Karratha, Dampier, Roebourne, Cossack, Wickham and Point Samson
The City of Karratha is home to one of the Pilbara’s most diverse arts and events programs, with festivals, exhibitions, performances, markets and community celebrations held throughout the year.
Signature events include the Red Earth Arts Festival, Cossack Art Awards, Dampier Art Awards and Dampier Photography Awards, alongside a year-round program of arts and cultural performances at the Red Earth Arts Precinct.
Across Karratha, Dampier, Roebourne, Cossack, Wickham and Point Samson, you’ll also find local markets, workshops, live music, community events and creative experiences throughout the year.
Onslow, Tom Price, Paraburdoo and Pannawonica
Across the Shire of Ashburton, creativity is woven through community life, with art awards, workshops, public art, markets, performances and community celebrations taking place across Onslow, Tom Price, Paraburdoo and Pannawonica.
In Onslow, Passion of the Pilbara brings the community together through entertainment, activities and local experiences, while the spectacular Staircase to the Moon is celebrated along the Onslow Foreshore throughout the season. Murals and public art also contribute to the town’s creative character.
Tom Price has an active creative community supported by the Tom Price Arts Hub, with workshops, community arts projects and opportunities for local participation. The annual Ashburton Art Awards are a major regional highlight, celebrating artists and creative work from across the Shire.
Paraburdoo has its own distinctive creative identity, including public art and the much-loved Red Dog sculpture, while Pannawonica hosts creative workshops, arts activities and community events throughout the year.
Together, these communities contribute to a diverse and evolving arts and cultural landscape across the Shire of Ashburton.
Port Hedland Region
Port Hedland and South Hedland have a strong and diverse creative community, with arts, culture and events shaped by the region’s Aboriginal heritage, multicultural community and distinctive coastal and industrial landscape. Visual arts, live performance, community celebrations, markets, workshops and public art all contribute to the cultural life of Hedland.
Local highlights include exhibitions, workshops and creative programs at the Courthouse Gallery+Studio, contemporary Aboriginal art and artist development through Spinifex Hill Studio, and the important language, culture and storytelling work of the Wangka Maya Pilbara Aboriginal Language Centre. Live performances, cinema and touring productions at the Matt Dann Theatre & Cinema, together with community festivals, markets and celebrations, bring local people and visitors together throughout the year.
Hedland also has a growing public and street art presence, with murals and artist-led projects adding colour, stories and creativity to spaces across the region.
East Pilbara Region – Newman, Marble Bar and Nullagine
Across the East Pilbara, art, culture and storytelling are deeply connected to Country, community and the extraordinary landscapes of one of Australia’s most remote regions. Newman, Marble Bar and Nullagine, together with the region’s remote Aboriginal communities, contribute to a distinctive creative landscape shaped by culture, stories and connection to place.
Newman is a major creative hub and home to the East Pilbara Arts Centre and Martumili Artists. Martumili represents Martu artists from communities across the Western Desert and provides an important platform for artists to create, exhibit and share stories of Country and culture. The Arts Centre brings together gallery, studio and community spaces and hosts exhibitions, workshops, cultural programs and events throughout the year.
Newman is also home to the Newman Art Studio, which provides opportunities for workshops and hands-on creative activity, while murals and public artworks contribute to the town’s growing creative character.
Across Marble Bar and Nullagine, community events, cultural activities, visiting artists and creative programs provide opportunities for people to participate, share stories and connect through arts and culture.
Together, these communities showcase an East Pilbara creative identity grounded in Country, culture, creativity and the people who call this vast region home.
