually on 26th of January upon the traditional lands of the Gadigal people in Sydney. Established in 2001, Yabun (meaning ‘music to a beat’ in Gadigal language) is a free event that features live music, a bustling…

In May 1967, as civil rights movements worldwide were at their peak, the referendum to remove passages in the Australian constitution which discriminated against Aboriginal people passed with a ‘Yes’ vote of over 90%. As we near the 50th anniversary of the 1967 referendum – a crucial milestone in the ongoing struggle for the rights…

Tash and her Dad have hit the road – they’re going home to country, where the sky is higher and the world goes on forever. It’s a long way from the wide streets and big old houses of Tash’s childhood, back when she was a black face in a very white suburb. Dad still thinks…

Bayala means ‘speak’ in local language. It’s a sharing and celebration of the Indigenous heritage of Sydney and the growing movement to reawaken local language. Working with local Eora and Darug community leaders and language experts, classes, talks, an installation and a mass choral performance have been developed to celebrate the local language of the…

Join Tess Allas, Director of Indigenous Programs, UNSW Art & Design, in conversation with Daniel Browning, Aboriginal journalist and radio broadcaster. Enrolling in a university degree is a daunting experience for many. For Indigenous students the experience of university life is sometimes fraught with barriers that are not experienced by the mainstream. The culture shock…

NAISDA and Carriageworks present Naya Wa Yugali – We Dance Workshops run by Carole Johnson in the Sydney suburbs of Glebe and Redfern in 1976 led to the formation of the Aboriginal Islander Dance Theatre (AIDT) and a school for Aboriginal dance that is now known as NAISDA. Naya Wa Yugali (Darkinyung language) will feature oral histories, a…

Carriageworks present Black Arts Market Curated by Hetti Perkins and Jonathan Jones, the Black Arts Market will showcase the cultural heritage of South-Eastern Aboriginal Australia. The market place provides a unique opportunity to engage with artists and acquire new works. When: 12-13 November 2016 Where: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh NSW More Info

NAISDA and Carriageworks present NAISDA Celebrates 40 Years: Circle of Cultures Celebrating NAISDA’s extraordinary contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contemporary choreography and dance. This season reflects NAISDA’s history and makes a statement of intention for the future. When: 14-24 November 2016 Where: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh NSW Tickets: Tickets on sale in 2016…

In this performance, Sprit of Things, Nardi Simpson, Kaleena Briggs, Lucy Simpson and Felix Cross create a work that breathes life into Indigenous cultural objects. When: 20-23 October 2016, 7.30pm & 29 October 2016, 2pm Where: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh Cost: $35 Full Price / $25 Concession

A History of Aboriginal Political Thought is a five week course taught by Paula Jane Byrne at WEA Sydney. The course concentrates on Aboriginal political perspectives since 1788. It deals with Aboriginal readings of the state and its role in people’s lives which at times incorporates non – Aboriginal people as well. Influences drawn on and rejected are discussed as…

Australian Design Centre is delighted to present an exhibition of work by Nicole Monks and Lucy Simpson, the two recipients of the Arts NSW Indigenous Design Mentorship 2016. The two designers have been working with Australian Design Centre and selected community and industry mentors throughout the year to develop work for this exhibition: Nicole Monks:…

For the 32nd Kaldor Public Art Project Wiradjuri/Kamilaroi artist Jonathan Jones presents barrangal dyara (skin and bones), a vast sculptural installation stretching across 20,000 square-metres of the Royal Botanic Gardens. The project recalls the 19th century Garden Palace building where it originally stood in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Garden, before it devastatingly burnt to the ground…

The 2016 ArtsNSW History Fellowship is offered by the State Government to a historian or a practitioner working with history to undertake a self-directed program of professional development. This program of professional development is to enable the acquisition or development of skills, create new work or research, develop networks or mentorships, whether through facilitated formal or…

This August, Artbank collaborates with West Australian curator Clothilde Bullen on an exhibition at Artbank in Sydney: Darkness on the Edge of Town. Drawing largely from Artbank’s significant collection of Indigenous Australian art, Clothilde’s curatorial narrative explores themes of racism, dispossession and the role of art in Indigenous communities. Clothilde has drawn together works from…

Moogahlin Performing Arts is looking for 6 new scripts from across the continent to be developed as part of the next Yellamundie National First Peoples Playwriting Festival in January 2017. Find out more and download the guidelines and application form here. Deadline: Wednesday 31 August 2016 About Yellamundie National First Peoples Playwriting Festival (formerly Yellamundie…

The Indigenous Science Experience @ Redfern is a celebration of Indigenous and Western science and Indigenous youth and Elder achievements.It will demonstrate the value of traditional and contemporary (customary) Indigenous knowledge in science and technology and the relevance of science to our everyday lives. It will be held over three days at the Redfern Community…

The Indigenous Sciences Symposium, part of the Sydney Science Festival 2016, brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander academics, theorists, researchers, designers, engineers, educators and students from across the community. It provides an important opportunity to shape future research and investigations that are focused on exploring and sharing the sophistication, richness and leadership of Australia’s…

The final in a series of three symposia, Spot Fire 3: Loss and resilience is a Kaldor Public Art Projects and Australian Museum event, curated by Ross Gibson, Centenary Professor of Creative and Cultural Research, University of Canberra, and Jonathan Jones, in anticipation of the 32nd Kaldor Public Art Project, Jonathan Jones’s barrangal dyara (skin…

As part of the Festival of Urbanism, join Muruwari man Willy Stevens as we look to the stars to learn from Indigenous knowledge systems that understand, explain and predict nature.This is a free public talk, refreshments are provided. Register online here to attend. When: Thursday 4 August 2016, 6-8pm Where: Redfern Community Centre, 29-53 Hugo…

Carriageworks and Moogahlin Performing Arts present Winyanboga Yurringa. Inspired by the iconic Women of the Sun, this new work, written and directed by Andrea James, draws from the life stories of Aboriginal women and their connection to country. When: 3-6 August 2016 Where: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh NSW Tickets: $35 More Info

To celebrate NAIDOC Week, a line-up of Hip Hop artists including Sydney-based Nooky continue the Klub Koori tradition at Carriageworks. Klub Koori is presented by Carriageworks and Koori Radio 93.7FM. When: 7 July 2016 Where: Carriageworks, 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh NSW Tickets: Tickets $10 More Info  

An exhibition and walking tour called This is Where They Travelled: Historical Aboriginal Lives in Sydney will be held during NAIDOC Week 2016. This project was put together by historian Paul Irish and a team of researchers from the La Perouse Aboriginal community as part of a NSW History Fellowship awarded in 2015. The exhibition profiles the lives…

NAIDOC Week recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements. What started as a day of mourning in 1940 is now a full week of events that acknowledge the contributions of Australia’s First Peoples. This year’s theme is Songlines: Living narrative of our nation. In Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, songlines are…