New NAVA Educator Guide for meaningful First Nations projects
Media Release
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) has released an additional Educator Guide to its Teacher Toolkit: ‘Introduction to Committing to Meaningful First Nations Projects in Education Settings.’
Written and illustrated by Dr Emma Hicks in consultation with Dr Christine Evans and edited by Jo Higgins, this latest guide provides culturally appropriate advice for educators working in early childhood, primary (K-6) and secondary (7-12) settings. It is intended for use across all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nations/language groups, within Australia’s western (colonial) states and territories.
The guide offers easy-to-follow processes, protocols and good practices for engaging Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander artists when working with students in visual art-making activities and programs. It draws on good practice outlined in NAVA’s Code of Practice for the Visual Arts, Craft and Design (the Code) alongside other relevant external resources.
The content supports a range of engagement models, including longer-term residencies, one-off workshops, murals, artist talks and ongoing relationships, and is designed to be transferable across multiple art forms.
The guide is also relevant for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander artists and may be useful for educators working in care settings, community-led programs, Interstate Education Consultative Bodies (IECBs), and contexts outside traditional school environments.
The new Educator Guide joins NAVA's existing Teacher Toolkit, which launched with five resources, including three 'How to' Educator Guides and two Classroom Guides for secondary school classrooms, with content linked to curriculums and syllabuses across Australia.
Educators can preview and download the new Educator Guide alongside existing Teacher Toolkit resources via NAVA's website: nava.net.au/learning/secondary-schools/teacher-toolkit
NAVA encourages visual arts educators to join with a Premium Membership, or for schools to join with an Organisation Membership, which includes three logins for staff: nava.net.au/join
This resource is supported through the Australian Government’s Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support (IVAIS) program.
About NAVA
The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) is a membership organisation which brings together the many voices of the contemporary arts sector to improve fundamental conditions of work and practice. We do this through advocacy, education and the Code of Practice. For further information on NAVA visit www.visualarts.net.au
About the Code of Practice
The Code of Practice for Visual Arts, Craft and Design (the Code) provides a set of best practice, ethical guidelines for the conduct of business between arts practitioners and arts sector employers in the Australian visual arts sector. To access the code visit https://code.visualarts.net.au/
Media enquiries:
Leya Reid
e: nava@visualarts.net.au
Image credit
Illustration by Dr Emma Hicks 2025, courtesy NAVA.
ID: Twelve oyster-shaped icons arranged in four rows on a pastel orange background, each representing interconnected elements of land and waterways. The shapes feature a palette of bright green, pink, blue, and orange, accented with touches of black and white.
