Purrumpa

About the event

Watch selected sessions from Parrumpa below.

The Australia Council, with the First Nations Strategy Panel, will present Purrumpa – a national gathering and celebration of First Nations arts and culture to be held be held over five days on Kaurna Yerta at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 31 October to 4 November 2022.

The historic occasion will mark the largest national gathering of First Nations arts and culture, convened by the Australia Council, in 50 years.

As part of the anniversary of the establishment of the Australia Council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board, the gathering will celebrate the remarkable achievements in the First Nations arts and culture sector over the last 5 decades.

In 1973, a national seminar on Aboriginal Arts in Australia in Canberra was attended by approximately 400 representatives from across the country. Funded by the newly formed Aboriginal Arts Board of the Australia Council, the meeting established guidelines designed to encourage First Nations people around the country to participate in a broad range of arts activities.

Purrumpa will celebrate the 50th anniversary of this significant milestone, and to enable a national collective voice across all areas of First Nations arts and cultural practice.

As we reflect on the past and look to the future, this will be an important moment to come together to continue conversations about First Nations peoples’ self-determination, development, and priorities for the national advocacy of First Nations arts and culture.

First Nations artists, organisations and communities are invited to keep up to date and follow the journey to Purrumpa by joining our dedicated mailing list.

FULL PROGRAM | MEDIA RELEASE | SIGN UP

Livestream schedule

Tickets for Purrumpa have sold out. You can watch the livestream from the Plenary (main room) each day, Monday 31 October – Friday 4 November.

Please note: all times are in ACDT (Adelaide time).
Add 30mins for AEDT (Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney).
Use the Time Zone Converter if you’re unsure.

8:00am Registrations open in foyer. Smoking ceremony.
8:45am Welcome to Country by Uncle Moogy
9:20am Message from the South Australian Government, Hon Peter Malinauskas MP
9:30am Welcome message from the Chair, Australia Council First Nations Arts Strategy Panel, Distinguished Professor Larissa Behrendt
9:45am Message from the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Hon Linda Burney MP
10:15am MORNING TEA
10:45am Message from the Minister for the Arts, Hon Tony Burke MP
11:15am Keynote – Franchesca Cubillo on behalf of Dr Patricia Anderson AO

12pm Keynote – Bob Weatherall in conversation with Warraba Weatherall

12:45pm LUNCH
1:45pm Statement from the Heart and First Nations Arts and Culture
- Facilitator: John Paul Janke, Sally Scales, Thomas Mayor, Uncle Moogy Sumner
3pm AFTERNOON TEA
3:30pm Truth Telling and Reconciliation and First Nations Arts and Culture
- Facilitator: Jo Willmot
  Commissioner Romlie Mokak, Lee-Ann Tjunypa Buckskin, Michael Mansell, Dan Riley
4:30pm CLOSE

Please note: all times are in ACDT (Adelaide time).
Add 30mins for AEDT (Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney).
Use the Time Zone Converter if you’re unsure.

9am Welcome to Country by Asham Owen
9:15am Keynote Professor Marcia Langton AO

9:45am Keynote Craig Ritchie

10:15am MORNING TEA
10:45am Bringing It Forward: The Journey Towards a National Body for First Nations arts and culture. Community consultation outcomes and consolidated report.
- Executive Director First Nations Arts and Culture, Franchesca Cubillo
11:45am Cultural Vibrancy Rests on Cultural Authority Gordon Marshall, Aggie Pigram and Wayne Barker
12:45pm LUNCH
1:45pm First Nations Storytelling: Theatre
- Facilitator: Angela Flynn
- Andrea James, Rachael Maza and Glen Shea
3pm AFTERNOON TEA
3:30pm First Nations Storytelling: Visual Arts
- Facilitator: Dr Fiona Foley
- Dr Djon Mundine OAM, Vernon Ah Kee and Dr Julie Gough
4:30pm CLOSE

Please note: all times are in ACDT (Adelaide time).
Add 30mins for AEDT (Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney).
Use the Time Zone Converter if you’re unsure.

