Our open-access studio at The Mill continues to be a vibrant place of creation and collaboration for First Nations artists. The studio offers a space for supported learning, experimentation and a chance to connect with a broader arts community every Friday from 10 am - 3 pm.  Over the last few months the studio has been buzzing with new work, fresh ideas and collective energy!

In 2025, the Ku Arts Symposium returned to Kaurna Yarta (Adelaide), aligning with the Tarnanthi Festival. The symposium brought together First Nations artists, art centres, curators, and cultural leaders from across the state, creating a vital space for storytelling, connection, and professional development.

This workshop was designed exclusively for artists who were already practising jewellery-making and ready to take their work to the next level. Over two days, participants expanded their technical skills, worked with high-quality tools and materials, learned where to source supplies, and began developing their own product lines. 

Ku Arts hosted a two-day intensive Kulintja Palya Cultural Strengthening Workshop for staff from our member art centres in Yulara. The workshop was facilitated by Dom Barry, a clinical psychologist and proud Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara man, alongside Andrew Groom, a former social worker now working with the Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Education Committee (PYEC).

In June 2025, Ku Arts delivered the Mai on Country women’s weaving camp, supported by Preventative Health SA. The camp provided opportunities for cultural reconnection, creative exploration, and community healing for women from the Far West coast of South Australia. Ten women from Yalata, Ceduna, and Adelaide participated in the camp. The program focused on weaving with marine debris and natural materials, alongside cultural activities such as fishing, fire cooking, and time on Country.

In 2025, the Artists on the Inside workshop series featured two intensive workshops led by Cedric Varcoe (Ngarrindjeri, Ramindjeri, Boandik, and Narangga) at Mobilong Prison, and Patrick Ferguson (Yawarrawarrka, Pitjantjatjara, Adnyamathanha) at Cadell Training Centre. Each workshop was designed to foster cultural connection, storytelling, and healing through creative expression.

To build on the silk painting workshops held in 2024 in McLaren Vale with artist Pilawuk White, Ku Arts invited Pilawuk back to lead a new round of workshops for First Nations artists from the Fleurieu Peninsula, Murray Bridge, Coorong, and surrounding regions. Ku Arts hosted four days of workshops at Victor Harbor's Coral Street Art Space from 26th to 29th of May 2025.

The 2025 First Nations Curators Program, delivered by Ku Arts, supported 10 emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists and arts workers from across South Australia. Held over five days in May, the program offered participants an immersive experience with leading institutions such as the Art Gallery of South Australia, Artlab, JamFactory, Flinders University Museum of Art, and more. Participants explored collection management, exhibition design, curatorial processes, and the ethical responsibilities that come with working with First Nations stories and artworks.

The ceramic program at Kokatha’s Press Road, led by Adelaide-based potter, Ashlee Hopkins has centred on helping artists refine their individual artistic voices while preparing for the commercial market. Delivered in a supportive, hands-on environment, the workshops guide artists from creative exploration toward the production of high-quality, saleable works.

On 1 May 2025, Ku Arts proudly hosted an Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) workshop at our Adelaide office, facilitated by Solid Lines — a First Nations-led creative agency specialising in illustration, design, and culturally grounded education. The workshop was led by Emrhan Sultan, a Western Arrarnta, Luritja and Kokatha woman, and Nicola St John, both co-founders of Solid Lines and nationally recognised for their work supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists to protect and advocate for their rights through visual storytelling and design.