Kaiela Arts

Kaiela Arts Kaiela Arts is a place for First Peoples with connections to Yorta Yorta Country, to create art and share their stories.

Established in 2006, Kaiela Arts is an Aboriginal art centre located in Shepparton situated on the traditional lands of the Yorta Yorta Nation. Our work drives important outcomes for local Aboriginal artists and our community. Located on the ground floor of the Shepparton Art Museum (SAM), Kaiela Arts is a gallery, shop and studio space. Our storytelling and culture are embedded throughout the mus

eum with brass and granite inlays in the floor and screen-printed fabrics that feature designs by our artists. Our art centre offers visitors an opportunity to view and purchase authentic Aboriginal art. Kaiela Arts differentiates itself as promoting the traditional linear and Xray styles of the South-eastern Aboriginal people. These styles come from Yorta Yorta Country and resonate thousands of years of cultural practises. Kaiela Arts provides an important space for local Aboriginal artists and community to connect to culture through the arts. We strengthen community by sharing culture, learning from our past and empowering future generations. Our studio space is used by artists to explore a variety of traditional and contemporary art making techniques including painting, ceramics, woodwork, printing and fashion. We create ideas by working with lessons from the land to create and share quality artwork. Annually we host exhibitions and events during the Shepparton Festival. In Autumn, our popular Turtle Muster brings the wider community into the gallery

26/08/2026

Our studio has been busy this Winter with staff and artists creating an amazing range of work from paintings to ceramic pieces, woven art and more.

Our Studio Assistant - Ceramics and artist Ally Knight (Mulana Earth) has been glazing some very special limited-edition ceramic vessels for the Bupolga Collection.

Keep an eye out in our shop and online – they will be available soon!

25/08/2026

We have been experimenting with some fun activities in the studio🎨👚

We're seeing how different mediums and textures work together to create something bold and memorable.

Keep an eye out for something exciting coming soon! 👀

Over the past 12 months, Kaiela Arts has been working with community across Yorta Yorta Country, learning together and r...
25/08/2026

Over the past 12 months, Kaiela Arts has been working with community across Yorta Yorta Country, learning together and revitalising Yorta Yorta language through song.

Last weekend, we were excited to connect with three young people through headspace Shepparton, bringing them together with Ebony Joachim and Madi Colville Walker Music to write their own song - a process that carried a lot more than words.

Ebony reflected on the workshop: "I have been enjoying and appreciating seeing young people learn language through the process of writing songs in language. The thought process they go through for them to be able to express themselves with words is powerful. A process most people often find hard. The message that is coming out of the song with this group of young people evokes the love for culture, the need for culture, and the struggles with building and connecting to our cultural identities."

It's so important that we can create these spaces for our young people to connect with Kaiela Arts, with our artists, with each other and with culture.

More from this project soon 💛🖤❤️

Take a closer look at the fine details of some of the amazing art created by Kaiela Arts artists.🎨 Emu feathers, Raku cl...
19/08/2026

Take a closer look at the fine details of some of the amazing art created by Kaiela Arts artists.🎨

Emu feathers, Raku clay, raffia, and acrylic paint are just some of the many mediums used across the gallery.

Every piece is uniquely intricate, every mark bringing it all to life and sometimes looking closer, reveals more of the story.✨️

18/08/2026

Kaye Poulton is a highly experienced local ceramicist who over the past 2 years has played a key role in revitalising and growing our ceramics practice through the Ceramics Lab program – and we're grateful for the generosity and warmth she brings to the studio! ✨️

In weekly studio sessions, Kaye supports our Elders, artists and staff to expand their practice, introducing hand-building and surface decoration techniques, and encouraging experimentation with form and materials. She has also worked alongside the studio to explore the use of local clays and pigments and pit firing methods, connecting our ceramics practice more closely to Country and place.

Kaye makes her own glazes from raw materials, and that same spirit of curiosity and experimentation carries through into her mentoring — encouraging others to test, adapt and problem-solve as they find their own techniques and voice.

Her work with us has been instrumental in building skills and confidence across the studio, and we're proud to have her as part of the Kaiela Arts family! ❤️

17/08/2026

Earlier this year in May, a group of our artists and staff travelled to Melbourne to take part in a creative residency workshop with the Australian Tapestry Workshop, an exciting partnership that marks the beginning of a significant new collaborative project.

