Country Always

Caring for Country

A Corner of the Empire

The Garden Palace

The Holding Pen

The Agricultural Hall

Regional Networks

Across New South Wales

A Museum of Doing

Technological Museum

Expanding Stories

Evolution of the Castle Hill site from botanical research station to Museum Discovery Centre

Transforming the Tramsheds

Powerhouse Stage 1 and the Harwood Building

A Symbol in Time

Sydney Observatory

Ongoing Transformations

Powerhouse Ultimo

Applied Arts and Sciences

Defining the terms in the 21st century

Blakout!

First Nations Fashion and Design

Powerhouse Renewal

A transformative renewal program across four sites

We Rise

Blak Powerhouse

Powerhouse-1 Mission Launch to the ISS

An initiative of the Powerhouse: Future Space program

2024

Exoskeleton

Powerhouse Parramatta

Sydney Design Week

Across Sydney12—24 Sep

2023

Stories

Blakout!

First Nations Fashion and Design

In 2022, First Nations Fashion and Design presented BLAKOUT!, a night of fashion, dance and the chance to hear the wise words of Mob who are owning the catwalks.

BLAKOUT! began with a Welcome to Country, a smoking ceremony and Yidaki Healing Workshop with Uncle Brendan Kerin.

Taking place in the museum’s Microcars space, the Blak and Deadly Walk Off saw models Josie Baker, Bee Cruse, Luke Currie-Richardson and Perry Mooney strut their stuff against a backdrop of artworks by Shaun Daniel Allen.

A wide fashion runway with Indigenous models dressed in various styles and colours of clothing and swimwear. At the front are a man and a woman. They are holding sand in one hand and letting it fall into the other hand.

In Cover Girl: In Conversation First Nations Fashion and Design’s Grace Lillian Lee and Teagan Cowlishaw led a discussion highlighting fashion’s power to generate positive social change with the iconic cover model Elaine George.

First Nations Fashion and Design 2021/22 runway screenings were accompanied by an interactive discussion with Perry Mooney and Coby Edgar, while Lomas Amini led a panel discussion with Luke Currie-Richardson, Jake Gordon and Jarron Andy on the male First Nations fashion experience.

yButchulla Hip Hop artist Birdz headlined the night’s First Nations music acts alongside a live set from Yuin rapper, producer and radio host DJ Nooky, complemented by a First Nations playlist throughout the night curated by Dobby.

First Nations Fashion and Design is a national voice representing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members; creating ongoing access to opportunities, skill development, and industry engagement. As a not-for-profit organisation its core business is supporting the growth of Indigenous fashion.

First Nations Fashion and Design is working towards a self-sustaining ecosystem of First Nations fashion designers, textile artists, jewellery designers, photographers, models, hair and makeup artists, stylists, curators and fashion industry professionals. Its Board of Directors and Executive team are 100% Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander.

Its HQ at Powerhouse Ultimo has become a centre for Blak excellence within the fashion industry by providing space for First Nations fashion professionals to participate in activations and creating a gateway for remote communities to access industry opportunities in Australia’s fashion capital.

Blak Powerhouse

Black and white photograph. Mid shot of a person with their back to the camera, wearing a denim jacket with an applique of the Aboriginal flag. Their left arm and fist are raised in the air.

We Are Warriors is an Indigenous social enterprise, dedicated to celebrating Blak excellence and empowering Indigenous youth. On January 26, one of the most polarising days of the year, We Are Warriors took over Powerhouse Ultimo for BlakPowerhouse: We Are Warriors, taking back a day of sorrow and turning it into a day of power and positivity.

Blak Powerhouse

First Nations