ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We acknowledge the Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr and Yaegl people as the Traditional Owners of the land on which we live and work. We honour the First Nations people’s culture and connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.
The CVIAA is a biennial acquisitive award established in 2007, open to contemporary First Nations artists residing on Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr, and Yaegl Country in the Clarence Valley. The award celebrates the region’s rich First Nations cultural heritage and identity, sharing stories about country, place, and community.
This unique local art prize is generously supported by the Yulgilbar Foundation, and the winning artwork is acquired into the Grafton Regional Gallery collection. Grafton Regional Gallery would like to thank Matt Poll, Manager of Indigenous Programs at the Australian National Maritime Museum, for judging the 2025 Award.
A Grafton Regional Gallery exhibition.
CURATOR’S FOREWARD
The Clarence Valley Indigenous Art Award (CVIAA) 2025 presents the contemporary artistic practices of 15 First Nations artists working within the traditional territories of the Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr, and Yaegl peoples. This distinguished exhibition encompasses 18 multidisciplinary works by F. Belle Parker, L. Brown, J. Clifford, C. Currie, D. Gorogo, B. Lavis, J. Lavis, B. Monaghan, L. Monaghan, M. Monaghan, A. Morris, M. Richey, K. Russ, Z. Skuthorpe Dowel, and A. Williams.
The exhibition presents a diverse constellation of artistic mediums and aesthetic approaches, encompassing painting, sculptural installations, traditional weaving practices, and innovative hybrid techniques that bridge contemporary and ancestral knowledge systems. This rich tapestry of creative expression underscores the continued vitality and significance of artistic practice within First Nations communities of the Clarence Valley and adjacent traditional countries. These works articulate profound connections to cultural heritage and identity, while serving as vessels for the transmission of narratives concerning Country, place, and community to the next generations.
The CVIAA functions as a distinctive platform that consolidates the Clarence Valley arts community, with particular emphasis on fostering First Nations artistic voices. This exhibition creates a vital space for the exchange of creative visions and technical knowledge, while simultaneously providing mentorship and encouragement for emerging artists, particularly among the younger generation of First Nations practitioners. The CVIAA represents one of the Grafton Regional Gallery's most significant contributions to artist development, exemplifying the potential for meaningful cultural programming through regional government initiative and support.
I extend my sincere gratitude to all participating artists and warmly welcome you to the CVIAA 2025.
Dr Pedram Khosronejad Curator—Exhibitions and Collection
2025 JUDGE
Matt Poll is the manager of Indigenous programs at the Australian National Maritime Museum and previously worked as Curator of Indigenous Heritage collections of the Macleay Museum and Chau Chak Wing Museum at the University of Sydney.
For more than a decade Matt was the repatriation project officer at the University of Sydney and began his career work at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney. Matt was recently appointed a member of the Sydney Opera House conservation council and the Berndt Museum foundation.
Matt is of Torres Strait Island South Sea background, a member of the Watego family connected to many Aboriginal families in Byron Bay, Tweed Heads and Brisbane.
JUDGES COMMENTS
A connecting thread of matriarchal power links many of the works in this year’s exhibition, much like the Boorimbah River that joins both sides of Grafton, creating an umbilical connection between inland freshwater stories and coastal saltwater knowledges, forming a kinship between land and sea. Many artists, including Madeleine Richey in Gulayaali and Jennifer Lavis, illuminate the vital importance of intergenerational knowledge transfer. Whether through nuanced understandings of natural cycles, the reclamation of ancient crafting practices as seen in Brittney Lavis’s work, or the wisdom embedded in native plants depicted by Lorraine Brown, these pieces underscore the continuous flow of cultural learning. There is clear emphasis on language revitalisation and the deeper stories of place that accompany it, highlighting how these narratives are intrinsically woven into identity. Furthermore, several works powerfully explore self-expression and identity within a contemporary context. Amber Morris’s Warrior Woman Neckpiece is a standout example, boldly venturing beyond traditional painting to showcase personal adornment as a profound connection to ancestral heritage. Similarly, Alison Williams’s Tokenism bravely confronts historical narratives, demonstrating how art can speak back to the past. The collective voice of these artists speaks to a vibrant and evolving artistic landscape, dedicated to preserving and celebrating the rich cultural heritage of the Northern Rivers.
