The Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT) has been awarded the 2025 Exhibition Development Fund for its upcoming project, Journey Among Men.
The $40,000 grant — the full available amount — comes from NETS Victoria, the state's peak body for touring contemporary visual art, craft and design. The funding will support a community-led cultural project designed to strengthen the mental health and well-being of First Nations men across Victoria.
Journey Among Men will connect Victorian-based First Nations men with Elders in a mentorship program focused on cultural knowledge-sharing through the creation of carved cultural belongings on Country. The project aims to build practical skills while fostering a deeper connection to culture and Country through a series of workshops led by First Peoples.
The project will culminate in a major exhibition at the KHT, showcasing the artworks created throughout the workshops.
"We are thrilled and humbled to be the recipient of this prestigious grant from NETS Victoria," KHT Chief Executive Tom Mosby said.
"This generous grant means we will be able to commence this important project, one that has long been in planning."
Mr Mosby said the initiative will bring together respected First Peoples cultural leaders and emerging artists, including Mick and Mitchil Harding (Taungurung), Kevin Williams (Waradjuri), Earl Handy (Mutthi Mutthi), Brendan and Carl Kennedy (Tati Tati, Wadi Wadi and Mutti Mutti), Iluka Sax-Williams (Taungurung, Tibrean), and Lewis Wandin-Bursill (Wurundjeri).
The exhibition's content, design, and accompanying publication will be shaped by collaboration and consultation, guided by the artists' cultural storytelling and creative practices.
The Exhibition Development Fund provides seed funding to help develop new, curated exhibitions of contemporary visual arts, craft and design. Awarded every two years, the fund is open to not-for-profit arts organisations and independent curators across Australia.
NETS Victoria's Board of Management chair, Bec Cole, said the KHT proposal was selected for its powerful and inclusive vision.
"KHT's mentorship model to support early career First Peoples creatives won the hearts of our Artistic Program Advisory Committee, chaired by David Sequeira," she said.
"I can't wait to see this important project come to fruition. This is the most significant investment NETS Victoria has ever made towards a project for the full available amount of $40,000."