Project Title - marrabinya / stretch out the hands

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support the creative development of a new body of work through a 3-week artist residency at The Corridor Project, situated on Bethany’s ancestral lands of the Wiradjuri Nation, near the regional NSW town of Cowra. The residency will provide a platform for the conceptualisation of new work that draws from a 12-month period of research within the State Archives Collection at Western Sydney Records Centre. The body of work will be informed by early colonial records documenting First Nations labour and employment as well as Bethany’s personal cultural archive of memory, recalling the wild and lyrical storytelling of her grandfather, who experienced these labour roles first-hand as a drover, shearer, grape picker, and rodeo king.

Beth Thornber was born in Corowa, a small town on the banks of the Milawa/Murray River in NSW. A First Nations artist, educator, and curator of the Wiradjuri people, she is currently based in Sydney on Gadigal land. Her multi-disciplinary practice uses colour and a visual alphabet of animal, plant, and human motifs to question themes of impact: historical, environmental, and societal impact upon ancestral Country. Bethany’s work considers existing structures cemented in everyday life and applies this lens to reimagine ideas of sacredness, boundaries, common ownership, and shared responsibility.

Photo: Indianna Higgins

Project Title: Cultural knowledge and Creative Skill development - Lutruwita Project

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support Daen John-Sansbury in the capacity building of cultural knowledge and skill evolution along with community members in Lutruwita/Tasmania.

Daen will facilitate cultural workshops and creative collaborations at various locations on Lutruwita that will begin to lay the foundation for himself as a Trawlwoolway (NE Nation clan) person and creative designing projects in the State of Tasmania.

The project will utilise modern technology and multimedia artforms to reinterpret cultural knowledge, stories and language into new works.

Photo: Rose Johnson

Project Title: NADIGA

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support Gabrielle Widders site-specific exhibition ‘NADIGA’ a gathering centred on Kombumerri and Wakka Wakka Professor, Aunty Mary Graham's quote "I located therefore I am," brings Gabi Briggs' works back home to Anaiwan Country. Featuring ARKAN & IRBELA, GEDYURA, and TENYA at Armidale Showground, it collaborates with regional art and local Aboriginal organisations.

The project incorporates Briggs' PhD research on Anaiwan women's connections to Country through walking practices. Supported by Indigenous Knowledge Holders, it prioritises regional and Indigenous audience engagement, especially with the Anaiwan Community and New England region.

Gabi Briggs is an Anaiwan Gedyura artist, researcher, weaver, and community organiser whose practice is deeply rooted in her First Nations heritage. Her work engages with the complexities of race, power, and truth-telling, seeking to restore Indigenous sovereignty and enact self-determination. Briggs' art reflects a commitment to returning to Indigenous knowledges, often drawing inspiration from her grandmother's research into Anaiwan kinship and Place.

Briggs' prestigious accomplishments include being a 2025 Gertrude Street studio resident, receiving the inaugural Liquid Architecture First Nations Sound Commission, and securing the 2024 West Space Commission. She was also awarded the Creative Australia Digital Fellowship in 2022. Currently a PhD candidate in the Wominjeka Djeembana Indigenous research lab at Monash University, Briggs is undertaking a 100km walk on Country as part of her research, exploring it through field recordings and oral histories. Despite being based in Melbourne, her work remains firmly focused on her Anaiwan community, aiming to create liberating representations in cinema and large-scale works.

Photo: P Clancy

Project Title - Indigenous Fashion Sector Mentorship with KAFTA and Country to Couture 2025    

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support Jake’s professional development in Fashion Styling, Collection Curation and runway delivery. Through a combination of mentorship with leading regional fashion initiative KAFTA (a Kimberley wide program), and the national Indigenous fashion platform Country to Couture (Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair), Jake will build skills and capacity and continue his pathway to a successful career as a First Nations Fashion Stylist and Collection curator.

Jake Powers is a 20-year-old Bardi, Yawuru, and Kija man from the west end of the Kimberley, born and raised in Broome, Western Australia. Jake’s childhood was shaped by a love for dance, art, music, photography, and fashion, which has paved the way for his entry into the creative industries over the past two years. In 2024, Jake has completed his first year of a three-year mentorship with Indigenous Fashion Projects. Jake is also part of the planning committee for KAFTA in Broome and currently undertaking a mentorship with the Sharing Stories Foundation, where he is learning the full spectrum of visual photography and digital art.