- Matt Poll
LORRAINE BROWN
Lorraine has extensive training and experience across multiple healing and artistic modalities, including dream work and sand play therapy. During her childhood, she found joy in drawing figures within the earthy clay pan flats of her homeland.
Lorraine is dedicated to service through the transformative power of love and healing. "My wish for you is to embody and behold more of your beautiful essence and honour your sacred journey."
I spent much of my childhood alongside the old aunties and grandmothers, gathering traditional bush foods. These experiences with the grand old matriarchs were filled with profound love and joy. This sense of lightness and spirit is reflected in the luminous, reflective elements of my work, while the earthiness and accumulated wisdom of these women is expressed through darker, layered tones.
In my paintings, day and night merge in dreamlike compositions that speak to both healing transformation and spirituality.
The Naipan is a delicious, succulent native fruit. The secret is harvesting them before the ants discover their sweetness.
Naipan - Bush Fruit 2025, acrylic on canvas, 122 x 4 x 61 cm
JAXON CLIFFORD
Bundjalung Country, Australia, 2013 -
Jaxon is a young Indigenous artist residing on Gumbaynggirr Country. Currently enrolled at Coutts Crossing Public School, he serves as a distinguished Gumgali Girrwaa cultural representative, demonstrating exceptional commitment to preserving and sharing the ancestral knowledge transmitted through his paternal lineage.
From an early age, Jaxon has exhibited remarkable artistic aptitude, with drawing serving as his primary medium of creative expression. His dedication to his craft is evidenced by his consistent independent practice during academic hours. Despite his naturally reserved disposition regarding public recognition of his artistic abilities, institutional encouragement has culminated in his inaugural submission to the prestigious Clarence Valley Indigenous Art Awards.
Jaxon’s artistic trajectory reflects his profound commitment to perpetuating traditional Indigenous artistic practices, positioning him as a promising custodian of his cultural heritage and artistic legacy.
This is my freehand drawing of a frilled-neck lizard, standing strong. He represents resilience and defence. The circles symbolise gathering places, storytelling, and community. I used earthy tones for our beautiful country. The blue background reflects the beauty of water, sky, and spirit. Lizard has walked this land for countless generations alongside my people, together ensuring survival and understanding of Country.
“Freedom” the Frill-Neck Lizard 2025, drawing - lead and colour pencils, felt tip pens & texta, 62 x 45 cm
Youth Prize recipient: CVIAA 2025
CHRISTOPHER CURRIE
Yaegl Country, Australia, 1981 -
Christopher James Currie is a proud Yaegl man of the Bundjalung Nation, born in 1981 in Maclean, New South Wales. He comes from a family of artists—both parents and extended family members possessed remarkable creative talents, suggesting that artistry flows through his bloodline.
Currie began drawing at the age of five or six, creating images of anything and everything that captured his imagination. He transitioned to painting at sixteen, discovering a medium that would become central to his artistic practice.
I strive to continually refine my artistic style by exploring new techniques and incorporating innovative approaches into my work. As an artist, I am committed to testing my limits, pushing creative boundaries, and expanding my knowledge. Through my art, I hope to share my cultural heritage and personal vision with both my local community and audiences around the world.
Diamond Python 2025, acrylic on canvas, 120 x 76 cm
CHRISTOPHER CURRIE
Yaegl Country, Australia, 1981 -
I strive to continually refine my artistic style by exploring new techniques and incorporating innovative approaches into my work. As an artist, I am committed to testing my limits, pushing creative boundaries, and expanding my knowledge. Through my art, I hope to share my cultural heritage and personal vision with both my local community and audiences around the world.
Universal Connections 2025, acrylic on canvas, 50 x 50 cm
ZEPORAH SKUTHORPE DOWEL
Bundjalung Country, Australia, 2001 -
Zeporah Skuthorpe Dowel is a self-taught artist residing on Bundjalung country. Working predominantly in acrylics, she specialises in Aboriginal dot painting, drawing profound inspiration from the artistic legacy of her late uncle, Tex Skuthorpe. Although they never met, his enduring influence continues to nurture her passionate engagement with the arts and deepen her connection to cultural traditions.
