Aboriginal Melbourne

17/08/2026

Artist Opportunity → A Free Studio Space for Aboriginal Artists and Creatives 💥

Expressions of Interest are now open for free Aboriginal Creative Studio Space, an initiative that provides studio space for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander artists and room to get making.

Previous recipients include Iluka Sax-Williams, Stacey Edwards & Thelma Beeton (pictured), and Bianca Easton.

Available from October 2026 – April 2027, there is no requirement to deliver a public outcome. Suitable for up to 2 artists, the 17sqm studio is centrally located at Boyd Studios, well-lit and has high ceilings, wooden floors and 24/7 access.

Apply:https://bit.ly/4hDBZxb

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4645D7E

Applications close: Wednesday 2 September, 4pm.

Applicants will answer three questions about their practice, how they intend to use the space and the benefits this opportunity will bring to their art-making.

Image credits: 2024 Studio recipients Stacey Edwards and Thelma Beeton, pictured in the Boyd Studio amongst their artwork. 📷: TJ Garvie

31/07/2026

What does a whole new world look like when it’s shaped by First Nations artists?

This conversation explores how new worlds are imagined into being through storytelling, visual language and acts of creative resistance.
Across evolving practices and future-facing ideas, we consider how First Nations artists expand our understanding of what is possible: holding past, present and future in the same frame.

Bringing together four leading voices – Axel Garay, April Phillips, Allara Briggs Pattison and Hayden Ryan – this panel looks at how AI and digital realms are reshaping creative practice.
As artists move through these shifting technologies, they navigate questions of authorship, control and cultural knowledge in increasingly complex digital spaces.

Register for tickets here.

https://bit.ly/4blOg5B

19/07/2026

How can design reveal and strengthen our connections to Country?

Bringing together leading voices in First Nations knowledge, architecture and urban design, this conversation will explore how pathways, trails and infrastructure can act as living cultural lines.

Book your free ticket now.

Wed, 22 Jul, 6pm - 7:15pm
The Edge, Fed Square

https://events.humanitix.com/copy-of-melbourne-conversations-designing-with-country

16/07/2026

Join us at the Deadly in Melbourne 2026 First Nations Business Expo.

Meet more than 50 First Nations-owned businesses from across Melbourne and connect with business owners from industries including food and hospitality, arts, retail, construction, health and education.

When: Monday 27 July 2026, 10am to 2pm
Where: Melbourne Town Hall, 90/130 Swanston Street, Melbourne

Free to attend. Register now: https://www.kinaway.com.au/deadly-in-melbourne-2026

Brought to you by City of Melbourne in partnership with the Kinaway Chamber of Commerce.

09/07/2026

Gunawarra Re-Creation returns to Southbank Theatre as part of NAIDOC week from 8-11 July.
The play is a retelling of the traditional Kulin Nations story of Gunawarra; the black swan, and how they came to have black feathers. Set on Taun Wurrung country, the play explores Blak women’s strength, survival and healing.

In this powerful story of culture, memory and healing, Murrun returns to the watering hole; the same one her Aunty Aggie used to take her to. The sacred one. There, past and present collide. She meets her old friend Gunawarra. The Black Swan.

Book via https://www.southbanktheatre.com.au/plays-and-tickets/whats-on/other-companies/gunawarra-re-creation

Image by Tiffany Garvie.

Gunawarra Re-Creation was originally co-produced with Melbourne Theatre Company as part of Blak in the Room 2024. The work was developed through the ILBIJERRI Blackwrights Program with the support of City of Melbourne, Bowden Marstan Foundation, Equity Trustees and InPlace. Show photos by Tiffany Garvie.

After an incredible opening season with Black in the Room in 2024, Gunawarra Re-Creation returns in 2026, coinciding with NAIDOC Week.

19/06/2026

Join us for a FREE celebration of music, culture, and community as Fed Square comes alive in honour of NAIDOC Week.

Featuring a powerhouse line-up headlined by ARIA-winning Australian icon Christine Anu, along with performances from Zipporah Corser-Anu, Crooked TP & Brothers In Arms, Dungala Baimi, Bumpy, Benny Walker, Leonie Whyman and Traditional Aboriginal Dance Group Yuloo.

Explore the vibrant KHT NAIDOC Week Market, featuring over 20 First Peoples stallholders with art, craft, design, fashion, jewellery and more.

Alongside the market, KHT will host a variety of free workshops and activities for all ages, as well as a welcoming Elders Lounge and quiet space.

Everyone is welcome, with kids’ activities, an exciting AFL activation, delicious food trucks and stalls, and much more kicking off from midday.

This free event is proudly presented by the City of Melbourne in partnership with Fed Square, supported by Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT).

When: Friday 10 July, from midday to 5.30pm

Where: Main Stage, Fed Square

18/06/2026

Explore a home within Arts House in this bold new intergenerational exhibition.

a bit thing invites you to step inside a fantastical Blak family home – a space where art, pop-culture and Koorie culture are inseparable from everyday life.

Led by matriarch and curator Dr Paola Balla, and co-curated with her children Rosie Kalina and Katen Balla, a bit thing celebrates the family home as a site of gathering, cultural memory, collective imagination and personal identity.

Pop on over and stay awhile.

Free exhibition and public program: 27 June – 18 July 2026

https://www.artshouse.com.au/events/a-bit-thing/

Image Credit: Rosie Kalina, with photographs supplied from a family collection

Image Description: A collage style image in pastel tones, incorporating an archive of family photographs and flora overlays.

03/06/2026

Last chance to apply for the 2026 Melbourne Awards – applications close next week.

Don’t miss your chance to apply in the ganbu guljin category – celebrating projects that promote cultural understanding and awareness.

Apply today

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The Melbourne Awards are free to enter and any person or group that makes a difference to our city is encouraged to apply.

01/06/2026

Celebrate the legacy of Eddie Koiki Mabo this Wednesday evening.

Come along to The Edge in Fed Square for a vibrant, free Mabo Day community event featuring live music, powerful cultural performances and activities for all ages. Honour, reflect and celebrate on the final day of National Reconciliation Week.

Proudly delivered by the Koorie Heritage Trust in partnership with the City of Melbourne and Fed Square.

Free entry, RSVPs suggested:
https://kht.org.au/whats-on/events/mabo-day-concert-2026/