FIRST NATIONS
ARTIST
RESIDENCY
2026/2027
The opportunity for an Aboriginal
or Torres Strait Islander artist to deeply engage with their practice
in their own studio (rent free)
for12-months, and develop curatorial experience through
the presentation of a major exhibition for NAIDOC Week 2027.
Supporting First Nations artists through an opportunity to grow, explore and foster their creative practice.
• A 12-month rent-free studio space at The Creator Incubator
• The opportunity to curate an exhibition for NAIDOC Week 2027
• Collaboration and skill exchange with 55 resident artists
• Inclusion in a vibrant and supportive artistic community
• Exposure to galleries, curators, and industry mentors, and
more...
Artists supporting
Artists.
Applications
CLOSED
Application form + T&Cs
Emerging and early career, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander artists are invited to apply for a 12-month studio residency at The Creator Incubator.
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Applications Open: Sunday 17th May, 2026
Applications Close: 11:59 pm, Friday 19th June, 2026
​Recipient Announced: 6:30 pm, Saturday 11th July, 2026​
Shellie Smith
2026- 27
Shellie Smith is a proud Awabakal woman whose creative practice explores cultural sovereignty, relational knowledge, memory, and the continuing presence of Awabakal culture in contemporary public space. Working across weaving, sculpture, installation, archival research, and site-responsive practice, she reawakens cultural-making traditions through Country, material engagement, and community relationships.
Drawing on archives, family histories, oral knowledge, landscape, and embodied making, Smith approaches the archive as a living and contested space where cultural knowledge can be revisited and returned to contemporary practice through culturally accountable processes.
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Smith’s work affirms the ongoing presence of Awabakal culture while creating spaces for dialogue, remembrance, and contemporary Indigenous identity.