My painting Fairy Floss Skies emerges from the quiet ritual of my evening commute, where I am continually captivated by the sublime pastel hues that suffuse the sky at sunset. This work weaves together these luminous atmospheric tones with the distinctive silhouettes of native animals that grace this beautiful Bundjalung country. Through this synthesis, I seek to create a contemplative dialogue between the ephemeral beauty of the natural world and the enduring presence of the creatures that call this landscape home.
Fairy Floss Skies 2025, acrylic on canvas, 91 x 61 cm
DANIELLE GOROGO
Bundjalung and Gumbaynggirr Country, Australia
Danielle Gorogo lives in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, drawing from her rich cultural heritage—Bundjalung, Gumbaynggirr, Dunghutti, Papua New Guinean, Māori, and Micronesian. Her work reflects connections to Country, family, and ancestral knowledge. She paints stories rooted in culture, personal experience, and transformation, predominantly working in acrylic on canvas. Through her practice, Gorogo seeks to inspire unity and foster a deeper understanding of our shared humanity. Her primary objective is to share her artwork whilst bringing awareness and appreciation to the significance of First Nations traditions, knowledge, and spiritual beliefs. She explores contemporary issues through her art, bridging the divide between past and present. Drawing inspiration from her family, Country, and spirit, Gorogo aspires to inspire others to appreciate and celebrate the rich heritage of First Nations peoples.
Inner Earth invites the viewer to experience the gravitational pull of depth—to comprehend that our connection to Country is not superficial; it is profound and eternal. Each stratum reveals not merely geology, but connection itself. These are the layers of inner Earth, and simultaneously the layers of First Nations peoples whose relationship with Country extends deep into time, into spirit, where ancestral knowledge is embedded.
This work constitutes a reflection of cultural and spiritual connection to Mother Earth. As a proud First Nations artist, I perceive the stories of Country not only surrounding me but residing within me. This painting explores the manifold layers that lie beneath the surface—both the physical strata of the earth and the cultural layers of knowledge, memory, and responsibility.
We are the custodians, storytellers, and descendants of this land—a living archive. We are born from it, return to it, and are guided by it. The deeper we venture, the more we remember who we are.
Inner Earth 2025, acrylic on canvas, 150 x 30 cm
BRITTNEY LAVIS
Biripi woman creating on Bundjalung Country, Australia, 2003 -
Brittney is a proud Biripi woman raised on and continuing to live on Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung Country. She works in the mental health sector as a peer support worker, walking alongside young people on their mental health journeys. Community lies at the heart of everything she does—grounding, guiding, and shaping her identity and practice.
My piece, Woven Healing, is a handwoven raffia basket that took approximately two to three weeks to create. This work holds profound significance for me as one of the first pieces I made as part of my weaving group.
During the creation of this basket, I was navigating a particularly challenging period with my mental health, struggling to maintain my mental heath. However, being surrounded by my Aunt and the other women—yarning, weaving, and connecting— helped sustain me through this difficult time.
Woven Healing embodies the strength and comfort that culture provides. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultural practices such as weaving transcend mere artistic expression—they represent powerful sources of healing, resilience, and connection to Country, community, and ancestral knowledge.
Emerging Artist prize recipient: CVIAA 2025
Woven Healing 2025, raffia woven, 35 cm round
JENNIFER LAVIS
Biripi woman creating on Bundjalung Country, Australia, 1978 -
Jennifer Lavis is a proud Biripi saltwater woman living on Gumbaynggirr country. She is a devoted mother of four children, who remain her greatest joy, and works in aged care, providing compassionate assistance to elderly community members. Jennifer began painting two years ago as a means of nurturing her mental health during a challenging period when her husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Through her artistic practice, she has discovered a profound connection to Country and cultural expression that sustains and heals.
Connecting to Country Hunting Ground explores the diversity and unique food sources that sustain this great nation on which we live. The work depicts our deep connection to the animals, the sacred layout of the land, and the timeless tradition of our people gathering together. Through this painting, I celebrate the abundance of Country and the enduring relationships between our people, the land, and all living creatures that call this place home.