9am Welcome to Country by Uncle Michael O’Brien
9:15am Keynote – Damien Shen with Uncle Moogy, Dana Shen and Polly Sumner

9:45am Keynote – Tiriki Onus

10:15am MORNING TEA
10:45am Collections and Recollections: Decolonising Methodologies
- Nici Cumpston OAM, Dr Lisa Slade, Dr Julie Gough and Dr Ali Baker
11:45am The More You Tell a Story, the Stronger the Story Becomes: Strengthening Language, Culture and Wellbeing Through Stories and Music in Early Childhood Education in the Central Kimberley
- Eva Nargoodah, Amy Menzies, Susan Hoad, Marshia Cook, Patricia Cox, Jayden Green, June Nixon, Dr Gillian Howell, Marninwarntikura Women’s Resource Centre and Tura New Music
12:45pm LUNCH
1:45pm From the Creek to the Board Room. Ku Arts Reflecting on 50 Years
- Facilitator: Lavene Ngatokorua
- David Miller, Ashley Pompey, Inawintji Williamson, Dre Ngatokorua and Alison Milyika Carrol
3pm AFTERNOON TEA
3:30pm Arts, Culture and Community: How Cultural Centres in NSW Do Things Differently
- Facilitator: Steve Miller
- Alison Williams, Rose Lovelock and Di Smith, Marika Davies and Samantha Yates
4:30pm CLOSE

Please note: all times are in ACDT (Adelaide time).
Add 30mins for AEDT (Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney).
Use the Time Zone Converter if you’re unsure.

9am Welcome to Country by Uncle Tamaru
9:15am Keynote – Teela Reid

9:45am Keynote – Glenn Iseger-Pilkington

10:15am MORNING TEA
10:45am The Indigiverse – A subset of the Metaverse
- Brett Leavy
11:45am Community, Creativity and Commerce: An Exploration of a Successful First Nations Not for Profit Marketplace
- Facilitator: Rhoda Roberts AO
- Shannon McGuire, Paul Ah Chee and Mick Harding
12:45pm LUNCH
1:45pm Indigenous Futurism as a Political Tool
- Claire G. Coleman
3pm AFTERNOON TEA
3:30pm Strengthening and Building the First Nations Workforce
- Facilitator: Franchesca Cubillo
- Dominic Guerrero, Celia Coulthard, Eva Wilson, Carly Takari Dodd, Tara Collier and Lilla Berry

4:30pm CLOSE

Please note: all times are in ACDT (Adelaide time).
Add 30mins for AEDT (Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney).
Use the Time Zone Converter if you’re unsure.

9am Welcome to Country
- Kaurna Yerta Aboriginal Corporation
9:15am Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property
- Trish Adjei, Steph Parkin and Bibi Barba
9:45am Productivity Commission Report update
- Commissioner Romlie Mokak
10:15am MORNING TEA
10:45am Health and Wellbeing: Listening to the Sounds Beneath our Worlds on Country
- Dr Bianca Beetson
2:30pm Summary of Conversations Across Purrumpa
- Franchesca Cubillo, Dr Tristan Schultz
3:30PM ENDS.

Full program

Each day will include a Welcome to Country, two keynote speakers, and six panels. There will be opportunity and space to continue informal conversations.

The conference dinner will be held on Wednesday evening at the Adelaide Convention Centre.

Click here to see the full program.

FAQs

Purrumpa is a national gathering and celebration of First Nations arts and culture to be held over five days on Kaurna Yerta at the Adelaide Convention Centre from 31 October to 4 November 2022.

The historic occasion will mark the largest national gathering of First Nations arts and culture in 50 years, convened by the Australia Council, in 50 years.

