PEOPLE

Senior Artist, Tjungu Palya
Kanpi, APY Lands

Marita brings extensive governance experience across Aboriginal organisations. She is currently an executive with the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Council and a board member of the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women's Council (NPYWC). Marita joined the Ku Arts Board in 2008, and after a period away, she returned and is the current Chairperson of the Ku Arts Board. She has held key roles at Kaltjiti Arts and Tjungu Palya Art Centre, including as Chairperson, supporting organisational development and artist outcomes. She is known for her leadership and dedication to community-led governance.

Artist, Arts Ceduna
Ceduna, Far West Coast

Sherrie Jones is a Yindjibarndi artist based in Ceduna whose practice is grounded in storytelling, cultural knowledge, and connection to Country. Born in Perth, she spent her early years in Carnarvon, Western Australia, before moving to Coober Pedy and later Port Lincoln, where she completed her schooling.

Sherrie began painting in high school, working primarily in acrylics, inspired by her father, an art teacher and her grandfather, who shared family stories that continue to shape her work. Sherrie has supervised community arts programs at Arts Ceduna, mentoring emerging First Nations artists and supporting collaborative projects, including No Black Seas, advocating for the protection of the Great Australian Bight. A proud mother of four, her practice preserves and shares family and cultural stories for future generations.

Independent Artist
Coober Pedy, SA

Patricia is a Yankunytjatjara and Kokatha artist living in Coober Pedy. She has been a Director on the Ku Arts Board since 2024. 

Her mother was from Bulgunnia and her Father was from Coober Pedy (8 mile). She’s been painting for many years and finds it helps her relax, brings family together, and helps with connection to culture. 

Patricia paints Women's story and about her Country - the creek lines, travelling and everyone being together going out hunting for honey ants and for maku (grub). The Honey Ant is her Grandmother's Dreaming, but she doesn’t eat honey ants herself - she doesn’t like the idea of eating ants!

Independent Artist
Davenport, SA 

Lavene is Wangkangurru and Adnyamathanha, mother to Dre, from Davenport; an Aboriginal community located near Port Augusta. She is a Woman of the Desert, Lakes and Hills living on Barngarla Country under the Umeewarra - the Milky Way. 

Lavene continuously advocates for her people across arts, justice, spiritual wellness and leadership. She is a leader, mentor, teacher and learner. An activist and an artist, Lavene has honed her technical and storytelling ability through the photographic medium producing images which speak of connection to country and personal histories. With skills across many mediums including singing, dancing, music and art she is a multitalented storyteller.  

Lavene Ngatokorua is the current Director member of the Ku Arts Finance and Audit Committee.

Artist
Pipalyatjara, APY Lands

Josephine was born at Alilyangu (near Pukatja) in the Pitjantjatjara Lands. Josephine began painting as a young woman, before there were any art centres in the West. She is a respected Ngankari (traditional healer) with an extensive knowledge of bush medicines, and is acknowledged for her work across two cultures, as a senior custodian of Tjukurpa and as an advocate for her people. Josephine was the founding Director of NPY Women’s Council in 1982. Among many roles, Josephine was the Anangu supervisor for the Arts in Health doctoral study on the benefits of art centres to community by researcher Maree Meredith, supported by Ku Arts.

Independent artist
Port Elliot, Ngarrindjeri Country

Cedric Varcoe is a Ramindjeri-Ngarrindjeri and Narangga artist. Widely respected for his leadership, Cedric brings deep cultural authority to board and advisory roles, grounding decision-making in Ngarrindjeri knowledge systems. His work reflects a commitment to community-led governance, cultural continuity, and strengthening connections between people, Country, and story.

In his arts practice, Cedric’s work talks about Ngarrindjeri ancestor, Nurungeri, an instigator of laws and ceremonies, a giant ancestor whose great adventure shaped the creation of the lands and waters. Cedric wants people to connect to their Miwi, the spirit that shapes a person and connects them to totems and life that belongs to Country.

Senior artist, Ninuku Arts
Kalka, APY Lands

Yangi Yangi Fox is minyma Anangu, a senior Pitjantjatjara woman based in Kalka in Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands the far north western corner of the of South Australia. As well as carving, Yangi Yangi is a painter and key member of Ninuku Arts. She also makes grass sculptures and baskets with Tjanpi Desert Weavers and works as a ngankari (traditional healer).

Rebekah Ken-Osborne is an Anangu Pitjantjatjara woman with songline connections to Puta Puta and Irrunytju. A dedicated professional in business management and executive assistance, she is a grassroots community leader in the Anangu space. She serves as Anangu Services Coordinator at Iwiri Aboriginal Corporation, Director at Ku Arts and Warntapinthi Wellbeing Aboriginal Corporation, and Cultural Lead/Project Coordinator at Flinders Wellbeing Centre. Passionate about community development, governance, and cultural wellbeing, she actively contributes to initiatives that empower Indigenous communities.

Lee-Ann Tjunypa Buckskin is a Narungga, Kaurna, Wirangu and Wotjobaluk woman.

Lee-Ann is currently the Manager of Yitpi Yartapuultiku, Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Port Adelaide. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of South Australia. Lee-Ann has worked across many major events and festivals including; Adelaide Fringe, Adelaide Festival and Brisbane Festival of Arts. She has also consulted and advised on many film scripts and is currently the Aboriginal Strategy Executive for the South Australian Film Corporation. 