Connecting to Country Hunting Ground 2025, acrylic on canvas, 40 x 60 cm
MAISIE MONAGHAN
Bundjalung Country, 2015 -
Maisie is a Bundjalung girl from Baryulgil who expresses her creativity through dance, painting, and weaving. She is learning traditional dance as part of the Garimaa Ngahri dance group and has performed at exhibition openings and festivals including Bluesfest, Kinship, and Boomerang Festival.
Maisie received the Nanga Mai Award in 2023 for her outstanding achievement in performing, creative, and visual arts. She was previously awarded the Youth Encouragement Award in the 2021 Clarence Valley Indigenous Art Award for her work Dirrangun. In 2022, her artwork was featured in a large-scale projection in South Grafton celebrating the endangered coastal emu, and she was recognized in the Community Recognition Statement in the NSW Legislative Assembly Hansard and papers for this work.
My painting is about a big Jargon, an eel. He was up at Baryulgil and he got stuck in a flood and died there. He is still there today because he turned into a river.
The Big Jargoon 2025, paint on canvas, 50 x 50 cm
LENNOX MONAGHAN
Bundjalung Country, 2011 -
Lennox is a talented all-rounder who is proud of his Bundjalung culture, which he is eager to share with the world. He excels at running and rugby league and enjoys singing, playing and performing drums and the Yidaki. Lennox has performed solo at events such as NAIDOC and Art on Bundjalung, and in 2022 he opened for Australian pop musician Jessica Mauboy, with whom he starred in the 2023 film Windcatcher. Other screen performances include the recently released drama series Moonbird, filmed on a remote island off the coast of Lutruwita (Tasmania).
Lennox was a featured artist in the 2023 New South Wales Schools Spectacular, performing at Qudos Bank Arena in front of 13,000 people and televised nationally in prime time. He dances as part of the group Garimaa Ngahri at festivals such as Bluesfest, Kinship, and Boomerang Festival.
Lennox received the Nanga Mai Award in 2023 for his outstanding achievement in performing, creative, and visual arts alongside his sister, Maisie. These awards recognize and celebrate innovation, excellence, and educational achievement in Aboriginal education in New South Wales public schools, school communities, and within the Education department.
My art piece is about how Country tells us signs. It is about going turtle diving. When Country gives us the three storms and the wattle trees flower and bloom it means that the turtles are nearly ready. This is when we go turtle diving. The shell represents the turtle. The circles and lines around them represent the rocks and the Balun – the river.
My Binging Connection 2025, timber, 16.5 x 60 cm
BIANCA MONAGHAN
Bundjalung Country
Bianca is a proud Bundjalung woman from Baryulgil in Northern New South Wales and an emerging cultural leader in her community. Her artistic practice includes painting, and traditional practice such as weaving and wearable art. Her artwork is featured in several public artworks in the Grafton area and has featured in exhibitions across Northern NSW, most recently in the Bulaan Buruuga Ngali exhibition currently touring in Tweed Regional Gallery and Lismore Regional Gallery.
Bianca has led Aboriginal dance groups since the early 2000’s with young people from the Clarence Valley and beyond, teaching traditional dances and songs from the Bundjalung nation which have been performed at many festivals and events including Boomerang Festival, Splendour in the Grass, Kinship Festival and Bluesfest in Byron Bay. She is a mother to three children who she is raising as proud First Nation citizens with a sound knowledge of their language and culture, and she teaches cultural knowledge in local schools and preschools.
Bianca is the founder of apparel brand Jaana Bulaan manufacturing garments and products that feature her original artworks. ‘I love sharing stories though my wearable art. Jaana Bulaan means Stand Together in my language. This is why all my items are Alli friendly, I want everyone to wear them with pride.’
My piece is called Balun which means River in Bundjalung language. The piece represents the flow of the river and the stories that the river holds. The fact that our river starts at one part of Bundjalung country and flows through, and carries those stories through to Yaegl country.
Balun 2025, triptych on canvas, 62 x 93 cm
AMBER MORRIS
Gumbaynggirr Country, Australia, 1992 -
Amber Morris is a Gumbaynggirr woman born and raised in Grafton, now residing in the bushlands of Nymboida with her daughter and partner. With an extensive background in youth and community work, she currently focuses on conducting youth art workshops throughout the Clarence Valley and surrounding regions, while regularly participating in local artisan markets and cultural events. As a full-time mother to her daughter, she describes this role as her most rewarding endeavour to date.