‘Purrumpa’ is a Kaurna language word meaning ‘to flourish or blossom’ and was generously gifted to us by Kaurna Elder Uncle Lewis O’Brien.

Purrumpa celebrates the incredible achievements of the past fifty years of First Nations arts and cultural led industry, as envisaged by the Aboriginal Arts Board in 1973. We will host conversations over five days, across multiple artforms whilst paying tribute to those who have come before us.

Purrumpa will enable considered discussion at all levels, and across a range of industries, about First Nations arts and cultures.
These conversations aim to promote the rights of First Nations artists and cultural custodians; to champion First Nations arts and cultures; and to support, strengthen and grow the First Nations arts and culture sector into the next 50 years.
Purrumpa will build on the legacy of the 1973 seminar, and lead discussions that will develop strategies to promote First Nations creative endeavours locally, nationally and internationally. Support policy development around the arts and economic growth and empower the future First Nations arts and cultural leaders.

We are pleased to announce the first round of speakers for Purrumpa:

Patricia Anderson AO (Keynote)
Dr Ali Baker
Wayne Barker
Hon Tony Burke MP (Keynote)
Professor Dr Marcia Langton AO (Keynote)
Troy Casey
Lillian Crombie
Nici Cumpston OAM
Dr Fiona Foley
Julie Gough
Andrea James
Gary Lang
Professor Dr Marcia Langton AO (Keynote)
Michael Mansell
Djambawa Marawili AM
Thomas Mayor
Romlie Mokak
Djon Mundine
Tiriki Onus
Glenn Iseger Pilkington (Keynote)
Rhoda Roberts AO
Glen Shea
Damien Shen (Keynote)
Nardi Simpson
Bob Weatherall (Keynote)

Full details plus panels and performances to be announced soon.

Sign-up to our mailing list to stay up to date. Expressions of interest for presenters closed on Sunday 28 August.

We’re finalising the delivery platforms for Purrumpa. Please visit our website and join our mailing list to be kept up to date with more information.

Purrumpa is a gathering of First Nations arts and culture and we are hoping to engage First Nations arts and cultural workers from across the country.
We recognise there are many non-First Nations people who are involved in First Nations projects and organisations who may wish to attend with their First Nations colleagues.
Non-First Nations delegates are welcome to join the audience to hear from First Nations Eldership, thought leaders and inspirational youth who are currently engaged in the arts and culture sector.

Anyone can watch the livestream. Register here.

We have a capacity of 340 for the Summit and 400 for the dinner on Wednesday night.

The Adelaide Convention Centre provides a range of accessibility options and facilities. All car parks and buildings are wheelchair accessible. Read more on the ACC webiste.

The Adelaide Convention Centre’s policy on COVID-19 Safety is outlined on its website and includes the following:

- If you are attending an upcoming event at the Adelaide Convention Centre we ask that you please play your part and help us be COVID-safe by practising proper hand hygiene; adhering to physical distancing by maintaining 1.5m from others where possible; and staying home if you feel unwell.

The delivery of Purrumpa is being led by First Nations people, with leadership from the First Nations Arts and Cultural Strategy Panel and the Australia Council’s First Nations arts and culture team. We are working with a First Nations media and event management agency on the delivery of the event.

The Australia Council, and our delivery partners, adhere to the Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts.

If you’d like to know more, please contact purrumpa@australiacouncil.gov.au – this email is being monitored by multiple people and you will receive a response as promptly as possible.

Jordan Lovegrove from Karko Creations.

Jordan Lovegrove is a Ngarrindjeri man who has been creating Aboriginal art over the past 11 years. Jordan’s mob (Ngarrindjeri) is from the riverland area of South Australia around the Coorong, lower Murray River – Murray Bridge, Raukkan. He grew up in Adelaide and enjoys visiting his family in Murray Bridge often. A creative at heart, Jordan also works as a Graphic Designer and Web Developer, creating a range of brands, artwork and digital platforms for a variety of clients from all over Australia.