Along with Wailwan and Kamilaroi man and leader of Indigenous-led design Jefa Greenaway, Page has been selected as a new Honorary Fellow of Design.

Last month at the IDEA Gala party in Sydney, Page was named the IDEA 2021 Gold Medallist for her contribution “to enriching the design landscape of Australia”.

Her appointment with Deakin aims to further embed Indigenous knowledge systems and design thinking into the university’s teaching and learning programs and research activities.

Deakin Faculty of Arts and Education executive dean Professor Vanessa Lemm says the appointments of Page and Greenaway provide the university with access to vital cultural knowledge and advice.

“Building our Indigenous knowledge capacity is important as we move to develop Indigenous Knowledge Minors across courses in the Faculty of Arts and Education,” she says.

Deakin Head of School Communication and Creative Arts professor Matthew Delbridge says as high-profile Indigenous leaders, Page and Greenaway have a proven track record of embedding traditional cultural knowledge into contemporary design.

“They both share a quest for change which uses design to respectfully recalibrate the Australian identity as the home of the world’s oldest continuous living cultures,” adds Professor Delbridge.

Both Page and Greenaway have been involved in the development of the Deakin-created, Indigenous Design Charters, with Page consulting on its development. She also facilitated a workshop at the Koorie Heritage Trust.

Both Honorary Fellows will work with Deakin academics on current Indigenous-themed research projects, which include, to name a few, the Melbourne and Cranbourne Botanical Gardens wayfinding projects, and the INBETWEEN exhibition at Nyaal as part of Geelong Design Week.

Their appointment will be officially announced at the launch of the INBETWEEN Exhibition at Nyaal, Waurn Ponds campus this Friday.

Images courtesy of Deakin University.