Elisa Jane Carmichael Named 2026 Wandima Fellow

Ngugi woman Elisa Jane Carmichael has been named the 2026 recipient of the Wandima Fellowship, a joint Brisbane Powerhouse and QUT program giving First Nations artists a year of mentoring, studio access and industry support. The name comes from a Yagara word meaning "rising, going upwards."

Over the next twelve months, Carmichael will build a new body of work drawn from The Legend of Lightning's Playground: The Creation Story of Gheebulum and Coonoongai, tied to Mulgumpin (Moreton Island), working with Ngugi Elder Uncle Bob Anderson. The project folds weaving, cyanotype, textiles and glass together — glass being new territory for her, developed through a six-week Canberra Glassworks residency backed by the Australian Government through Creative Australia. It culminates in a solo exhibition at Brisbane Powerhouse in mid-2027.

"This Fellowship provides an opportunity to deepen my practice while remaining grounded in my identity as a Ngugi, Quandamooka woman," Carmichael said. "I look forward to building new skills, embracing creative exchange and honouring the enduring connections between Country, story and material."

Above: Pulan 2, a cyanotype work from Carmichael's existing practice. Photo: Louis Lim.

Brisbane Powerhouse Artistic Director and CEO Louise Bezzina called it proof of the organisation's commitment to backing ambitious First Nations work: "We're delighted to support her creative journey over the coming year and to share the resulting exhibition with audiences at Brisbane Powerhouse in 2027."

Carmichael's work already sits in the British Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and QAGOMA's collections, alongside four National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards finalist nods, the 2025 Wangaratta Contemporary Textile Award and QUT's 2024 Young Outstanding Alumni Award.