Creative expression has been central to her life, working across various mediums and now specialising in macramé, echidna quill jewellery, and dreamcatchers. Her practice embraces earth’s natural materials, incorporating animal bones and handfossicked crystals into her distinctive works.
I began creating this style of jewellery during a profound period of spiritual, hormonal, physical, and cellular transformation. My work reflects the complex composition of this life stage, capturing the raw transition from maiden to mother. These pieces embody the powerful and magical aspects of my matrescence—the process of becoming a mother.
My work holds the energy of deepening femininity, marking a spiritual elevation where ancient wisdom awakened within my body. This creative practice represents a strengthening connection to my culture and honours all the mothers who came before me.
These pieces are a sacred dedication to this transformative season of my life.
Warrior Woman Neckpiece 2025, jewellery - wearable art
Open Acquisitive Prize Winner: CVIAA 2025
FRANCES BELLE PARKER
Yaegl Country, Australia, 1982 -
Frances Belle Parker is a proud Yaegl woman, mother, and artist from Maclean, New South Wales. Her practice is deeply rooted in her connection to her Mother’s land—Yaegl country—and the stories of Ulgundahi Island in the Clarence River, where her Mother grew up.
“I am inspired by the Yaegl landscape and the stories which were shared with me and passed down from our old people. It is my responsibility to document these stories and to map our landscape. In doing so, I am creating a valuable resource for my children and all of the younger Yaegl mob.”
The Gathering features clusters of oysters (mun.gal), woven throughout the composition as symbols of the gatherings in which our ancestors participated. Rendered in monochromatic tones, the work transports us to an ancestral time when the fundamental act of gathering—to celebrate, mourn, and feast—formed the cornerstone of First Nations identity and community. The remnants of shell middens left upon the land serve as markers of our enduring presence, creating temporal layers that function as time capsules, allowing us to uncover the stratified histories embedded within our landscape.
The Gathering 2025, acrylic on linen, 50 x 75 cm
FRANCES BELLE PARKER
Yaegl Country, Australia, 1982 -
Layers of Time is a profound meditation on identity and place, exploring the fundamental questions of who I am and where I belong—concepts that form the essence of my identity as both storyteller and artist. Through the metaphor of archaeological excavation, the work reveals that beneath each layer lie both beautiful histories and narratives of strength, as well as traumatic legacies from our past. Set against a landscape image of Biirrinba, the composition deliberately inverts conventional perspective by foregrounding the monochromatic layers of time and history, ensuring that our story claims its rightful place in the spotlight.
Layers of Time 2025, acrylic on linen, 40 x 50 cm
MADELEINE RICHEY
Kamilaroi Woman creating on Gumbaynggirr Country, Australia, 1993 -
Born on country, Maddy is a Kamilaroi yinarr raised on Bundjalung country in Grafton, New South Wales. Among her earliest memories of artistic instruction are moments spent painting along the Clarence River on Yaegl country with her Pop, a renowned watercolour landscape artist whose influence and guidance profoundly shaped her creative journey. Through these formative experiences, he passed on invaluable lessons and knowledge that continue to inform her practice.
Maddy is also a gunidjaar (mother) to three children and works as a registered nurse in her local emergency department while currently pursuing studies to become a midwife. Beyond her creative practice, she is passionate about healthcare and actively advocates for eliminating systemic racism and implicit bias within the health system.
Named after her great-grandmother Grace Madeleine Binge—the matriarch of the Binge family who, alongside her partner Walter Binge, led their family through difficult times on Toomelah and later in Tenterfield in North-West New South Wales—Madeleine carries forward a legacy of resilience and strength. Her artworks tell stories through both modern and traditional styles and palettes, drawing inspiration from the landscape of walaaybaa (home country) and special places significant to her and her family, as well as the narratives that connect her to her Kamilaroi homelands.
Garriya burruguu marks the beginning of my exploration of creation—what burruguu (creation) means to me and the lessons and stories I have learned and am yet to discover about walaaybaa (home country). I hold deep respect and admiration for the creation stories and songlines that connect our nations across the continent. While each country maintains its distinct and unique existence, these stories unite us, fostering togetherness and strength among our people and our history— specifically, our pre-colonial history, which is often misrepresented but was rich with love, community, togetherness, industry, and prosperity.
