Noelle Moa is a Samoan printmaker and artist. In 2022, she founded Maketi Moana: Pasifika Makers Market – a vision she had carried for years but was too shy to pursue! Over time, the lack of spaces for artists like her to share and sell their work became frustrating. Noelle longed for a space that centred Pasifika makers, artists, and creatives – a space that felt safe, welcoming, and ours.

With a background in Art History, She is deeply passionate about bringing the visual arts into our communities, especially for our young people. She believes in the power of exposing our kids to Pasifika art and artists – to spark inspiration and foster a love for the arts.

To quote one of her favourite writers, Toni Morrison, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it” – Noelle finally decided to act on this vision in August 2022. She reached out to other makers and artists and launched the first Maketi Moana: Pasifika Makers Market in the Campbelltown suburb of Minto, NSW in December 2022.

Since then, they’ve held 7 Maketi, with more on the horizon, including this special edition of Maketi Moana at the Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre in November and our Christmas Maketi in December. For many of our vendors, Maketi Moana has been their first public platform to showcase and sell their work and that’s exactly what it’s about: creating a space where Pasifika creativity is seen, celebrated, and supported.

They are very much grassroots, but it’s grassroots initiatives that drive communities by creating connections. That is what they aim to foster through Maketi Moana: Pasifika Makers Market.

Yo Oo Ya is a Korean Australian music project following a story of a fox’s journey to become a nine tailed fox. Their music craft playful, dreamy sounds with melancholy and darker textural tones, weaving in Korean poetry.

Western Sydney Fashion Festival (WSFF)  is a creative platform celebrating the fashion, culture, and creative voices of western Sydney. Established to showcase the region’s rich diversity and emerging design talent often overlooked by mainstream fashion spaces, WSFF champions local stories and style with authenticity and pride.

Over the past decade, WSFF has profiled designers from across western Sydney through runways, exhibitions, and storytelling projects, including collaborations with Blacktown Arts, Western Sydney University, and Fairfield City Museum & Gallery. From grassroots beginnings to sold-out shows, WSFF continues to amplify local talent and redefine what Australian fashion looks like, bold, diverse, and proudly western Sydney.

You can find them on Instagram here