Panel Discussion
Date: Saturday 19th September
Time: 12:30pm – 1:30pm
Location: Lecture Theatre, John Curtin Gallery
Building stronger regional connections while shaping and celebrating our unique identities.
The session will explore how each region developed its own unique interpretation of Radical Futures, the insights curators gained through cross-regional exchange, and the lessons that emerged from engaging with their local communities and contexts.
Meet the Facilitator
Cathy Cummins, Arts and Community Enterprise Consultant, CC Projects
Cathy Cummins acknowledges the privilege of living and working on Miriwoong Country at Kununurra, located in the remote Kimberley region of north-western Australia.
With over 30 years of experience in the region, Cathy has contributed extensively across Community Arts, Art Centre Management, and as a Project Manager and Capability Support Consultant. Projects have included: Community engagement activities, Art Projects development, Exhibitions management, Strategic Planning and Infrastructure developments.
Alongside her professional roles, she continues to explore and develop her personal creative practice.
Meet the Panellists
Dora Griffth
Dora Griffiths is a proud Miriwoong-Ngarinyman woman from Kununurra in the east Kimberley region of Western Australia.
As a curator, she has presented exhibitions that reflect cultural perspectives including Our Legacy, Alternative Archive and Open Borders. In 2024, she guest-curated Our Unbroken Line at the Kluge-Ruhe in Virginia USA and she led the regional curatorial team to present Radical Futures – We Walk Together in Kununurra and Broome.
Dora is a Director on several boards including Waringarri Arts, Arnhem Northern & Kimberley Aboriginal Artists (ANKA), the Gawooleng Yawoodeng Women’s Centre and is an advisor for the Miriwoong Language Authority. She holds a post graduate diploma in Cross Cultural Conservation & Heritage from the University of Melbourne.
Japneet Keith, Ceramic Artist, Industrial Designer & Creative Practitioner, Japneet Keith Designs / Old Stables Pottery & Gallery Director
Japneet Keith is an industrial designer, ceramic artist and creative practitioner with more than 18 years of experience across product design, ceramics, creative enterprise and community arts. Originally trained in sculpture and industrial design in India, Japneet has developed a practice that brings together material exploration, design thinking, traditional ceramic processes and contemporary community engagement.
Based in Western Australia, Japneet works alongside ceramic artist Gary Hambleton at Old Stables Pottery & Gallery in Mullalyup, where they create functional ceramics, develop glazes and firing techniques, and deliver workshops and community-based creative experiences. Her work is particularly interested in the relationship between people, place and making, and in how creative practice can create opportunities for connection, learning and wellbeing.
Japneet is passionate about creating accessible spaces where people can slow down, engage with materials and each other, and experience the value of creativity, the discipline of skill development within regional communities.
Wiggy Mitsuda, Curator (Mentee), North Midlands Project and GRAG Geraldton Regional Art Gallery
I live in Jambinu (Geraldton). I am a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher, surfer and windsurfer. My artistic practice involves a variety of different mediums, with a love of clay, textiles, painting and drawing. Much of my work blurs boundaries between the natural and surreal offering an intimate reading of land and time. I enjoy working outside of traditional conventions, frequently incorporating gathered materials, and commenting on the absurdity of political and social frameworks. I can now also add emerging curator into the mix.