Serving Country
Left to right: Commander Michael John Henry, Royal Australian Navy, Wodi Wodi and Walbunja, 2024; Lieutenant Colonel Joseph West, Australian Army, Murrawarri, 2016; Sergeant Rachael Ellem Hopkins, Royal Australian Air Force, Gamilaroi, 2015. Photography by Belinda Mason OAM and Dieter Knierim.
Serving Country is an exhibition of photographs and paintings that recognises and acknowledges the valuable contribution of Australian First Nations servicemen and servicewomen who have served, or are serving, in the Australian Defence Force.
The Serving Country photographic portrait project was conceived by social documentarians Belinda Mason OAM and Dieter Knierim during the 2014 Coloured Diggers March in Redfern, Sydney. This annual march on ANZAC Day commemorates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who served in armed conflicts overseas.
Over the past 12 years, the project has grown to include more than 500 powerful black-and-white portraits. Each portrait is accompanied by a deeply personal, self-authored narrative from veterans across Australia reflecting on their service, sacrifice, resilience and identity.
This iteration of Serving Country at Maroondah Federation Estate Gallery brings together a selection of the portraits, focusing on servicemen and servicewomen with connections to Victoria.
The exhibition includes a portrait of and work by Australian Army veteran and Murrawarri artist Garen Smith. Presented alongside the portraits, Garen's textured, symbolic paintings explore resilience and cultural strength, drawing on his lived experiences and service in the Australian Defence Force.
Image: Garen Smith, Sisterhood, 2026, acrylic on canvas
Serving Country documents a history that has often remained underrepresented, despite Australian First Nations people maintaining a long and proud tradition of service to Australia, including during periods when they were denied full rights of citizenship.
Through national touring exhibitions and a forthcoming major publication, the project provides an enduring platform for truth-telling, education, and recognition. To find out more about this project visit the Serving Country website.
Further information
For more information please contact Arts in Maroondah on 0417 915 347 or email gallery@maroondah.vic.gov.au.
Opportunities for creatives
The 31st Annual Mayoral Art Exhibition invites artists of all ages to submit original artworks across a range of mediums. Applications close 5pm Monday 31 August 2026.
The theme for 2026 is Sense of Place.
About the Mayoral Art Exhibition
The Mayoral Art Exhibition is an annual fundraiser that raises funds for the Bone Marrow Donor Institute (now part of Fight Cancer). Over the past three decades, the exhibition has brought together thousands of artists while contributing to cancer research.
The exhibition is supported by Maroondah City Council and Community Bank Ringwood East and Croydon.
Apply
Artists of all ages are encouraged to enter. Eligible mediums include photography, sculpture, drawing, painting, printmaking and ceramics.
Mayoral Art Exhibition 2026 application(PDF, 499KB)
Applications may be submitted:
- by mail: P.O. Box 379, Mooroolbark 3138
- by email: asom9346@bigpond.net.au
Please include Mayoral Art Exhibition Application in the subject line. Bank details for payment of entry fees will be supplied upon receipt.
Applications close 5pm, Monday 31 August 2026.
Exhibition details
The exhibition will run from 21 September to 24 October 2026 at Maroondah Federation Estate Gallery.
All eligible artworks will be exhibited, and a number of works will be selected for Mayoral and Community Bank Ringwood East and Croydon acquisitions. Announcement of both acquisitions will be made at the exhibition launch on Thursday 1 October 2026.
About the Bone Marrow Donor Institute
Since the Bone Marrow Donor Institute (BMDI) began in 1989 it has raised over $4 million with a focus on cancer research, initially for Leukemia research which has benefited other serious health conditions including breast and testicular cancer.
BMDI has sponsored accommodation units for cancer patients, particularly supporting regional patients with a North Melbourne unit. In another success story, five young mothers who donated bone marrow through the institute discovered they had early stages of cancer and were successfully treated.
BMDI has since become incorporated with Fight Cancer Foundation with its broader connection to cancer research.
Koko Crozier & Claire Riverland, The Caretaker’s Guide to Loving a Home, 2025, behind the scenes still Film produced by Arts Activators 2025 cohort
Applications for Arts Activators will remain open until further notice.
About Arts Activators
Are you a passionate creative aged 18 to 25? Whether you’re into music, visual arts, photography, writing, performance, filmmaking, event production, curating exhibitions or organising creative projects - we’d love you to join Arts Activators, a group of young creatives shaping the arts in Maroondah.
