The Adorned Collective meet and work on Dharug Country, and are based at Parramatta Artists’ Studios, Rydalmere. Adorned is a community group of artists and craftspeople from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who nurture connection through collaborative creative process and skill sharing workshops. The collective supports artists and makers of all abilities and experiences by providing a reciprocal creative space, where sharing creative practice nurtures a culture of community connection.

The Adorned Collective was formed in 2015 with the support of Parramatta Artists’ Studios, WEAVE Parramatta and the Community Migrant Resource Centre. The community of artists, artisans, makers and craftspeople participate fortnightly in supported drop-in skill sharing workshops and public programs. Within the workshops, participants collaborate and share creative process, stories and skills as a process of professional development and community capacity building.

Adorned welcomes and supports First Nations, newly arrived, migrant, refugee and locally established people, through maintaining a culturally safe and accessible space. Adorned welcomes and supports people who identify as women, queer, trans and non-binary by acknowledging and respecting queer and gender diverse community. The Adorned collective includes local and remote participants (regional NSW and QLD) who hold past and present connection to Burramatta/ Parramatta.

Between 2015 and 2020, The Adorned collective has developed and exhibited solo and collaborative sculptures, wearable art, photographic, performance, installation and multimedia work. As well as developing and exhibiting artwork, the Adorned artists utilise each exhibition and project as a way of engaging community through public programs and creative workshops.

Arab Theatre Studio (ATS) (est. 2014) is a small independent artist-led Arab arts and cultural organisation on Dharug Country. We ground our thinking and practice in the principles of First Nations First. We engage and collaborate with artists from diverse backgrounds, inclusive of first, second and third generations, and emerging, developing, and established creatives.

Our activities include artist gatherings, collaborative live performances, music jams and concerts, supporting and mentoring artists, book launches, critical talks, bilingual kids arts workshops, creative solidarity interventions, visual art installations and digital media works.

Dance Makers Collective (DMC), based on Dharug country, is the only collective-led dance company in Australia. With a mission to build dance communities, DMC brings people together by working with and between dance theatre, contemporary dance and social dance, producing heartfelt dance works that reflect the diverse, personal experiences of Australians.

Established in 2012, DMC has presented 17 dance productions, in theatres, halls, galleries, parks, street corners, balconies, on YouTube and Instagram, in cities and towns in almost every state and territory. Recent highlights include a national regional tour of ‘The Rivoli’ (2022) and presenting two sold-out seasons in successive Sydney Festivals (2020/21).

DMC are a democratic organisation of independent artists who live the mantra the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. They are skilled performers, choreographers, producers, designers, educators and composers. They have worked/work with companies such as ADT, Marrugeku, Bangarra, Force Majeure, Tasdance, Chunky Move, Dancenorth and Restless Dance Theatre, and hundreds of independent artists. Their individual experiences and practices feed DMC, enriching the art they make and the services they offer to the community.

DMC is both a producer and a service organisation, and they do both exceptionally well. Their dedicated core membership of ten dance makers, who form the artistic directorate, co-design and deliver projects and programs in response to the needs of the wider community. It is our unique democratic structure, expansive network, openness, and commitment to shared practice that sets us apart. These qualities make DMC a nimble, resilient and impactful organisation shaping a better future for Australian dance.

The Finishing School is a collective of women writers dedicated to creative excellence and exploration.

They are inspired by and responsive to the communities and concerns of western Sydney, but their gaze extends far beyond its psychogeographic boundaries. The Finishing School have a radical commitment to making honest work. They individually pursue their own projects as well as collaborate with other writers and artists on literary projects, cross-artform installations and performances.

Opnsrc.co (opnsrc.co / Open Source) is a community-centric organisation that connects creatives, leaders, and organisations together to up-skill our collective communities.

Established in 2018 as a grassroots initiative by western Sydney locals, aiming to foster and develop the burgeoning creative culture within their community. Initially focused on organising social events, Opnsrc.co has since evolved to emphasising professional development, resource sharing, and collaboration through community workshops and software development.

We Are Studios was established in 2023 by a community of artists with disability who believe that disability inclusion can and should start with us.

The first of its kind, We Are Studios is a fully disability-led, inclusive studio that empowers artists with disability to reach their creative potential by creating space to thrive.

The team have experienced first-hand the barriers people living with disability face in accessing accessible arts education, professional development pathways, and the opportunities needed to build a thriving and sustainable creative practice.

They address these barriers by providing mentorship, networking and professional development opportunities to creatives with disability across western Sydney and advocating for their inclusion within the contemporary creative arts sector.

Based on Dharug Country in western Sydney, Tian Zhang is an independent curator, facilitator, writer and collaborative artist working at the intersections of art, cultural practice and social change. Her practice is underscored by conversation, criticality, solidarity and joy.

In 2022, Tian participated in documenta fifteen as co-facilitator of Gudskul’s collective studies program — living, cooking, eating, cleaning and communing within the Museum Fridericianum for 50 days. Her text A manifesto for radical care or how to be a human in the arts was published online by Sydney Review of Books, with print editions by documenta fifteen’s Lumbung Press and Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Canada.

With a deep commitment to grassroots and collective methodologies, Tian is a founding co-director of Pari, a collective-run gallery for Parramatta. She was previously part of the inaugural Artistic Directorate of Next Wave, and Chair and co-director at Firstdraft.