CURRENTLY ACCEPTING EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST FOR OUR OPEN CALL a new platform for emergent Western Australian artistic practice. Five to seven artists will be selected by a national curatorium for an exhibition at Vessel opening during July, 2027.

first nations residency: Emma-lee maher

02 Aug - 20 Sep 2026

In collaboration with the Fulcrum Fund.

Vessel’s Artist-in-Residence program with emerging First Nations artist Emma-Lee Maher, a Kongabula artist and writer, born on Ballardong Country and raised between the Wheatbelt and the Southwest. Her work digs into memory, family and place across visual and written forms. Emma has exhibited at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, and her writing has been published in Portside Review and Splinter Journal.

This is a unique paid opportunity for an emerging or early career First Nations artist to undertake an 8 week Artist-in-Residency (AIR) at Vessel during our next major exhibition ‘Between Suns’ by Khaled Sabsabi. This program is facilitated by Board Director and independent curator Zali Morgan.

“This project starts with a tin of family documents I was given as a kid—material I’ve lived alongside for most of my life. The residency gives me the time and space to come back to that through making, and to let this personal body of work unfold with care into something that can be shared.” - Emma-Lee Maher

This public-facing program provides valuable space, time, and connections for artistic development while engaging the local community. Vessel aims to create a contemporary environment that promotes experimentation and learning through practice, with the residency serving as a hub for development, mentorship, and artistic collaboration.

Public programming

22 August - Open Studio
1 September - First Nations Walyalup Write Night with Centre for Stories
9 September - Stippling Workshop
12 September - Open Studio

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