KA x Elders/Brett Wilson Notebook Pack

Amy Briggs is a proud Yorta Yorta woman, artist, mother, and grandmother. Born in Mooroopna and raised on the banks of the Dungala at the Cummeragunja Mission, in Barmah, Vic. Amy’s deep connection to Country, culture, and community shapes every part of her practice.
Working across painting, ceramics, and watercolour, Amy’s art is a vibrant expression of memory, story, and strength. Her creative journey is grounded in collective making - particularly through her involvement with Kaiela Arts’ Elders group. “As an artist,” she says, “I love the amazing and inspiring journey with our group of Elders, coming together, working on our art, and telling our stories. The gallery is a place of learning, healing, and hope.”
Amy’s work has been featured in major exhibitions, including Keep The Fire Burning (2024) and Melbourne Art Fair, and in 2025 her artwork was proudly showcased on one of Melbourne’s iconic art trams, sharing her story with the broader public. Her practice continues to honour the legacy of her ancestors while nurturing the cultural strength of future generations.

Brett Wilson, a Yorta Yorta man from Echuca, started painting around the age of 8 (self-taught). A few years down the track his passion led him to Bendigo Regional Institute of TAFE, Echuca Campus where he studied Certificate I, II and III in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Arts. The course gave Brett the opportunity to try different mediums.
After receiving his Certificate IV in Training & Assessment, Brett became a trainer, and began to then deliver Certificate I and II in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Arts which he says “was amazing”.
After joining Kaiela Arts, Brett taught Indigenous art classes at Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) and Rumbalara Aboriginal Co-op.
Through Brett’s art, he likes to share stories that he has picked up along his life’s journey. From my family, dreaming stories, experiences, memories and emotions. It is a way he keeps in touch with his culture.
Brett feels strongly about leaving something behind in the way of contributing and continuing culture for future generations.
“For me art has always been a part of what I am. I love to express myself through my art and I get great release from the normal stresses of everyday life.”
“Art for me has also been a great healing tool that when I am painting it takes me to a different place of peace, joy and happiness, and nothing else seems to exist. Art is my passion and I love my culture.”

Cynthia Hardie is a proud Yorta Yorta Elder, born and raised in Mooroopna, where her love for art began in childhood. A self-taught and deeply intuitive artist, Cynthia has spent decades creating works that now fill her home - what she affectionately says is “almost full to the rafters.” Her practice spans painting, ceramics, and mixed media, adorning everything from canvas and emu eggs to papier-mâché bowls, clap sticks, boomerangs, and river stones—often all at once.
Cynthia has been a long-standing artist at Kaiela Arts, where she continues to create and share her skills, stories, and cultural knowledge. “I love painting with my granddaughters,” she says, “teaching them what I know, sharing my paints and stories.” Her work embodies a strong commitment to intergenerational learning, cultural connection, and joy through making.
Her art has been featured in numerous exhibitions and collected by major institutions including Shepparton Art Museum (SAM) and Melbourne Museum. She received the 2016 Indigenous Ceramic Award with Jack Anselmi for Midden, and in 2020 collaborated with Japanese artist Naomi Ota on Vessels of Life for Collisions at SAM. Cynthia's work was also featured in We Are Eagles as part of the 2025 TarraWarra Biennial, affirming her ongoing role as a vital cultural voice and creative force on Yorta Yorta Country.

Laurel Robinson is a proud Yorta Yorta, Wurundjeri woman, born and raised on Yorta Yorta Country in Mooropna, Barmah and Shepparton. Her life and work are deeply connected to her cultural roots, especially her time growing up on Yorta Yorta Country at the Cummeragunja Mission in Barmah, Victoria.
Laurel spent much of her life away from home, working first in Melbourne as a telephonist, then in Sydney for over 40 years with the Aboriginal Medical Service, before returning to Shepparton. Upon joining Kaiela Arts, Laurel reconnected with her passion for creativity, finding art to be a powerful way to reflect on memory, identity, and belonging. She says “I joined Kaiela Arts and I then realised my hidden feelings I had in art and the memories of my childhood. I do love working with the other Elders and exchanging stories, I think it’s important we pass our stories onto the younger generations.”
She works across painting and ceramics, often drawing on childhood memories and community stories. Laurel is a strong advocate for intergenerational knowledge-sharing, valuing her time spent working with fellow Elders and supporting opportunities for younger generations to learn and connect through culture and art.
Laurel is also known for her role in the legendary all-female Yorta Yorta music group, The Sapphires, whose story has become a significant part of Australian cultural history.

Rochelle Patten is a proud Yorta Yorta woman, born on Yorta Yorta Country in Mooroopna and one of many Aboriginal children born on the Verandah of the Mooroopna hospital in 1948. A respected Elder, artist, and cultural leader, Rochelle works across painting, ceramics, and mixed media, with a practice grounded in connection to Country, to animals, and to spirit.
Creativity has always been part of Rochelle’s life. “I used to watch my father carve and paint,” she recalls. In the 1990s, following an accident, she returned to painting while recovering and rediscovered her passion for art. Since then, Rochelle has exhibited widely, including in Two Strong Sisters at Bunjilaka Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Mum Shirl Tribute at Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative, Yenbenal Woka (2023), and For Our Elders (2023).
Her work continues to evolve with deep care for cultural storytelling and spiritual connection. In 2024, Rochelle exhibited in Keep the Fire Burning and the Melbourne Art Fair, and in 2025, her artwork was featured on a Melbourne Art Tram for the second time, alongside fellow senior Kaiela artists.
Rochelle has also recently completed her memoir, capturing the stories and lived experiences of growing up on Yorta Yorta Country, a powerful testament to her life, resilience, and creativity.