Garriya Burruguu 2025, acrylic on canvas, 51 x 41 cm
MADELEINE RICHEY
Kamilaroi Woman creating on Gumbaynggirr Country, Australia, 1993 -
The gulayaali (pelican) fascinates me. While learning Gamilaraay, I discovered we had a word for the pelican—gulayaali. This surprised me, as an inland North-West New South Wales nation, we typically lack words for plants, animals, or phenomena that do not exist within our homelands. Through further exploration, I learned that the gulayaali migrates from the coast during certain periods, particularly wet seasons, to breed inland. This pastel and acrylic mixed-media artwork represents this migration, with which I deeply resonate. Living off country, these small connections and representations of country sustain my spirit and maintain my connection, even from afar.
Gulayaali 2024, pastel and acrylic on primed paper, 41 x 51 cm
KRISTAL RUSS
Jaru and Ngarinyin woman creating on Bundjalung Country, Australia, 1983 -
Through her great-grandmother, Kristal is a proud Jaru woman born and raised on Ngarinyin country in Western Australia. As a child, art was something to which she frequently retreated, and as she continued to grow and expand her creative practice as a self-taught artist, she found her unique style by combining her Aboriginal heritage with contemporary expression. Currently residing and creating on Bundjalung country, her works are inspired by the land, storytelling, and the journeys that connect us all. Kristal’s works are not merely products of imagination but manifestations of her lived experiences and the deep cultural connections that drive her artistic practice.
One of the most important aspects of Aboriginal culture is storytelling. Not only is it vital for cultural preservation, but it serves as a way of staying connected to our ancestors, our Country, and ensuring our history, traditions, and law are passed on to future generations. These stories, however, are not merely narratives—they are living memories.
Memory Keepers is a homage to the incredible guardians of our culture: the carers of Country, our teachers, our Elders. May their stories and memories forever be shared, heard, and honoured. They are our storytellers; they are our memory keepers. Without their resilience and determination, we would not be where we are today.
Memory Keepers 2025, acrylic, ink and resin on wood, 63 x 63 cm
ALISON WILLIAMS
Gumbaynggirr Country, Australia, 1968 -
As a Gumbaynggirr Mirla-Galgi descendant, I have cultivated a lifelong devotion to painting and drawing as vehicles for expressing personal impressions, dreams, and lived experiences. From an early age, these mediums became essential forms of creative expression that continue to shape my artistic practice.
Throughout my career, I have served as a spokesperson for the cultural heritage of Australian First Nations peoples, dedicating myself to the education and communication of culture through arts, history, and community leadership. My passion lies in fostering greater engagement and understanding—both within Australia and across broader international communities—of our rich cultural heritage through traditional and contemporary artistic presentations.
I often perceive my role as holding the lantern that enables people to see or be seen. This analogy encapsulates the responsibilities that underpin my work within the arts and culture sector. Through art, people become more inclined to observe and truly perceive their surroundings. Art offers an accessible pathway to approach subjects that may be sensitive or difficult to articulate verbally, transcending barriers through various creative mediums.
Art serves as a powerful communicator—one that requires no shared spoken language. I have worked within the arts as a means of expression throughout my entire life, and it has become integral to my identity and purpose.
Tokenism 2025, mixed media on raw canvas with steel curtain rod hanger, 220 x 600 cm
Text copyright: Grafton Regional Gallery and The Artists
Images copyright: The Artists
Catalogue Design: Taylor Made Graphics
© Grafton Regional Gallery
ISBN: 978 1 7641885 0 0
This publication has copyright. Apart from fair dealing for purposes of research, study or otherwise permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without permission. Enquiries should be made to Grafton Regional Gallery.
Grafton Regional Gallery is a cultural facility of the Clarence Valley Council.
Grafton Regional Gallery acknowledges the funding support of the NSW Government through Create NSW. www.graftongallery.nsw.gov.au
A Grafton Regional Gallery exhibition.
graftonregionalgalleryau
grafton_regional_gallery