Sonya Rankine on the Legacy of the First National Aboriginal Women’s Arts Festival
Posted on: Fri 31 Jan 2025
Speaking with Nanawun Kaldowinyeri, Sonya Rankine reflects on the significance of the First National Aboriginal Women’s Arts Festival held back in 1985, a defining moment in South Australia’s cultural history.
Now commemorated in a 40th-anniversary retrospective exhibition, the first National Aboriginal Women’s Arts festival brought Aboriginal women from across the state and country to share their culture through visual arts, dance, music and theatre.
Through curated memorabilia and historical accounts, Black Women BACK IN Focus exhibition honours their contributions and explores how their legacy continues to shape Aboriginal arts and culture in South Australia today.
Featuring rare photographs, archival materials, and firsthand stories, the exhibition highlights the resilience, creativity, and enduring influence of these trailblazing women.
The Black Women BACK IN Focus exhibition will officially open at Dunstan Playhouse, Art Space, Adelaide Festival Centre this Saturday 1st February 2025 at 12-2pm, and the exhibition will be open to the public from Friday 7th February to Saturday 29 March 2025, with gallery opening hours from 10am to 3pm Friday and Saturday and during Dunstan Playhouse and Space Theatre performances times.