Photo: Marley Morgan Photography

Project Title: Road Less Travelled – Red Road Tour

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support JK47 the recent production ‘Road Less Travelled – Red Road Tour’ which aims to combine a live concert with an engaging Hip Hop workshop for local youth. This project seeks to inspire creativity, foster community connections, and empower young people through the arts, implementing the 4 -5 elements of Hip Hop, Graph, dance, MC, DJ and B-Boy.

JK47 is a Bundjalung, South Sea Islander man with many family connections throughout Queensland, from the far South all the way up to the tip, up North. At age fourteen, JK47 started exploring his creativity in writing rhymes and rapping. JK47 is slowly building his foundations for his legacy, and he does not plan on stopping.

In 2020, JK47 was the winner of the TripleJ unearthed, National Indigenous Music Award, winner of the 2024 Best Song at the Gold Coast Music Awards, and winner of 2024 ARIA ‘Our Soundtrack Our Ads: Best Use of an Australian Recording in an Advertisement’.

Photo: Joey Bailey

Project Title: Isles of Essence' (creation of new work)

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support Jasmin McGaughey’s young adult fantasy book, Isles of Essence. This book is written from her autistic Torres Strait Islander perspective, it follows a young autistic protagonist, Patience, as she journeys across her archipelago to save her land from the mass pilfering of magical essence by the Empire invaders only interested in mining magic. The magic keeps Patience, and her people connected to their home and ancestors. It fuels Patience’s own power to manipulate anything with life: growing plants, healing bodies, and even moving oceans. Patience will grapple with walking in a world that doesn’t totally understand her and yet is hers to love and learn. Hopefully this project will resonate with readers of Liar’s Test by Ambelin Kwaymullina, The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline, and Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko.

Jasmin McGaughey is a Torres Strait Islander and African American writer and editor. She is the author of the Little Ash series presented by Ash Barty and illustrated by Jade Goodwin. Jasmin started her publishing journey as a black&write! editor intern while she studied a Master of Writing, Editing and Publishing followed by a Masters by research, investigating fantasy literature written by people of colour. In 2023, she won a Queensland Premier’s Young Publishers and Writers Award. She has written for Overland, Kill Your Darlings, SBS Voices and Griffith Review and recently co-edited Words to Sing the World Alive. Jasmin's always loved storytelling, and she is proud to be able to work and learn in this field.

Photo: Phillip Harris

Project Title: Support for the writing of an expansive new poetry collection by Jazz Money

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support Jazz Money to write a new poetry collection, tentatively titled filament. Jazz will dedicate 12 months of part-time work on this project to the writing, editing and release phases, creating a rich and complex book with editorial rigour that will be an important contribution to the Australian literary sector.  Jazz also has the commitment from University of Queensland Press to publish the work.

Jazz Money is a Wiradjuri poet and artist who works across installation, publishing, digital, performance and film. Jazz is the author of two award winning poetry collections: how to make a basket (UQP, 2021) and mark the dawn (UQP, 2024), and the director of the feature film WINHANGANHA (NFSA, 2023).

Photo: Anna Hay

Project Title: Malu Mabaigal (Men of the Sea)

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support Jymahl’s first exhibition, Malu Maubiagal (Men of the Sea) at the Northsite Contemporary Gallery, Cairns during CIAF 2025 (May 26 - July 26). Malu Maubiagal details the intimate relationship that Mura Badulgal (Badu people) of Zenadh Kes (Torres Strait) have with the Arafura and Coral seas. Jymahl will work with printmaker Dian Darmansjah exploring new techniques and approaches in printing, before returning home to apply the learnings as he creates works for the exhibition.

Jymahl is a traditional hunter and fisherman, he can read the biodiversity of the land and seas around his home, Badu Island, Zenadth Kes (Torres Strait), where he has witnessed significant changes to habitat and species due to the climate crisis. Since 2019, Jymahl has produced lino prints, monoprints, pearl-shell and wood carvings that reflect his relationship with the sea at Badu Art Centre. In 2024 Jymahl was the Badu Art Centre's top-selling artist at Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, and this has led to build his arts career and grow his knowledge and practice.

Photo: Louisa Ahmat

Project Title: Country to Couture 2025 to Osaka Expo Japan - Head Stylist

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support Lindyn Rowland in an intensive professional development working directly with, and being mentored by, the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundations and Indigenous Fashion Projects (IFP) team, developing skills in styling and all elements of runway production.

