Exhibitions

Connie Hart: One Stitch at a Time, is the first major solo retrospective exhibition to be held by the KHT, dedicated to the fibre-works of the late esteemed Gunditjmara Elder and master weaver, Aunty Connie Hart (1917–1993).

This landmark exhibition showcases over fifty works created by Aunty Connie during the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s, many of which are held in the KHT’s unique collection of Victorian and South East Australian art and cultural belongings. It also includes significant works on loan from the National Gallery of Australia and Museums Victoria.

One Stitch at a Time honours the powerful cultural and artistic legacy of Aunty Connie’s weaving practice. Her fibre-art speak to the survival and continuity of weaving as a vital First Peoples cultural practice in South East Australia, one that resonates nationally and bridges cultural and language groups throughout Australia.

Connie Hart: One Stitch at a Time is presented as part of the KHT’s 40th birthday celebrations. A full colour catalogue will be available for purchase.

“No one taught me to make my baskets. I used to watch my mother do it and when she put her basket down and went outside, I’d pick it up and do some stitches. When I heard her coming back, I would shove it away real quick and run away. I was a great one for sitting amongst the old people because I knew I was learning something just by watching them. But if I asked a question they would say, ‘Run away, Connie. Go and play with the rest of the kids.’ They didn’t want us to learn. My mum told me we were coming into the white people’s way of living. So she wouldn’t teach us. That is why we lost a lot of culture. But I tricked her. I watched her and I watched those old people and I sneaked a stitch or two.”

Aunty Connie Hart

Image: Connie Hart (Gunditjmara), Woven baskets from the Collection of Koorie Heritage Trust. Photo by Christian Cappuro, 2025.