Hindmarsh Valley artist Ashleigh Darrie has an extra reason to celebrate NAIDOC week* this year.

Her artwork was chosen for the event poster for TREATY, a new live music showcase of South Australia’s best emerging and established First Nations artists.

Usually held in July, NAIDOC week was postponed this year due to COVID-19, but it has been rescheduled for 8-15 November. 

This year’s theme, Always Was Always Will Be, recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for more than 65,000 years.

TREATY will be presented as an all ages NAIDOC Week event at Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute on Friday 13 November from 4pm to 10pm.

Kokatha Ngukurr woman Ashleigh is thrilled to have been chosen as the winning artist for the design of the event poster. 

Her painting ‘We Stand In Distress’ was created with the mindset of this year’s theme and for proud Aboriginal people who continually stand up and fight for their rights.

At the age of only 22, Ashleigh has already made a splash on the local art scene.

Last year she took part in the Our Place exhibition at the Coral Street Art Space in Victor Harbor and in February she held her own exhibition, called I am Brave, at Goolwa’s Signal Point Gallery.

The future is bright for Ashleigh, who loves to try new ideas and techniques. Her next venture is an artisan pop up shop, called What’s Poppin’, in Goolwa.

“I’m one of about eight or so artists taking part in this three-month long project,” she says.

The pop up will start trading tomorrow, Friday 30 October, at 2/3 Cadell Street, with a huge range of artwork and handicrafts on sale – just in time for Christmas!

Follow Ashleigh’s work on Facebook.

*NAIDOC is an acronym for National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee. NAIDOC week has its roots in the 1938 Day of Mourning, becoming an early July week-long event in 1975.