The Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT) is marking its 40th anniversary with a major solo retrospective honouring the late Gunditjmara Elder, Aunty Constance (Connie) Hart.

The exhibition, One Stitch at a Time, will showcase more than 50 woven works from the Trust's significant collection of Victorian First Peoples art and cultural belongings.

It highlights the remarkable survival of weaving as a cultural practice in south-eastern Australia, despite the impacts of colonisation.

Aunty Connie (1917–1993) was a pioneering figure in weaving, whose work gained national recognition and built connections across cultural and language groups throughout Australia.

"No one taught me to make my baskets," Aunty Connie once said.

"I used to watch my mother do it and when she put her basket down and went outside, I'd pick it up and do some stitches."

On display will be fish traps, eel traps, baskets, bags, mats, baby carriers, oral history recordings and photographs, alongside important works on loan from major galleries and museums across the country.

As part of the exhibition, KHT has commissioned a new weaving by family member Sandra Aitken, titled Gilgar Gunditj Eel Basket — a significant weaving commission by the Gilgar Gunditj Elder and niece of Aunty Connie.

Beyond their artistry, Aunty Connie's weavings tell a powerful story of survival and resilience — reflecting the history of dispossession, disruption, and the fragmentation of communities, families, languages, and cultural practices in Victoria.

Her process was one of careful observation and quiet determination.

Aunty Connie recalled that when she heard her mother returning, she would shove the basket away "real quick" and run off.

"I was a great one for sitting amongst the old people because I knew I was learning something just by watching them," she said.

"But if I asked a question, they would say, 'Run away, Connie. Go and play with the rest of the kids.' They didn't want us to learn.

"My mum told me we were coming into the white people's way of living. So she wouldn't teach us. That is why we lost a lot of culture. But I tricked her. I watched her and I watched those old people and I sneaked a stitch or two."

A strong advocate for sharing cultural knowledge, Aunty Connie inspired many to continue weaving and passing on the practice.

Her legacy will be honoured in the exhibition, as the KHT — a stand-alone First Peoples arts and cultural centre in the heart of Naarm — celebrates four decades of cultural resilience, learning, and connection to the First Peoples of Victoria.

In a statement, KHT said "Gilgar Gunditj Eel Basket was created in honour of Aunty Connie Hart, highlighting her enduring cultural legacy and the continuation of weaving as a vital First Peoples practice in South-Eastern Australia and beyond".

"Aunty Connie Hart was foundational in the survival of weaving practices in South East Australia and Sandra Aitken continues her legacy through the cultural practice of weaving," a spokesperson said.

"Stitched together with natural fibre (Puunyort) sourced from Gilgar Gunditj Country, the work powerfully represents the strength, resilience, and intergenerational transmission of cultural knowledge through fibre work."

Gilgar Gunditj Eel Basket and Connie Hart: One Stitch at a Time opens Sat 23 August until Sun 23 Nov 2025, Koorie Heritage Trust, Birrarung Building, Fed Square.