Celebrating Aboriginal women artists in craft and design

Opening later this month, Dancing Hands is a stirring tribute to cultural knowledge, community, and creativity, showcasing the work of six Aboriginal women artists from across the country.

Curated by Maya Hodge (Lardil), the exhibition will run from June 28 to August 2 at Craft gallery in the CBD.

Part of Craft’s First Peoples-led exhibition series, now in its fifth year, Dancing Hands features works by artists Aunty Patsy Doolan (Barkindji), Amy Hammond (Gamilaroi), Carly Tarkari Dodd (Kaurna, Narungga, Ngarrindjeri), Kyra Mancktelow (Quandamooka, Mardigan), Lyn-Al Young (Gunai, Wiradjuri, Gunditjmara, Yorta Yorta), and Molly Mahoney (Boonwurrung, Wemba Wemba, Barkindji).

Together, the artists’ practices span generations and geographies, from Victoria to Queensland, offering a deeply moving reflection on the role of craft in the continuation of Aboriginal knowledge and culture.

The exhibition works combine traditional and contemporary approaches to weaving, textiles, and adornment.

Through these diverse practices, Dancing Hands honours the continuation of First Peoples’ stories, knowledge, and resilience for future generations.

“Our grandmothers’ grandmothers’ hands tell stories; weaving and sculpting are more than just a practice - they are deeply embedded traditions that embody resistance as truth-telling, love and joy, all rooted within Country and kinship,” Maya writes in her curatorial statement.

“These women, through immense love and care, continue to create, safeguard and pass on cultural knowledge, ensuring that each thread carries with it the stories, strength, and spirit of our people.”

“With hands that dance, they keep weaving into the continuum.”

Maya is a curator and writer based on Wurundjeri Country, whose work centres First Peoples’ voices and storytelling.

Her past curatorial projects include Collective Movements at Monash University Museum of Art and These Arms Hold at Incinerator Gallery.

Craft’s First Peoples-led series was launched in 2020 to foster Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership in curatorial practice within the fields of craft and design.

Each year, the program invites a curator or collective to present an exhibition coinciding with NAIDOC Week, selected through consultation with First Nations artists and professionals.

2025 marks five years of this significant project, with previous exhibitions including Elemental (2021) curated by Jenna Lee; Into the Everywhen (2022) curated by Alchemy Orange; Yarn (2023) curated by Jahkarli Romanis, and Moombarra (2024) curated by Kait James. •