The development will be focused specifically on the delivery of the 2025 Country to Couture event, Australia’s leading Indigenous fashion runway platform. The mentorship will combine remote pre-production sessions and an extended component supporting a runway showcase at the 2025 Osaka Expo in Japan.

Lindyn Rowland is a proud Wiradjuri and Waiben Island man born on Awabakal and Worimi Country. Lindyn currently resides in Naarm, Wurundjeri Country.

Lindyn is the Founder of Creative Director and Head Stylist of ROWLAND VISION, the first and only independently owned First Nations eyewear brand in Australia. In 2024, Lindyn was honoured to be the Head Stylist for the David Jones Indigenous Fashion Projects Runway at Australian Fashion Week.

Photo: Ash Penin (Tik Tok Australia)

Project Title: Photographic Exploration Intensive in Turtle Island

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support Lilla Berry to attend a two-week skills development, research and studio practice residency at Turtle Island (North America) to upskill her photography practice through learning analogue photography, and undertaking research of photographic practices by other photographers in the highly creative hubs of New York City and Vancouver.

Lilla is a Yankunytjatjara woman, multi-disciplinary artist, photographer, arts worker, film maker and producer. Lilla began her career as an Arts Administration Trainee at Carclew in 2014 and has since contributed to a wide range of arts programming. She is currently Manager, Aboriginal Arts Programs, where she supports and creates opportunities for other young mob in the arts.

Lilla has an active independent dance practice and independent roles as a producer. In 2017, she formed the Aboriginal cultural contemporary dance company Of Desert and Sea, alongside her fellow dance ensemble members. Lilla produced ODAS’ debut show and season of Beautiful during Tarnanthi in 2019.

Her first screen credit was producing Sansbury Sisters (2019) as part of the Deadly Family Portraits Initiative with South Australian Film Corp and ABC iView. She was also awarded the 2019 Gladys Elphick Young Sister Rising Award. Lilla completed a residency as part of The Mill’s Collaboration and Mentorship Residency program in 2021, which resulted in an exhibition titled STRNG WMN as part of Tarnanthi, which she curated and contributed to alongside other First Nation artists.

In late 2021, Lilla was awarded the SASA emerging producer award, and began producing the NITV, Screen Australia and SAFC commissioned short documentary, Black Empire, as part of the Curious Australia Initiative, which was released in 2022. She holds a Bachelor of Creative Arts from The University of Adelaide, and in 2024 was award the Frank Ford Memorial Young Achiever Award at the Ruby’s. She is currently working on ODAS’ next show as director, and has multiple screen projects in various stages of development and production, including a low budget feature being developed as part of the SAFC’s Film Lab program.

Photo: Matthew Denieuwe

Project Title: Guniimara - a First Nations Kinship, Birth & Parenting Poetry Anthology

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support Lulu Houdini’s anthology that will speak to Indigenous communities’ experiences of parenting, childhood and birth. It will be inclusive in its definitions and represent multiple and alternative ways of parenting. This project will outline 12 months of focused work; writing, editing and compiling the work to submit to Magabala Books for a future publishing opportunity.

Lulu Houdini is a Gamilaroi poet and midwife. Lulu’s work explores invisibility, memory, resistance, and liminality. Her poetry has been published by Meanjin, Overland, Red Room Poetry and Wakefield Press, with her debut poetry collection winning the 2024 black&write! Fellowship. Lulu's second manuscript River Page was also shortlisted for the David Unaipon Award 2024.

She currently creates and lives with Jerrinja, Wandi Wandandian Country.

Photo: Ingrid Coles Photography

Maggie Church-Kopp (Victoria)Project Title: Maggie Church-Kopps premier circus work: What yet 

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support Maggie’s creative development research of how time is experienced in the First Nations culture and how this knowledge can be communicated between generations. It will work to communicate the problematic ways time is constructed in current society and how First Nations’ knowledge systems hold many of the answers to these problems.

The development will involve academic research, interviews with Elders and Cultural leaders on Country, and a period of creative collaboration.

Maggie Church Kopp is an Arrernte woman with family connections to the UK and Torres Strait. Based in Melbourne, she is an artist, performer, and facilitator working primarily across circus and theatre.

In 2024, Maggie was awarded the Melbourne Fringe Best Emerging Indigenous Performer award for her work as a performer and writer with Na Djinang Circus in the critically acclaimed season of IN PLACE. Throughout her career, Maggie has collaborated with a wide range of artists and companies, including Kamarra Bell Wykes (A Daylight Connection), Ilbijerri Theatre Company, and Circus OZ. She is passionate about nurturing new talent and creating spaces for underrepresented voices in contemporary circus and theatre.

