THE NEXT ERA OF YIRRAMBOI BEGINS

YIRRAMBOI appoints Emily Wells (Kamilaroi) as Festival Co-lead/Executive Lead

YIRRAMBOI Festival proudly announces a new chapter in its leadership, one that builds on the legacy, bold vision and deep cultural and community responsibility that has defined the festival’s global impact.

Sherene Stewart (Taungurung/Filipino) will continue to guide the festival’s creative vision as Artistic Lead, alongside Emily Wells (Kamilaroi), who steps into the role of Executive Lead — marking a significant and powerful evolution in YIRRAMBOI’s leadership. This co-leadership model is not only intentional, but essential. It reflects collective leadership rather than hierarchical structures, ensuring responsibility is shared and decisions are grounded in accountability.

Emily Wells is an award-winning producer, playwright and access advocate whose work sits at the intersection of community, culture and equity. A Creative Australia First Nations Arts and Cultural Award recipient (2023) and with over a decade of experience across Australia’s arts and cultural sectors, she has built a reputation for championing First Nations artists, leading projects that centre self-determination and embed inclusion as a cultural responsibility.

As YIRRAMBOI’s former Executive Producer, Emily Wells was instrumental in shaping the festival’s sector-defining Access and Inclusion Program and establishing its inaugural Access and Inclusion Advisory Group — a first-of-its-kind initiative within the festival. Emily also led the way in securing record levels of support and funding for First Nations artists in YIRRAMBOI 2025, cementing her legacy as a leader who brings vision to life through action and investment. Her leadership continues to inspire a new generation of cultural workers who see accountability, care and innovation as inseparable.

“It is a privilege to stand beside Emily Wells, a leader whose integrity, deep community accountability, and fierce sense of community responsibility guide every step she takes. Throughout her time as Executive Producer, Emily has elevated YIRRAMBOI with unwavering commitment, embedding access and inclusion not as an afterthought, but as a foundation. Her work has shifted what festivals must aspire to, strengthening producer pathways, building more equitable and culturally aligned models of practice, and championing sovereign leadership with clarity and care.

YIRRAMBOI is a place where leaders are nurtured, a pathway I am deeply proud to have walked myself, and one that (departing co-lead) J-Maine Beezley and I began together more than eight years ago. With J-Maine stepping away after shaping this platform with such passion and heart, the shoes are big and the legacy profound. Emily’s move into this role builds on that legacy, while bringing her own brilliance and vision to the future of this platform.

I could not imagine a stronger person to step into this co-leadership. Emily’s humility, strength, and visionary thinking ensure YIRRAMBOI will continue to evolve as a globally recognised and loved arts festival.

As we stand on the shoulders of those who paved the way, we now take the next steps in forging our own path, sovereign and deeply grounded in community.”
– Sherene Stewart

“Since attending the inaugural YIRRAMBOI Festival in 2017 led by Jacob Boehme, I have been so inspired by the festival, its bold and purposeful program, and its ever-increasing international impact. Joining the team in 2022 felt like a full circle moment – an opportunity to give back to a festival and a community that truly transformed my practice and reaffirmed the power of First Nations arts.

I feel overwhelmingly honoured to stand alongside Sherene in her role as Artistic Lead, and with the community who have and continue to make YIRRAMBOI the powerhouse platform that it is.

YIRRAMBOI is a festival like no other. It nurtures artists, sparks bold ideas, and brings community, culture, and creativity together in ways that create ripple effects far beyond the festival itself. I don’t take on this responsibility lightly, and am so excited to build on its rich legacy – one that reclaims how our art is defined, showcases work that is bold and transformative, and continues to lead the way in shaping the future of our sector.”
– Emily Wells

Through their shared leadership, Sherene Stewart and Emily Wells will guide YIRRAMBOI into its next bold chapter, centring community and championing evolutionary and experimental First Nations work that pushes creative boundaries. Together, they will continue to deepen connections across Victoria, strengthen national and international collaborations, and nurture the next generation of First Nations artists shaping the future of our global creative landscape.