Sarah has a life long passion for the arts borne from more than a decade of living in regional Western Australia on Ngarluma ngurra, and prior to that, immersing herself in the cultural melting pot that is Darug country, Western Sydney.
Spoilt in youth, Sarah grew up wandering the grand halls of the Art Gallery of NSW and the MCA, juxtaposed to the walls of Casula Powerhouse and the cultural melting pot of Penrith Regional Gallery. Sarah’s time studying at the University of Western Sydney that provided the critical frameworks that drive her passion for the arts and their benefit for all of society.
After relocating to Ngarluma ngurra, Sarah gained her most transformative and cherished role, working closely with the Wangaba Roebourne Art Group on exhibitions and education resource development. Most recently, drawing upon over 10 years of regional ethnographic knowledge, Sarah was lead curator for the City of Karratha Red Earth Arts Precinct gaining invaluable experience into the specifics of what it means to be a curator in regional WA. Sarah has her own creative management company BLB Creative.
Sarah brings this rich experience of contemporary and Indigenous arts management to the role of lead curator and has developed the theme ‘Radical Futures’. “For the third iteration of the Regional Arts Triennial we look to the future, building upon the legacy of the past. Standing upon the shoulders of The Alternative Archive, which explored historical cultural capital of the past, and Open Borders, which interrogated contemporary barriers of the present – Radical Futures continues this trajectory, creating aspirational visions of the future for regional Western Australia”.
Sarah’s Curatorial Tour and skills exchange in WA regional communities is proudly supported by Regional Arts WA,
with funding from the Minderoo Foundation for the Thrive! Framework and Regional Arts Network.
Cait has called Esperance home for the past 20 years and has been an active part of the local arts community, especially through her work at The Bijou Theatre, where a standout experience was directing Les Misérables in 2023.
For Cait, musical theatre is a creative world where everything comes together: expressive costumes, lighting, choreography, storytelling, and powerful music. Behind the scenes, she loves the teamwork and coordination required to bring ambitious productions to life night after night.
Stepping into her role as curator for Unearthed, Cait is excited to explore how her theatre-making experience intersects with curatorial practice – drawing on collaboration, problem-solving and community connection. While her formal curatorial experience is modest (a charity art auction in the late 2000s and a solo show for her 30th), she’s looking forward to working with local artists and connecting with arts workers from across WA as part of the Triennial.
Joining the RAT3 Radical Futures project is, for Claire, an invitation to listen deeply, reflect honestly, and contribute to a larger conversation about identity, place, and belonging. She looks forward to collaborating with local artists who share her commitment to showcasing the quiet strength and layered beauty of regional life.
Originally from Ireland, Claire Weir has spent over a decade immersed in the Goldfields—where the greenstone ridges, sweeping woodlands, and striking red earth are more than a backdrop; they are central to the stories she tells. Her curatorial and creative practice is rooted in memory, place, and the overlooked moments that shape who we are.
As a facilitator and advocate for regional arts, Claire has worked across exhibitions, oral history projects, and community archives. She’s passionate about honouring the lived experiences of regional communities—particularly those whose stories have been sidelined in broader historical narratives.
Joining the RAT3 Radical Futures project is, for Claire, an invitation to listen deeply, reflect honestly, and contribute to a larger conversation about identity, place, and belonging. She looks forward to collaborating with local artists who share her commitment to showcasing the quiet strength and layered beauty of regional life.
Dora Griffiths is a proud Miriwoong-Ngarinyman woman from Kununurra in the eastKimberley region of Western Australia.
‘I am following in the footsteps of my parents and my elders to learn about Country, culture and art and to share that knowledge through my art and in the way I curate exhibitions.’
Dora’s commitment to her culture and her community is reflected in her multi-faceted responsibilities as an artist, curator and community leader. Her artistic practice includes painting and textiles printing.
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
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 postgraduate diploma in Cross-Cultural Conservation & Heritage from the University of Melbourne.
Repeated migrations have left Elisa Markes-Young in a never-ending state of ‘neither here nor there.’ This resonates with the Polish concept of ‘tęsknota’ – a cultural sorrow that embodies the pain of absence and the tension between past/present, there/here. Unlike nostalgia’s romanticised longing, ’tęsknota’ is sharper – an unresolved grief. Elisa’s work doesn’t seek to soothe but to make visible the wound of dislocation, asking what and where is ‘home’?