She is a strong leader and advisor across the arts industry; for ten years she was the Deputy Chair of the Australia Council for the Arts (now Creative Australia) and has also been an advisory member of The Art Gallery of South Australia for the Tarnanthi Festival. Her work has garnered awards and acclaim, always focusing on strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultural programs.

Catherine is the founding chair of Ngutu College.  For over a decade, she held leadership roles at the Actuaries Institute and Committee for Economic Development and assisted with the formation of the New Democracy Foundation. She is the current chair of Adelaide Youth Orchestras and was formerly the executive director of Bangarra Dance Theatre, dance program manager at the Australia Council for the Arts, chair of Young People and the Arts, managing director of Red Sky Performance in Canada and founding general manager of the Australian Choreographic Ensemble.

Connor is a lawyer with significant experience advising charity and not-for-profit organisations in relation to formation, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring transactions and corporate governance. Prior to practising as a lawyer, Connor worked in Big 4 accounting firms in Adelaide and Melbourne.

Anangu Mayatja
Pukatja (Ernabella), APY Lands.  

Alison Milyika (Tjulapi) Carroll is a Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara artist and leader from Pukatja Community, APY Lands. She is an artist, leader, and current Chair of Ernabella Arts, Australia's oldest art centre, established in 1948. 

She is the Aṉangu Mayatja at Ku Arts, a position she has held since 2007. In this role, Tjulapi is a strong advocate for her community and the APY region and has contributed greatly to the strength of the art centres under Ku Arts today. She offers important cross-cultural guidance and perspective to Ku Arts staff and Directors.

As an artist, Tjulipi works across multiple mediums reflecting her identity as a contemporary and senior Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara woman. Her work is held in collections nationally and internationally. Tjulipi relishes her role as a teacher to emerging artists and cultural leaders. She actively develops and advocates for opportunities for young people in her community, so that they remain connected to culture and ensure the strength and pride of their identity and their art centre for years to come.

Chief Executive Officer
Tarntanya/Adelaide

Melissa has an extensive experience in the arts sector having managed government grant and investment programs for the South Australian Film Corporation and Arts South Australia. She has held senior roles in securing and managing funding at SAFC for high-profile feature films, television dramas and broadcast documentaries and as Cultural Heritage Manager at Arts SA.

Early in her career, Melissa directed and produced documentaries for CAAMA, ABC TV, and SBS TV, and her films have screened at festivals internationally including Venice Film Festival. She has lectured in Broadcast Journalism at Bachelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education in the Northern Territory and worked as a producer in video and radio for the Warlpiri Media Organisation in Yuendumu (PAW Media) in the NT facilitating the production of ‘in language’ content.

Melissa’s most recent roles have been as Operations Manager for the Australian Network for Arts and Technology and as the General Manager at Genealogy SA a not-for-profit membership organisation, the largest society of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere.

Creative Business Development Manager
Tarntanya/Adelaide

Nara Wilson is a proud Wirangu, Kokatha and Larrakia Screen and Media Producer who lives and works on Peramangk country in the Adelaide Hills.

From 2018 – 2022 Nara implemented South Australia’s first and second First Nations Screen Strategy for the state. From August 2022 – June 2023 she was the first to implement the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Strategy for South Australia at Arts South Australia as the Senior Project Manager Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts.

Nara is a passionate advocate for First Nations screen and Arts advancement in Australia.

Arts Program Producer
Tarntanya/Adelaide

Melanie is an experienced arts manager with over 12 years’ experience delivering creative and skills development workshops with Aboriginal artists and communities. She was the Manager of Bindi Inc., Alice Springs, and Tjungu Palya Arts, APY Lands, as well as managing community arts, social enterprise and community development projects throughout regional and remote Northern Territory and Western Australia.

As Arts Program Producer for Ku Arts, she has supported Aboriginal artists in regional SA communities to realise their artistic aspirations; such as through enterprise development with Dunjiba Designs, Oodnadatta, painting studio workshops in Coober Pedy and overseeing major development projects with artists from Arts Ceduna for Tarnanthi 2019 and Arabana artists for Arabana Songlines during Tarnanthi 2021.

Arts Program Manager
Tarntanya/Adelaide

Lisa has a background in community and arts based initiatives, and is a practicing visual artist. She has worked with a number of organisations with strong connections to the APY Lands, including as Studio Manager at Ninuku Arts in Kalka.

As Arts Program Manager at Ku Arts, Lisa supports professional and creative development opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and arts workers across all stages of their careers.

Project Manager
Tarntanya/Adelaide

Em is a multidisciplinary artist and arts worker whose practice often centres around collaborative and community arts initiatives. Over the last decade, Em has worked on diverse arts projects with remote communities across the Central and Western Deserts, as both a facilitator and technician, working across ceramics, fibre art, screen-printing, and illustration. In her solo practise Em is currently exploring assemblage using clay and found metal, and conducting research into glaze and raw materials. Em is a studio associate at the Jam Factory and facilitates remote art projects with Tjanpi Desert Weavers in the APY Lands.

Photo credit: Connor Patterson, JamFactory.

Marketing
Tarntanya/Adelaide

Ashlee is a ceramic artist whose work explores the intersection of a disciplined craft training with expressive mark making; combining traditional craft methods and materials with contemporary counterparts, her craft vernacular continues to evolve. Working with other makers to deepen their own craft language and develop their careers is an integral part of her practice.

Ashlee is passionate about sharing artist’s stories and contributing to a sustainable visual art + craft industry.