Inaugural First Nations Fellowship winners unveiled

The recipients were recently announced at the launch of Queensland Museum’s First Nations Strategy that aims to reframe the museum’s relationship with Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples, embed First Nations voices as a vital, continuing thread, and build a more inclusive, equitable and harmonious future.

Both Fellows will receive a $20,000 stipend to work on a research project using Queensland Museum’s collections that contribute to First Nations knowledge and new perspectives, over the next 12 months.

Cheryl Leavy, is from the Kooma and Nguri Nations in western and central Queensland and has led major government programs which included cultural heritage protection and management, including the World Heritage, Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger and Cape York Tenure Resolution programs.

“During my Fellowship I hope to engage with materials in the State Collection relating to the Kooma (Guwamu) people, our culture and heritage, and social experiences, and use this as part of my ongoing creative practice.” Cheryl said.

Dylan Sarra is an Indigenous artist, originally from Bundaberg and belongs to the Gooreng Gooreng people and uses a range of disciplines such as print, digital works and sculpture to explore Indigenous experiences and how art contributes to written language.

Since 2021, Dylan has been researching the story of the Bundaberg Burnett River Rocks, specifically the petroglyphs, and the ongoing repercussions of the Queensland Government’s actions in the 1970s when these were removed from Country.

“This Fellowship will help me explore the art of storytelling through my continuing research into the cultural significance and meaning of the petroglyphs of the Burnett River,” Dylan said.

The Fellowship is generously supported by the Queensland Museum Foundation and is open to First Nations applicants from any discipline or professional background for a project that involves research using Queensland Museum’s collections.