EP 131 Allyship & Impact/Dr Chischona Schmidt
From Business In Colour by Div Pillay & Sadhana Smiles
April 10, 2026 · 38 min · Season 10 · Episode 131
About this episode
In this episode, Div Pillay interviews Dr. Chrischona Schmidt about her work in First Nations arts and cultural expression.
In this episode of Business in Colour , I talk with Dr. Chrischona Schmidt — an arts professional, researcher, and fierce advocate for First Nations cultural expression, who has spent more than 18 years working alongside community to elevate First nations arts and storytelling. Chrischona is the Manager of Ikuntji Artists , an Aboriginal-owned art centre based in Haasts Bluff, 230 kilometres west of Alice Springs — and one of the most socially conscious, community-driven organisations we’ve had the privilege of spotlighting. I first met Chrischona through the Telstra Best of Business Awards , and her story left the judging room in complete silence — in the best possible way. In this conversation, Chrischona takes us behind the scenes of Ikuntji — from the women-led movement that began long before the art centre formally existed, to the creation of a powerful living archive: 26 films in language , told by the artists themselves. She also shares the impact of helping return thousands of archival photos to families, so people could finally see images of their parents and grandparents for the first time. A jam-packed episode with an extraordinary…
People in this episode
Host: Div Pillay
Guest: Dr. Chrischona Schmidt
Topics covered
- Allyship
- First Nations arts
- Cultural expression
- Community engagement
- Storytelling
- Art as legacy
Keywords
- First Nations
- arts
- storytelling
- community
- cultural expression
- Ikuntji Artists
- archival photos
- women-led movement
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Ikuntji Artists
Places: Haasts Bluff, Alice Springs
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