Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute facts for kids

The Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, often called Tandanya, is an art museum in Adelaide, South Australia. It focuses on showing and celebrating Indigenous Australian art. This includes visual art, music, and storytelling. Tandanya is special because it is the oldest cultural center in Australia that is owned and run by Aboriginal people. It was closed for building repairs from May 2023 and reopened in January 2025.

What Does Tandanya Mean?

The name Tandanya comes from Tarndanya. This is the Kaurna Aboriginal people's name for the center of Adelaide and its parklands. It means "place of the red kangaroo".

Tandanya's History

Tandanya is the oldest cultural center in Australia owned and run by Aboriginal people. It first opened its doors in 1989. The very first art show there featured silk artworks. These were made by women from Utopia in the Northern Territory. The exhibition was called Utopia — A Picture Story.

Since it opened, Tandanya has hosted many different art shows and events. These include performances for the Adelaide Fringe festival. In February 2023, it also hosted the national launch of the Indigenous Voice to Parliament's Yes campaign.

The Building's Story

Tandanya is located in an old building. It used to be the Grenfell Street Power Station. Later, it became a TAFE college. The building is at the eastern end of Grenfell Street in the Adelaide city centre. It was also the main office for the South Australian Electric Light and Motive Power Company.

The original building was built in 1901. But it was changed a lot and rebuilt in 1912–13. This included adding a Palladian-style facade to the front. The building was listed as a heritage site in November 1984. There is also a special plaque on the building. It celebrates its history in engineering.

How Tandanya Works

The land and building where Tandanya is located are managed under a special law. This law is called the Aboriginal Lands Trust Act 1966. Tandanya's daily operations are part of the state Minister for Arts area. The building is very old. Because of this, parts of it, or even the whole building, have been closed for repairs in recent years.

Tandanya's main activities include:

• Showing visual arts through exhibitions.
• Hosting performing arts events, like theatre and music.
• Creating public art with the community.
• Offering cultural performances and information.
• Running school education activities.
• Organizing cultural and artistic tours.
• Having a café with Indigenous-inspired food.
• Selling Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Artworks in its shop.

A board of 10 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people from South Australia used to run the center. A chief executive officer manages its daily work.

Tandanya used to get funding from the federal government's arts body. This was the Australia Council for the Arts. In May 2020, this funding stopped. Tandanya also gets money from other sources. These include hosting Adelaide Fringe performances and various grants. It also has two types of paid memberships. One is for "Friends of Tandanya" (non-Indigenous people). The other is for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members. This membership also lets them have a say in how Tandanya is run. They can also become a board member.

Who Leads Tandanya?

Several people have led Tandanya over the years. Dennis Stokes was the CEO from mid-2018 to June 2021. After him, Kirstie Parker and Nancia Guivarra served as acting CEOs. Phillip Saunders then became the interim CEO.

As of July 2025, Phillip Saunders and Lee-Ann Tjunypa Buckskin are co-CEOs. Lee-Ann Tjunypa Buckskin is also the artistic director. Phillip Saunders had been interim CEO since at least February 2023. Lee-Ann Tjunypa Buckskin was appointed in April 2024. The board is led by interim chair Aaron Ken. The eight board members include well-known people like Rhoda Roberts and Daniel Riley.

Building Repairs and Future

The Tandanya building has been closed many times since 2020. This was not just because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also due to many maintenance problems. The state government has invested money to fix and update the building. This included new air-conditioning, sprinkler heads, internal walls, electrical work, painting, and carpets. In 2023, fire safety parts and emergency lighting were improved. The building reopened in January 2025. The Malinauskas government gave $780,000 for these repairs and upgrades.

There have been talks for several years about a new Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre. This new center is planned for the Lot Fourteen area in North Terrace. However, a final decision on this new center was still being made in 2024. The government was looking for major donations to help fund it. This also created some uncertainty about Tandanya's long-term future.

Activities in Recent Years

Tandanya runs special programs and performances during NAIDOC Week.

Since 2015, the center has hosted the annual Art Fair. This fair is part of the Tarnanthi Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art. Tandanya has also been the place for many Adelaide Fringe performances.

2020 Activities

In 2020, Tandanya's 30th-anniversary celebrations were interrupted. The center had to close for over six months because of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia. It reopened in October with an exhibition called Atnwengerrp — Our Apmere, Our Place. This show included art from five of the original women whose work was in the very first exhibition at the gallery.

While it was closed, the space was used to create Still Stylin' 2020. This was a seven-minute musical video montage. It featured new versions of songs by Christine Anu. The video was directed by Larrakia rapper Jimblah. It showed First Nations dancers, rappers, and artists performing in Tandanya and on country.

On 13 November 2020, during NAIDOC Week, Tandanya hosted a new music festival called TREATY. It featured established and new First Nations musicians from South Australia. Performers included J-Milla, Sonz of Serpent, Dem Mob, RKM (Rulla Kelly-Mansell), Tilly Tjala Thomas, MRLN (Marlon Motlop), and Katie Aspel. Natasha Wanganeen and J-Milla were the presenters.

See also

• List of music museums
• Tarndanyangga