Arts Activators will meet monthly on a Wednesday, from 6pm to 7.30pm. Meetings will be at arts venues across Maroondah to explore and respond to opportunities for creative and community spaces, gain mentorship from established artists/arts workers, and exchange feedback on creative projects.
We encourage creatives from all backgrounds and disciplines to apply.
Benefits of joining
- Be part of a community of like-minded young artists
- Access mentorship and resources to support your creative journey and bring your ideas to life
- Be supported to create projects / works to activate venues across Maroondah
- Develop your creative practice and network
Express interest
Expressions of interest will remain open until further notice. Applicants will be contacted after they submit.
Express interest
Previous programs
Arts Activators has a new structure for 2026, but you can check out past Arts Activators programs below.
Arts Activators 2025
In 2025, Arts Activators presented five bold and thought-provoking works by emerging artists aged 18 to 25, each transforming material, space and sound into immersive sensory experiences.
Rory Giezekamp
Rory Giezekamp’s sculptural installation invisible wall made the unseen visible by recycling rubbish from the Maroondah area.
Amelie Stewart
Amelie Stewart presented suspended ceramic forms shaped by the ever-changing rhythms of nature and creativity.
Koko Crozier and Claire Riverland
Koko Crozier and Claire Riverland’s The Caretaker’s Guide to Loving a Home was a fusion of film and props that follows a cleaner of deceased estates who transforms her work into a 5-step ritual of care, reflecting on memory, loss and the commodification of housing.
Jordz
The Music Zone, an intimate listening space crafted by Jordz, layered airy music and offered an escape from the sensory stresses of the world.
Emma Lyn-Winkler and Neve Curnow
The thought-provoking What Remains was an immersive multimedia installation by Emma Lyn-Winkler and Neve Curnow. Merging Victorian 19th century death symbolism, rural gothic, and dark humour, the work transformed the space into a ghostly cemetery that playfully confronted mortality, anxiety, and sexuality.
Arts Activator 2024
For 2024 three artists were selected through an open callout for projects including sculptures, installation, puppetry and performance.
Mikayla Hotton
Mikayla Hotton is an early career artist who specialises in the art of puppet making and mould making. She created highly detailed otherworldly characters who are as quirky as they are mischievous. Building stories from the ground up she meticulously sculpted all sets and props by hand, giving her backgrounds a character of their own. Puppet movements are carefully engineered and tested.
Maya Grkow
Maya Grkow is an emerging New Zealand, and Australian artist who studied Sculpture at RMIT University. Utilising recycled materials she explored the ideas of comfort and hope. Her works serve as a metaphorical comfort pillow—a symbol of hope and support during life's trials.
Imogen Davis
Imogen Davis is an artist and art student interested in the world-building of real life and how we as humans, as well as animals, plants, and non-organism elements interact with and in turn affect everything within it. She worked in installation creating expanded 3D collages to explore the environment and ecosystems that can be found in and around Maroondah.
Further information
For more information please contact Arts in Maroondah on 0417 915 347 or email gallery@maroondah.vic.gov.au.
The project is a collaboration between Arts in Maroondah and Maroondah Youth Services.
Public art commission opportunities will appear here as they become available.
Artists interested in being kept informed about public art opportunities that arise from time to time in Maroondah are invited to send their details to publicart@maroondah.vic.gov.au.
Latest news
Reignite Croydon - Laneway Lights project - now open!
Get ready to experience Croydon in a whole new light.
The Reignite Croydon – Laneway Lights project is illuminating three laneways adjacent to Main Street, Croydon with captivating artwork, showcasing the talent and creativity of local artists.
This project has been developed in partnership with the Victorian Government Living Local fund with the aim with the aim of improving the amenity of Croydon, increasing visitation to Main Street and enhancing pedestrian safety.
Read more about the artworks
When
-
Monday, 25 May 2026 | 09:00 AM
- Saturday, 11 July 2026 | 01:00 PM
Location
Maroondah Federation Estate, 32 Greenwood Avenue, Ringwood, 3134, View map
-37.8197784,145.2302246
32 Greenwood Avenue ,
Ringwood 3134
Maroondah Federation Estate
32 Greenwood Avenue ,
Ringwood 3134
Serving Country