For Elisa, the Triennial highlights the resilience of regional artists. They face geographic and cultural marginalisation, yet time and again prove that most compelling art can emerge from the peripheries.
Elisa sees points of connection between Sarah Root’s central curatorial brief – ‘Radical Futures’ – and her own creative practice. Elisa’s response to the overarching theme – ‘Gathering Ground’ – links to ‘Radical Futures’ yet makes sense within the context of her own work. She approaches curation as another medium to explore her core themes and an extension of her studio practice.
For Elisa, ‘radical futures’ aren’t about innovation but honouring dislocation and crafting meaning from it. They might lie in embracing ‘in-betweenness’ as a creative force and using tradition to ask what we carry forward and what we mourn.
Born in Chandigarh, India, and now based in Western Australia’s South West, Japneet Keith is a ceramic artist, industrial designer, educator, and curator whose practice is shaped by place, memory, and material exploration. With formal training in Sculpture (Chandigarh College of Arts) and Industrial Design (National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad), Japneet discovered her enduring connection to clay under the mentorship of Shantanu Jena and Ruby Jhunjhunwala.
Her work is guided by themes of nature, illusion, cultural memory, and the emotional resonance of landscape. The ocean and surrounding environments of the South West continue to influence her forms, surfaces, and sensorial approach to making.
Curatorially, Japneet is drawn to the wisdom of handmade traditions, materiality as a storyteller, and the spiritual weight embedded in crafted objects. Her contribution to Radical Futures reflects her interest in how artists negotiate belonging, how landscapes shape identity, and how regional practice can hold both vulnerability and strength.
Japneet brings a grounded, culturally aware, and materially sensitive lens to the Triennial, honouring the quiet yet powerful creativity of regional communities.
From the Sydney Opera House to Halls Head, Joanne Wood’s creative path has been anything but ordinary — and now she takes on her first curatorial role as part of Radical Futures, the third Regional Arts Triennial.
Joanne brings a rich artistic background to the table — from textile design and classical guitar to printmaking and plein air painting. She’s exhibited nationally, curated seasonal exhibitions, and co-founded the Peel Printmaking Collective. Now, as a mentee curator for RAT3, she’s stepping into a new chapter.
“When Lotte first proposed the opportunity, I was both surprised and deeply honoured,” Joanne shares. “To work with such an experienced mentor and help shape an exhibition from the ground up is an incredible learning experience.”
Joanne has just completed the curatorial brief and is now eagerly awaiting artist submissions. We can’t wait to see how her artistic voice shapes this year’s Triennial.
Lauren Greatorex
Exhibition – Shaping the Now // Imagining the Next
Port Hedland/Ngaru
Mentor – Michelle Broun
Lauren Greatorex is a proud Malgana, Nyikina and Jabir Jabir woman, living and working on Kariyarra Country in Port Hedland, Western Australia. She is the founder of Gathaagudu, a creative practice that brings together art, design, and cultural storytelling from the red sands of the Kimberley and to the turquoise waters of Gathaagudu/Shark Bay.
Her work spans painting, digital design, and community projects, with a focus on weaving ancestral knowledge into contemporary forms. Through Gathaagudu, Lauren creates artworks that explore identity, legacy, and connection to place, while also developing projects that celebrate community voices and intergenerational knowledge.
Alongside her creative practice, Lauren has worked closely with Elders and community leaders, strengthening her role as both an artist and a leader in cultural engagement. She believes in the power of art as a vessel for truth-telling, healing, and future-making, and is committed to creating spaces that elevate Aboriginal voices and foster dialogue across communities.
A multidisciplinary artist, Artistic Director, and curator, Nyree-Jane Taylor’s practice is grounded in the red earth, wide skies, and deep seasonal rhythms of her Wheatbelt upbringing. From her early days as a dancer to her current visual and curatorial work, she brings a unique sensitivity to movement, breath, and connection to place.
Now based on a farm near New Norcia, Nyree blends creative leadership with community engagement — curating transformative programs through Gardiner Street Arts Collective and fostering a thriving arts ecology in the region.
