Twenty budding artists with incredible personal stories have come together to form Our Communities – the MAX Employment Indigenous Art Exhibition. The exhibition at NSW Parliament House from 15 June to 21 July 2016 howcases the 20 finalists of the 2016 MAX Employment National Indigenous Art Competition, and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in…

The second of three symposia, Spot Fire 2: Spectacle, manifestation, performance is a Kaldor Public Art Projects and Art Gallery of NSW 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 and bones),…

A Common Place: Portraits of Moree Murries 1990 displays 14 dramatic portraits of Moree Murries taken by Michael Riley, one of Australia’s leading Indigenous contemporary artists. In 1990, returning to his home town in country NSW, Michael established an outdoor studio and friends, family and community members could opt in to be photographed. The resulting…

In 2016, Bangarra brings you a remarkable triple bill. OUR land people stories is a new contemporary dance work showcasing the endless choreographic talents of the company and the infinite stories of Australia’s cultural heritage. Artistic Director Stephen Page tells the story of internationally acclaimed visual artist Nyapanyapa Yunupingu from North East Arnhem Land. This…

The Redfern Aboriginal Tent Embassy exhibition at 107 Projects showcases six Australian photographers who (over 15 months) documented the successful protest for low-income housing by the indigenous community in the heart of Sydney city. The protest was in opposition to a proposed multi-million dollar commercial development by the Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC) on the historic site…

Within the context of the rapid high-rise development of Parramatta over the last few decades, the archaeological understanding of Sydney’s past is being rewritten. An ancient Aboriginal landscape was rediscovered in the deep sands alongside the Parramatta River. The early colonial settlement at Rose Hill (now Parramatta) is a significant contact site, where the Burramatta…

The State Library of NSW has launched an exciting new interactive experiment that uses 100 year-old survey data to map the location and meaning of Indigenous Australian place names across the country. The project called Weemala, which means ‘a big lookout’ in the Sydney language, places historic survey information from the State Library’s collection relating…

The Spotfire Symposium Landscape and Language is the first of three Spotfire Symposia anticipating barrangal dyara (skin and bones), the major new Kaldor Public Art Project by Jonathan Jones, which will transform Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens from 17 September to 3 October 2016. The project will re-imagine the monumental Garden Palace, which stood in the…

The Serving Country photographic exhibition by Belinda Mason will be displayed from Monday 25 April to Saturday 18 June 2016 at Redfern Community Centre. The Serving Country portrait collection serves to honour and recognise the many generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and individuals who have proudly served and continue to serve in…

During the April school holidays, why not visit the Australian Museum and take part in an Aboriginal toy-making workshop. Join Central Queensland Kalkadoon woman Ronnie Jordan to create your own Kalkadoon-inspired animal or doll. Immerse yourself in Aboriginal culture and knowledge while learning wrapping skills (a traditional form of Aboriginal weaving) using traditional and modern materials.…

Find out more about the Royal Botanic Gardens’ rich Aboriginal history during Youth Week 2016. Our experienced guide will take you on a journey of traditional music, dance, artefacts and bush food. This tour is part of Youth Week in the City 2016. If you are aged 18 to 25, book your free ticket now!…

First Hand Solutions Aboriginal Corporation is holding a special Aboriginal cultural welcome ceremony for newly arrived Australians at its Blak Markets on Sunday 3 April 2016. Individuals and families who are new to Australia are invited to join in a special traditional welcome and smoking ceremony conducted by Aboriginal elder, Greg Simms. This event is…

The City acknowledges the Gadigal of the Eora Nation as the traditional custodians of this place we now call Sydney. In 1788, the British established a convict outpost on the shores of Sydney Harbour. This had far reaching and devastating impacts on the Eora Nation, including the occupation and appropriation of their traditional lands. Despite…

One Billion Beats is a new theatre work presented at Campbelltown Arts Centre that draws together Australian cinematic history with poetry and original score. Conceived and performed by Goenpul Jagara/ Bundjulung poet and filmmaker Romaine Moreton, One Billion Beats, examines the historical representation of Aboriginal people in Australian cinema and its projection onto Romaine’s own lived experience…

The Art Gallery of NSW‘s celebration of Koori culture continues. In the Murruwaygu exhibition you can listen to artist Roy Kennedy then learn about shield carving. Later, enjoy the sweet melodies of Charlie Trindall in the cafe Exhibition talk – Murruwaygu, 5.30pm  Artist Roy Kennedy talks about his work in the exhibition and his childhood…

The inaugural History Council of NSW’s Aboriginal History Prize will be awarded in 2016. Its purpose is the encourage students and other beginning historians (up to post-doctoral career) in the writing of Australian Aboriginal history from original sources. Indigenous Australians are strongly encouraged to submit entries. The winner will receive a $1,000 cash prize and…

Cheeky and loud, black and proud, Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s national comedy competition, Deadly Funny, unearths the freshest, fiercest and funniest Indigenous talent from around the country. A trip to Melbourne and $2000 is up for grabs! Deadly Funny is always a significant and vibrant event. Heading into its 10th year, this one-of-a-kind comedy competition is…

The Yabun Festival is an all-day celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in the heart of Sydney. The renowned annual gathering at Victoria Park in Glebe on Australia Day showcases the finest music, art, dance, performance and food of the world’s oldest living cultures, attracting locals as well as visitors from across Australia…

Murruwaygu: following in the footsteps of our ancestors is an exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW that celebrates the Aboriginal culture of south-east Australia by exploring one particular strand of Koori art practice – the use of line by male artists. Being a foundation to Koori men’s work, and its most dominant feature, the…

Evidence: Brook Andrew is an immersive installation that draws on the rich and varied Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences collection to explore the theme of evidence. Brook Andrew is internationally recognised for his interdisciplinary practice that often interrogates knowledge systems, history, identity and race. In Evidence, Andrew weaves together unexpected and perhaps overlooked objects…

Gadigal Information Service has launched an audio archive project titled ‘99 Stories’ that will engage with Sydney’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities to record and document 99 stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander experience. Developed by Gadigal in partnership with the City of Sydney and Blacktown Council, the 99 Stories archive will provide…

Country & Western: landscape re-imagined is one of the most comprehensive and inclusive landscape exhibitions of recent times. With over 50 works by the nation’s leading artists including Paddy Bedford, Elisabeth Cummings, Tim Johnston, Emily Kngwarreye, Euan Macleod, Tracey Moffatt, Mandy Martin, John Olsen, William Robinson, Ginger Riley, Rover Thomas, John Wolseley and more, the…

Homeground 2015 celebrates the very best Indigenous artists from Australia and around the world. Join us to share First Nations music, dance and culture over two fantastic, family friendly days. There will be music and dance stages – highlights include Oka, Archie Roach, Getano Bann and Jannawi Dancers – as well as an arts market and a multitude…

Come and participate in free family activities including storytelling, children’s workshops and live music at the Blacktown Native Institution Corroboree. Feast with us on traditional food and BBQ. See new site-responsive artworks by artists Darren Bell, Karla Dickens, Steven Russell, Kristine Stewart and Leanne Tobin – including projected portraits, suspended eel traps and pyrotechnic installation.…

First performed in 1995, Bangarra Dance Theatre‘s Ochres returns to the stage this year for its 21st anniversary. Ochres became the watershed production for the company as it led to sell out shows around Australia and introduced Bangarra to the world. In all its forms and colours, ochre is essential to the life of Aboriginal…