Sharing Stories Arts Exchange

The Sharing Stories Arts Exchange exhibition features work by Canberra based artists working across a variety of mediums as they respond to their learnings and experiences of the 2025 Sharing Stories Arts Exchange. 

Sharing Stories is a creative participatory project focused on building positive reciprocal relationships between the Canberra community and local and regional Indigenous and non-indigenous communities. The program features culturally rich learning opportunities in the ACT and a structured creative field program visiting both the Tumut region of NSW and the far South Coast of NSW.  

For the first time in 2025, artists visited Walgalu Country including sites of: Brungle township, Blowering Dam, Snowy Hydro Wall, Yarrangobilly Caves, cultural sites at Kosciuszko National Park, Talbingo and Goobarragandra River.  The Walgalu Country program is facilitated by Aidan Hartshorn and Dr Amanda Stuart. 

On Yuin Country, participants met with facilitators Toni Hill, Meaghan Holt, Alison Simpson, Nathan Lygon, Franz Peters from NSW Parks and Bundian Way author, John Blay. The Yuin Country program is facilitated by Amelia Zaraftis and Dr Amanda Stuart. 

Here in Canberra, participants met with Ngunnawal/Ngunawal and Ngambri community members including Aunty Matilda House and Wally Bell and visited Red Hill campground, Black Mountain and cultural sites on ANU campus and the National Gallery of Australia. 

The aim of Sharing Stories is to build on existing shared values by way of active reconciliation: learning from local Frist Nations people and increasing awareness and understanding of the complexities of culture and reconciliation through creative outcomes, which are presented for the first time in this exhibition. 

2025 Program participants

Walgalu Country participating artists
Judith Ajani, byrd, Robyn Campbell, Elizabeth Ficken, Holly Grace, Clare Jackson, Mary Kayser, Justine McLaren, Julie Monro-Allison, Michelle Penalurick, Rachel Peachey, Litia Roko, Annika Romeyn, Mimir Soboslay Moore, Kate Stevens 

Yuin Country participating artists
Lucy Alexander, Greta Cooper, Rebecca Dallwitz, Michelle Day, Christina Dunne, Helen Heslop, Eleanor Malbon, Bridie Macgillicuddy, Cath Moran, Julie Ryder, Grace Schuman 

Information session for 2026 Program & Meet the artists
5.30pm – 6.30pm Tuesday 24 February  

Sharing Stories has just launched a new website! Find out more about the program here

Sharing Stories Arts Exchange is supported by the ACT Government.