Her curatorial vision is rooted in a powerful question: ✨ What if we no longer lived on the Earth, but of it? ✨
Nyree invites us to reconnect with ancient knowledge and listen to the land’s quiet pulse. Her work, shaped by Indigenous wisdom, environmental cycles, and collaborative spirit, reimagines the Wheatbelt not as remote, but as a wellspring of cultural leadership and radical hope.
Rochelle O’Brien is no stranger to weaving creativity and community together across the Gascoyne. As the Arts Development Officer for the Shire of Carnarvon – and a practicing artist and emerging curator herself – Rochelle brings both lived experience and deep care to her new role as curator for the 2025 Regional Arts Triennial.
With a portfolio that spans grassroots community projects to nationally touring exhibitions, Rochelle has worked on everything from installation and public programming to learning and engagement workshops. Highlights include The Alternative Archive, Jila Kujarra, Two Snakes Dreaming, Portraits of Yinggarda, and the 2024 Gascoyne Art Awards.
Stepping into the Triennial is, for Rochelle, both a professional milestone and a personal commitment to uplifting local voices and nurturing creative futures in her region.
“To be part of the Gascoyne’s first involvement in the Triennial is incredibly meaningful. I’m excited to co-create a new cultural landscape — one that honours the past while dreaming boldly into the future.”
Saira Ellen K. Spencer
Exhibition – Fertile Ground
Albany / Kinjarling
Mentor – Anna Louise Richardson
As an artist and creative based on Menang-Bibbulmun Country near Denmark, Saira Ellen K. Spencer lives and works on an 18-acre forested wetland where her practice is shaped by rainwater, wind, and the slow rhythm of nature. Her surrealist paintings and installations often blur the lines between human and landscape, inviting us to reflect on our shared atmosphere and inner worlds.
Saira’s curatorial project invites artists and audiences to reimagine fire not as a force of destruction, but as a fertile, generative presence — a radical reframing rooted in ecological connection and cultural renewal.
She sees art (and curation) as powerful tools for shifting perspectives and starting conversations. “We understand ourselves better when we understand the natural world… We have common ground with what grows in the ground.”
From tattooing to murals, from solo shows to group exhibitions — Saira brings depth, care, and a little mischief to everything she does. “Sometimes curation feels like starting a cult. But is that a bad thing? Who knows.”
Tracey Mulardy is a Karrajarri woman from Bidyadanga, now living in Broome. She’s a curatorial trainee in the third iteration of the WA Regional Arts Triennial, working alongside curators Dora Griffiths and Cathy Cummins on the development of a West Kimberly exhibition, ‘Radical Futures’.
Tracey is an Arts Worker at Broome CIRCLE with the Artists Away From Home program. The program supports artists from remote community art centres when they are in Broome build their skills, share their stories, and stay connected to culture through community arts.
In 2023, Tracey participated in a professional development program for Revealed in Fremantle, where she gained new skills in exhibition installation, art administration, marketing, and social media. She also curated and installed artworks in an exhibition at Lawson Flats with ACHWA in Perth. It gave her the opportunity to work with art centres and encouraged her to keep learning and growing.
Tracey feels a strong connection to the land, sea and people around her. “My community has taught me the value of listening, sharing and respecting what has been passed down to us. I want to be part of the Triennial because it gives me a way to honor my roots and help others connect their culture and story.”
Wiggy Mitsuda
Exhibition – Bold Intentions
Carnamah & Mingenew
Mentor – Briony Bray
“Art helps bring about conversation and connection.” This belief underpins the curatorial vision of Wiggy Mitsuda, who is curating the Midwest exhibition for the third iteration of the WA Regional Arts Triennial.
Based in Geraldton, Wiggy is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans ceramics, textiles, printmaking, and sculpture — with a strong lean toward three-dimensional works. Her creative process often draws on what’s close to hand and close to heart, from clay to ocean debris gathered on the beaches of Cocos Keeling Islands, where she regularly visits and exhibits at The Big Barge Art Centre.
She brings the spirit of curiosity and care to her curatorial role in Radical Futures. “Part of the reason I accepted the curator role was the title Radical Futures — it speaks to how much needs to change. There’s a breakdown of respect in how we treat land, people and each other.”
Wiggy’s curatorial ethos reflects her lived values: “It feels good to be good and do good.”