Professor N’arwee’t Carolyn Briggs AM inducted into the DIA Hall of Fame

Image: Courtesy of Design Institute of Australia

Professor N’arwee’t Carolyn Briggs AM has been inducted into the Design Institute of Australia (DIA) Hall of Fame, recognising a lifetime of cultural leadership and design collaboration that has reshaped the way Indigenous knowledge informs contemporary design practice in Australia. Previous inductees have included design luminaries such as Susan Cohn, Collette Dinnigan, Grant and Mary Featherston, Akira Isogawa, and Marc Newson, highlighting the calibre of leaders honoured for their lasting impact across design disciplines.

A highly respected Boonwurrung Elder, cultural leader and spatial design collaborator, Professor Briggs has spent decades advancing design thinking grounded in Country, language and community. Her work brings together Indigenous knowledge systems, storytelling and spatial practice to support cultural revitalisation while influencing contemporary approaches to architecture, art and public space.

Professor Briggs’ influence extends across cultural institutions, universities and public projects. She has collaborated on major public installations including Ngargee Djeembana, presented at leading cultural venues such as the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA), National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) and MPavillion. These works bring Boonwurrung cultural knowledge, language and ceremony into public space, creating new ways for audiences to experience living Indigenous culture.

At Monash University, Professor Briggs guides collaborative research through the  Wominjeka Djeembana Research Lab, exploring design processes grounded in Country and Indigenous ways of knowing and being. She also brings her leadership and cultural expertise to Kindred People, Monash’s new Indigenous-led festival (1–5 September 2026) celebrating First Nations arts, knowledge, and community. As Senior Boon Wurrung Elder and Steering Committee member, she is helping guide the festival’s creative identity and programming, ensuring Country, culture, and storytelling are at its heart.

Beyond research and practice, Professor Briggs has dedicated decades to cultural advocacy, education and mentorship. She founded the Boon Wurrung Foundation and continues to mentor Indigenous youth, preserve oral histories and advocate for the rightful place of First Nations knowledge in Australian cultural life.

Her leadership is recognised nationally. Professor Briggs was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia and was named NAIDOC Female Elder of the Year in 2011. She has also been listed on Victoria’s Honour Roll of Women and has contributed her expertise as a judge for the Australian Good Design Awards. She currently serves as Elder Advisor for Yiiramboi, Elder Advisor to Ilbijerri Theatre Company and Chair of Public Art for the City of Melbourne.

Her work has been widely published in academic journals, exhibitions and cultural projects, and she is frequently sought out by institutions and governments for guidance grounded in cultural authority and community relationships.

Professor Briggs’ induction into the DIA Hall of Fame acknowledges a foundational figure in Australian design whose influence reaches far beyond disciplinary boundaries. Through cultural leadership, mentorship and collaborative practice, she continues to shape a future for design that is inclusive, regenerative and deeply connected to Country.