Over several days, artists immersed themselves in weaving and natural dye processes, exploring how materials gathered from Country can be transformed through contemporary textile practices. Guided by the Australian Tapestry Workshop team, the residency created space for experimentation, knowledge sharing and the exchange of creative practices, with conversations grounded in Country, culture and materiality.

This collaboration is an important opportunity for our artists to expand their practices while continuing to centre Aboriginal ways of knowing and making. It reflects Kaiela Arts' commitment to creating meaningful partnerships that support artistic development and amplify First Nations voices through new mediums.

As Yorta Yorta artist Ally Knight (Mulana Earth) reflected:
"It was so fun to learn new weaving techniques and explore natural dye processes. I really enjoyed experimenting with natural dyes with Heather in the dye lab and seeing the different colours that could be achieved through natural processes. I left feeling inspired and excited to continue these techniques in my own practice. I can't wait to see what we create together."

This residency marks just the beginning, and we're looking forward to sharing more about this exciting collaboration and the work our artists have been developing in the months ahead.

Stay tuned and subscribe to learn more about this exciting project!

There’s always more to work than the work itself. 💛Our recent team day gave us the chance to slow down, reflect on the v...
13/08/2026

There’s always more to work than the work itself. 💛

Our recent team day gave us the chance to slow down, reflect on the values that guide us, and share gratitude with one another. We spent the first part of the morning in conversation, listening and reflecting on the things that have shaped us as a team.

In the second half, we picked up some clay and made art together — a reminder to pause, make space for creativity, and appreciate the little things that can so easily get lost in the busyness of everyday work life.

A beautiful day of connection, reflection and creativity, reminding us that sometimes the smallest moments carry the most meaning. Art is in everything we do. ✨

Recently in the studio, we had the new round of JAWUN Secondees enjoy a ceramic workshop as an icebreaker for the group....
11/08/2026

Recently in the studio, we had the new round of JAWUN Secondees enjoy a ceramic workshop as an icebreaker for the group.

All the best to the group for their upcoming secondments on Yorta Yorta Country! 🖤💛❤️

On the last Wednesday and Thursday of July, Kaiela Arts facilitated two workshops as a part of the Rumbalara Football Ne...
10/08/2026

On the last Wednesday and Thursday of July, Kaiela Arts facilitated two workshops as a part of the Rumbalara Football Netball Club 2026 Nanyak Burras Youth summit.✨️

This two-day program was held for First Nations Students from Years 9 to 12 providing students with a structured cultural experience to build skills, confidence and an ‘Invincible Spirit’.

Kaiela Arts was involved in the Workshop Roulette component of the summit where students engaged in a range of workshops for 25min blocks. In our workshop, students were given an option of participating in one of two workshop activities; Weaving with Melinda Solomon (Baljil Art), Keneisha Howell (Keneisha Howell photography), and Ally Knight (Mulana Earth) or making Ceramic animals using our Yorta Yorta Yedabila Clay kits with Mya Falla, Sam Forrester, and Lyn Thorpe.

This was a great way for Kaiela arts to engage with youth and see so many kids get involved and express themselves creatively!

This year's Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair feature artist for Kaiela Arts is Tahnee Day, a proud Gunditjmara, Wemba Wemba an...
06/08/2026

This year's Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair feature artist for Kaiela Arts is Tahnee Day, a proud Gunditjmara, Wemba Wemba and Yorta Yorta woman whose multidisciplinary practice is driven by curiosity, experimentation and a deep commitment to creative growth.

Recognised for her intricate line work and distinctive use of acrylic paint pens, Tahnee's practice spans painting, illustration, textiles and fashion, continually exploring new ways to express culture, identity and contemporary Blak storytelling.

Most recently, Tahnee expanded her creative practice through the Blak Design Program presented by the Koorie Heritage Trust Inc in partnership with The Ian Potter Foundation and RMIT University, culminating in the exhibition STITCHIN STORIES: BLAK & THREADLY.

Reflecting on the week ahead, Tahnee shared:

"I'm excited to see this year's Indigenous Fashion Projects Awards and Country to Couture, and to see what other Blak creatives have been producing."

Darwin Art Fair marks another exciting milestone in Tahnee's career, with several new projects and bodies of work set to be unveiled later this year. We're proud to support her practice as it continues to grow and reach new audiences across the country.

Explore the Kaiela Arts Online Booth from 6–9 August and follow along as we share highlights from Larrakia Country throughout the week.

Address

530 Wyndham Street
Shepparton, VIC
3630

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4am

Telephone

+61358219842

Website

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