Ageing Aboriginal cultural institute Tandanya to reopen following investment

Adelaide’s National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, closed since April 2023, will reopen next year following the South Australian Government’s announcement of investing $780,000 to repair the building once described by its Chief Executive as a “decommissioned warehouse”.

Tandanya opened in 1989 and was dedicated to supporting and promoting First Nations arts and culture in South Australia for more than 30 years. The SA Government has been working closely with Tandanya to secure its reopening.

The Tandanya building, located on Grenfell Street in Adelaide - in what was once the Grenfell Street Power Station - is owned by the Aboriginal Lands Trust and the State Government has been assisting leaseholder Tandanya to identify required building improvements to enable its reopening.

In January, Tandanya co-Chief EXecutive Phillip Saunders told InDaily that the building “has been an ongoing problem for a number of years and we are dealing with the legacy of a building which hadn’t had any major repairs done over the last few years, and that’s the issue”.

The state government said the building – owned by the Aboriginal Lands Trust – requires repairs including replacing air-conditioning units and sprinkler heads, works on internal walls to address deterioration, electrical work, painting multiple rooms and replacing carpets.

It’s expected further works will be required beyond the planned January 2025 reopening date according to the state government, which said it also invested $90,000 in building works at Tandanya in 2023 including replacing the fire panel and warning system, repairing fire doors, and replacing emergency and exit lights.

Tandanya co-Chief Executive  and artistic director Lee-Ann Tjunypa Buckskin noted “Tandanya's Board of Directors and executive team have been working closely with the State Government to address critical infrastructure issues impacting the building being reopened to the public.

“We are very pleased to have received this grant of $780,000 to address the short term maintenance needs of the building, enabling us to open and deliver our program in January 2025.

SA Arts minister Andrea Michaels said it was “fantastic to announce that Tandanya will soon be reopening through this significant investment.

“Tandanya is an important part of South Australia’s arts community and we have been working closely with them to secure its reopening.

“We are committed to supporting First Nations artists and creatives and it’s wonderful that Tandanaya will continue to be a dedicated space for Aboriginal artists for generations to come.”