Cara Kirkwood

Cara Kirkwood (Mandandanji, Mithaka peoples) is a national advocate for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, art, culture and creative industries. Putting Aboriginal leadership at the fore of any project she’s involved with, Cara is interested in transforming existing western ways of thinking into contemporary and responsive initiatives, strategies and structures.

The culmination of this work saw Cara become the first, First Nations person appointed to the board of the Art Gallery of South Australia and even more recently be awarded a Churchill Fellowship.

Having worked across diverse geographical and industry contexts Cara has honed her skills as a cultural strategist. Her previous roles include; the National Gallery’s, Head of First Nations Engagement & Strategy, the Australia Council for the Arts (Head of Combined Arts), Cara has previously worked with the Department of Parliamentary Services, AGSA’s Tarnanthi Festival and Desart in Mparntwe (Alice Springs).