Ararat Rural City Council is proud to welcome the JamFactory ICON 2025 exhibition Aunty Ellen Trevorrow: Weaving Through Time to Ararat, celebrating one of Australia's most respected First Nations artists working in contemporary weaving practice.
• Date: Saturday 18 April 2026
• Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm
• Venue: Ararat Gallery TAMA
• Bookings: https://www.araratgallerytama.com.au/event/aunty-ellen-trevorrow-artist-talk/
Weaving Through Time is a major touring exhibition that traces the artistic journey of proud Ngarrindjeri weaver Aunty Ellen Trevorrow, honouring her decades-long commitment to culture, community and innovation in Ngarrindjeri weaving. The exhibition brings together predominantly new works developed with her long-time collaborator Dr Jelina Haines, alongside key earlier pieces that show the evolution of her practice.
Aunty Ellen is a prolific, internationally recognised artist with more than 40 years of weaving experience. Best known for large scale works such as Kondoli (Woven Whale) and Pondi (Murray Cod), as well as traditional forms including sister baskets, her practice now also encompasses intricate wearable garments, jewellery and textiles that span both traditional and contemporary forms.
Curated by Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna, Narrunga woman Carly Tarkari Dodd, Weaving Through Time captures Aunty Ellen's growth as an artist, storyteller and cultural leader. The exhibition includes works that incorporate small weavings by students she has taught at Camp Coorong, bringing young people's delightfully imperfect ovals into conversation with Aunty Ellen's precise weaving to form bags and necklaces.
Ararat Rural City Council Mayor Cr Bob Sanders said hosting the exhibition was an honour for the region. "This is an extraordinary opportunity for our community to experience the work of a highly respected Ngarrindjeri Elder and artist, here in Ararat," Cr Sanders said. "Aunty Ellen's weaving holds stories, memories and knowledge that have been carried across generations, and it is a privilege for us to help share those stories with local residents, visitors and especially our young people."
"Ararat's galleries and creative spaces play an important role in bringing people together," he said. "An exhibition of this calibre builds on that, inviting us to slow down, listen and learn from First Nations knowledge holders in a very grounded and personal way."
Aunty Ellen weaves with freshwater rushes harvested on Ngarrindjeri land, describing the weaving process as a conduit between weaver, Country and the old people. Each woven object carries stories and memories of family and community, creating an ongoing conversation with ancestors through pattern, material and form.
Over her lifetime, Aunty Ellen has been a teacher, leader and driving force for Ngarrindjeri cultural practice, contributing to the development of generations of weavers and artists. Her generous teaching has shaped a strong community of Ngarrindjeri weavers, including exhibition curator Carly Tarkari Dodd, and continues the essential transmission of cultural knowledge to future generations.
JamFactory ICON Aunty Ellen Trevorrow: Weaving Through Time was developed by JamFactory in Adelaide and is accompanied by a 120 page monograph written by curator Carly Tarkari Dodd, with contributions from Dominic Guerrera, Dr Jelina Haines and Aunty Ellen Trevorrow. The exhibition forms part of a national tour across South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, giving audiences around the country the opportunity to encounter Aunty Ellen's work and the enduring strength of Ngarrindjeri weaving traditions.
