Encounters Fellowships

Natalie comes from Fitzroy Crossing, Western Australia. She has Bunuba, Walmajarri, Scottish and English heritage and identifies as a custodian from Bunuba Danggu Muway.

She is a multidisciplinary artist and spends much of her creative time at Mangkaja Arts in Fitzroy Crossing.

Natalie also works at Wangki Radio, the local community radio station in Fitzroy Crossing. She is a producer and broadcaster along with her father, Bullen Rogers. They present a regular language program called ‘Danggujarra’.

From a young age, Natalie has had a love of the natural world and how everything is connected. She enjoys creating through building, art, writing and storytelling. Natalie sees art as a vital life practice, helping her to remember better, work through ideas and/or issues and create understanding and beauty in the world.

Through language, Natalie creates systems of understanding between seasonal observations and collections. She is dedicated to sharing the world around her and bringing people together through cultural understanding.

David is a Barkindji and Malyangapa man from Menindee, New South Wales. He lives on Barkindji Country in Broken Hill with his wife and two children.

David works for the Royal Flying Doctor Service, is a member of Menindee Aboriginal Elders Council, owns and operates Wontanella, a cultural tourism business, and holds numerous other positions on advisory councils and boards.

David’s arts practice is tied to cultural connection to Country and to his ancestors, with his main work being sculptural. He spends time with his elders, seeking guidance, gathering oral histories, arranging visits to museum collections to view Barkindji artefacts and photographing their various forms and carved designs. He then incorporates this research into his artworks.

David also teaches cultural practice in his home town of Menindee, has released a book of poetry and enjoys cooking bush foods in a contemporary style.

Jamie is a Warlpiri and Arrernte man from Alice Springs, Central Australia. His family comes from Yuendumu, 250 km north-west of Alice. His skin name is Jungarrayi.

Jamie’s work is focused on his Warlpiri family from Yuendumu. His main passion is repatriation; specifically, helping his community return sacred objects and important collections back to Country so that important cultural knowledge can be transferred to younger generations of Warlpiri.

Jamie has worked in the museum and cultural sector for four years and hopes to help his community build the relevant infrastructure to care for, manage and hold their own cultural heritage material on Country in Yuendumu.

Jamie is very passionate about his work and has always been closely connected to his culture. He learnt this from his father and grandfathers, who are now guiding him on this journey.

Samara is a Karajarri woman from Broome, Western Australia. She is currently living in Perth and completing a PhD in Anthropology at the University of Western Australia. Her research focuses on engagement between museums and First Nations researchers, and how archival photographs are shared and exhibited.

Samara is an aspiring curator with a wealth of experience in the arts sector. She has worked for the Rottnest Island Authority, the Western Australian Museum and the National Library of Australia. Samara is Board Secretary at exhibition touring company Art on the Move and a guest curator at the Midland Junction Arts Centre in Perth.

Samara is passionate about First Nations cultural heritage management. She is currently employed at The Keeping Place, an Indigenous-owned, not-for-profit software company.

Nerelle was born and raised in Far North Queensland on the homelands of the sunrise Kuku Yalanji people. She now lives on Djabugay Country on the northern beaches of Cairns.

After an extensive career in the public service advocating for her people, Nerelle was inspired to explore her creative skills to highlight important issues. Since 2012 she has developed her social history research and curatorial skills to share untold social and political history stories.

Her goal is to use her unique perspective and artistic abilities to create meaningful and inspiring presentations that evoke emotion, spark conversation and leave a lasting impression on those who experience her work.

In addition to working on a significant historical story for a new exhibition, Nerelle is currently building on the success of her recent Lugger Bort exhibition, which she is seeking to present during the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.

Sammi is a Dunghutti and Wiradjuri emerging artist and curator who has grown up on Darug land. Her passion for connecting to culture and community has been passed down to her by her grandparents from an early age.

As a young child, her late grandfather David Wright taught her a weaving technique called stringing. Years later Sammi reignited her passion for weaving by learning to weave baskets, which informs her art practice today.

Sammi is an experienced workshop facilitator, delivering First Nations weaving workshops to schools, galleries and libraries. Sammi recently curated her first show, The Enlightenment, at First Draft Gallery, Sydney, featuring her contemporary woven lampshades, along with art and poetry.

While pursuing her art practice, Sammi has worked as a First Nations Programs Producer at the Museums of History NSW, developing and leading new productions as well as delivering longstanding programs.