The Broken Hill City Art Gallery, in collaboration with Maari Ma Health Aboriginal Health Corporation and West Darling Arts, proudly presents the 2025 Maari Ma Indigenous Art Awards, opening with a free public event on Friday, 7 November at 6:00 pm.
The Maari Ma Indigenous Art Awards (MMIAA) celebrate the creativity and cultural strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from the Maari Ma and West Darling Arts region. The annual non-acquisitive prize provides an important platform for artists to share stories, connections to Country, and expressions of identity through painting, sculpture, photography, textiles, and mixed media.
In celebration of Maari Ma Aboriginal Health Corporation's 30th anniversary, this year's prize pool has been increased to $20,000, recognising three decades of support for Aboriginal health, wellbeing, and creativity in the Far West.
"This year's Awards honour a remarkable milestone for Maari Ma and celebrate the ongoing strength and significance of First Nations art across our region."
The 2025 MMIAA will be judged by Rebecca Ray, Curator, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collections and Exhibitions at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, whose work centres on artist-led, community-focused approaches to curating and collaboration.
Awards will be presented across nine categories, including:
- Open / Overall Winner – $5,000
- 2D Winner – $2,500
- Sculptural Winner – $2,500
- Emerging Winner – $2,000
- Nhuungku Winner – $2,000
- People's Choice – $2,000
- School Combined Entry – Art Prize Pack valued at $2,000
- Young Artist (16–21) – Art Prize Pack valued at $1,000
- Young Artist (Under 15) – Art Prize Pack valued at $500 (sponsored by West Darling Arts)
All submissions will be exhibited in the 2025 Maari Ma Indigenous Art Awards Exhibition, running from 7 November 2025 to 8 February 2026.
The opening night will include the official announcement of this year's winners, bar facilities, and light refreshments.
Additional Exhibitions Opening on the Night
Time and Tide
Marian Crawford, Jan Davis, Dr Dianne Longley, Diana Orinda Burns, Jan Palethorpe, Penny Peckham, and Olga Sankey
Bringing together seven established printmakers from across New South Wales, South Australia, and Victoria, Time and Tide explores the evolution of printmaking from its traditional European origins to contemporary experimental forms. Each artist presents an early work from their archive alongside a new piece responding to the exhibition's theme, tracing the ebb and flow of their practice over time.
An Artist Talk with exhibiting artists from Time and Tide will be held on Saturday, 8 November at 10:30 am at the Gallery.
Murra – A Personal Journey Through Song
By Leroy Johnson
Murra presents a collection of songs written in Barkandji language by Malyangapa Baaka Wiimpatja artist Leroy Johnson, the 2025 Open Cut Commission winner. Each song expresses Leroy's personal connection to Country and the ancestral songlines—or Murras—that have guided his travels through the Far West of New South Wales. The exhibition combines music, visual art by Natasha Johnson, and video by Aimee Volkofsky, creating an immersive, multi-sensory experience.
The Open Cut Commission supports artists to create new work inspired by the Far West of NSW through $10,000 commissions funded by Create NSW.
Opening Night: Friday 7 November, 6:00 pm
Location: Broken Hill City Art Gallery, 404–408 Argent Street
Entry: Free | All welcome
Inclusions: Bar facilities, light refreshments, and the launch of three exhibitions, including the official opening of the 2025 Maari Ma Indigenous Art Awards and announcement of this year's winners.
Artist Talk: Saturday 8 November, 10:30 am – Artists from Time and Tide in conversation at the Gallery.
