Digital stories with Leanne Watson Redpath and Rhiannon Wright
From SeptemberTake a seat for our new series titled Digital Stories, our first edition with Leanne 'Mulgo Watson Redpath and Rhiannon Wright.
Spring 2025
See the world from an Indigenous Australian and Oceanic First Nations peoples’ perspective, with the group exhibition Ghosts in the Kitchen: Food, Memory, and Resistance in First Nations Australia guest curated by Rebecca Ray.
Kids can get in on the fun too with Little Spirits in the Kitchen, a set of hands-on making workshops for school holidays led by First Nations artist, Merindah Funnell.
Our much loved and celebrated 2025 Blacktown Shorts Film Festival is back! Premiering again at the iconic Sydney Opera House, 3 filmmakers have been selected to tell their story. Also premiering that evening will be Silver tongues with Morgan Hogg, part of the Shortwave program. commissioned by Sydney Opera House.
And finally, make sure to join us for a celebration of fashion, family-friendly workshops and markets at our Western Sydney Fashion Festival and Pasifika Makers Markets!
Check out the full program and download here!
Image: Lakshmi Bee, Armando Crisostomo and Iki Haangana at The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre, 2025, photo by Garry Trinh
Learn More
Digital stories with Iki Haangana and Western Sydney Fashion Festival
From NovemberFor this edition, Western Sydney Fashion Festival Director Thuy Nguyen interviews Iki Haangana, founder of fashion label Public Island Society.
Tastes like Trauma with Starphire Jacobs
1 December 2025 to 28 February 2026In response to the The Leo Kelly Blacktown Art Centre’s exhibition Ghosts in the Kitchen, curated by Rebecca Ray, artist Dylan Mooney has been invited to create a special commission for the Max Webber Library.
Makers Space with Monica Rani Rudhar
8 July to 13 DecemberInspired by artist Monica Rani Rudhar’s Indian and Romanian heritage, this project celebrates the rich cultural meaning of jewellery and its role in expressing and navigating multi-racial identities.
Ghosts in the Kitchen: Food, Memory, and Resistance in First Nations Australia guest curated by Rebecca Ray
30 September to 13 DecemberStep into Ghosts in the Kitchen, an immersive exhibition that explores the complex relationships between food, culture, and identity from the perspectives of First Nations peoples within Australia.
OCEAN WE’VE with Powerhouse Parramatta
Thursday 27 November and Saturday 13 DecemberJoin Pacific weavers across Western Sydney this summer to create 80 handmade woven mats that will be used to celebrate the opening of Powerhouse Parramatta.
2025 Blacktown Shorts Film Festival
Thursday 11 December from 6 pm to 9 pmAfter a yet another sold out premiere at Sydney Opera House, the 2025 Blacktown Shorts Film Festival returns for an encore screening!
Western Sydney Fashion Festival and Pasifika Makers Markets
29 November, 1 pm to 8 pmJoin us for a day of Pasifika Makers Markets, mat-weaving workshops, and a Western Sydney Fashion Festival runway show.
SUBMERGE.FM
Friday 21 November, 6 pm to 9 pmSUBMERGE.FM is back! Join us for an immersive evening of music in Blacktown.
Cooking workshop with Dayaa School and Kitchen
15 November, 11 am to 1 pmJoin us for a morning of cooking, snacking and storytelling with Siham and Justine of Dayaa School and Kitchen.
Toloa tales with Edith Amitunai and Sione Monu
Saturday 8 November, 2.00 pm to 3.30 pmToloa tales with Edith Amitunai and Sione Monu is a new video work by Edith Amituanai and Sione Tuívailala Monū, with the artists in conversation.
2025 Blacktown Shorts Film Festival
Thursday 30 October, 7.30 pm to 9 pmThis event has ended. Blacktown Shorts Film Festival has returned for 2025!