Photo courtesy of the artist

Project Title: Watch Her Burn, a new play by Palawa and Wiradjuri playwright Nicola Ingram

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support Nicola’s new play, Watch Her Burn. The script is inspired by the dialogue and protests surrounding the Brighton Bypass, a site where an archaeological survey was found to contain the oldest evidence of human habitation in the southern hemisphere in the path of a planned major highway.

This is the catalyst for four Aboriginal characters to navigate questions of identity, responsibility and bureaucracy. Giving voice to those conversations that are often held behind closed doors, between Aboriginal families and Community, and by individuals that work for a government making decisions on behalf of a Community who aren’t at the table. Who has a right to make decisions on behalf of a culture?

Nicola Ingram is a proud Palawa and Wiradjuri woman based in nipaluna, lutruwita. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) from the Victorian College of the Arts and continued to expand her practice into playwriting. In 2021 she won the Emerging Tasmanian Aboriginal Writers Award and has since continued to write and develop original works as part of festivals Dark Mofo, Yirramboi and 10 in 10 (ILBIJERRI Theatre Company). She is developing her practice through opportunities such as Lutruwita Voices (Australia Plays Transform), First Stage (Melbourne Theatre Company), Fresh Ink (The Australian Theatre for Young People), RAWspace (Theatre Royal Hobart) and the Poatina residency (Performing Lines Tasmania).

Photo: Lachlan Woods Photography

Project Title: Becoming Custodian debut album

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support Indigenous singer-songwriter NIDALA's, Becoming Custodian, a cross art-form multi-part project to educate and empower audiences to consider their own sense of belonging to, and custodianship of, the land beneath their feet. Using oral cultural storytelling, song and film, the project translates the cultural teachings and wisdoms of Indigenous peoples into transformative and empowering lessons for all people.

Project components include an album, a documentary and tour. The album will feature five original songs by NIDALA, three cultural songs recorded on Country and five wisdom-keeper interviews with Indigenous Elders and leaders. This application seeks funding to record the five original songs. Like NIDALA's debut EP, the album will be carbon neutral. This is NIDALA's debut album.

Nidala Barker is a Jabirr-Jabirr/Djugun singer, songwriter and custodianship educator. She self-recorded and self-released her popular debut single Howl at the Moon in 2019 on Djugun country. In 2021 she released a carbon-neutral EP titled Colours of my people, which led to the planting of over 20,000 native plants and featured in Rolling Stone Australia.

She was the recipient of the inaugural Emerging Artist Environmental Music prize in 2022. She currently sits on the board of Green Music Australia and The Returning Indigenous Corporation, roles which allow her to amplify the voices and wisdoms of Indigenous Australia within the music industry and beyond.

Photo: Josephine Cubis

Project Title: On Our Terms

The Young People: First Nations Arts and Culture Project Fund will support Rulla Kelly-Mansell's collaboration with multi-award-winning artist/producer Dan Rankine – aka Trials – a Ngarrindjeri man from Raukkan. Trials is one half of A.B. Original and part of the iconic hip-hop group Funkoars. This collaboration project is about a story largely unheard within the current mainstream music industry. On Our Terms represents a young Aboriginal boy, who lives between two worlds, in one world sharing truthful tellings of First Nations culture, history and celebrating its natural world of flora and fauna, and in the other world speaking to the injustices which are endemic in First Nations community struggles that exist in pursuit of autonomy.

Rulla Kelly-Mansell is a palliattore tulampanga/nupawula man, a custodian of the northern lands and waterways of lutruwita, as well as moonbird, saltwater pakana through his tayraritja island roots (trowuna/Cape Barron Island).

Rulla was born under an Aboriginal Birth Certificate, the first and only of its kind and has travelled the world representing his family and community through sports, music, culture and environmental and native species conservation. In 2020, Rulla was the recipient of the 'Lutruwita/Tasmanian Aboriginal of the Year' award. In 2022, he was the receptionist of the 2022 Aboriginal/Torres Strait Island Artist of the year, in the music group, Marlon x Rulla. In the same year (2022), Marlon x Rulla collaborated with Uncle Archie Roach for his triple j Like A Version, Uncle Archie's last recording.

Photo: Nick Manuell