Regional Arts Australia’s New Industry Residency with ANAT + A Curious Tractor + Australian Organic

ANAT is proud to be a key partner in a new 12‑month Regional Arts Australia Industry Residency in collaboration with artists A Curious Tractor and industry partner Australia Organic. The residency began on 1 December 2025 and concludes by 30 November 2026.

As a national arts organisation, ANAT plays a pivotal role in supporting creative work across regional contexts. In this residency, ANAT will provide ongoing guidance and coordination, working closely with the artists, Australian Organic, and Regional Arts Australia to contribute to a strong, collaborative partnership. ANAT’s involvement brings together art, science, and community engagement, fostering connections between creative practice, regional industry, and local communities. Through story telling and advocacy, ANAT will help share the story of the residency and amplify the impact of the artist’s work across a national audience.

Bridging Art, Place & Industry, this unique residency supports the artists in developing work that brings together the creative and organics industries, to respond to shared regional challenges such as social isolation, economic change, and community fragmentation. Through collaborative engagement, the initiative aims to foster connection and revitalise regional networks.

Rooted in a deep respect for place, the project engages with the layered history of the region where A Curious Tractor live and work, in Witta, Queensland, from timber, through dairy, to co‑operative movements and explores how industry has shaped community identity, enterprise, and mutual aid. The work will be grounded in the landscapes of Witta and the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, acknowledging the traditional custodianship of the land by the Kabi Kabi and Jinibara peoples.

Food will become a medium for connection, turning the everyday act of making and sharing into joyful, intergenerational rituals that link local supply chains with community storytelling. This will bring industry‑informed exchanges with Australian Organic and local food partners; place‑based research, community workshops, “taste sprints,” master classes with visiting practitioners, shared‑meal days, and circular hospitality pilots; and documentation and research that captures stories of industry, food, place, and community.

Looking Ahead

The residency is expected to involve 90–120 days of active work over the project period. As the project unfolds, ANAT and its partners commit to supporting the artist through research, community engagement, production, and documentation and helping build pathways for longer-term impact beyond the residency’s horizon.

Stay tuned for updates as the project unfolds, including opportunities to participate in workshops, shared-meal events, and community gatherings.

Nicholas Marchesi is a social innovator and co-founder of A Curious Tractor (ACT), dedicated to dismantling barriers through practical, human-centred design. Best known as the co-founder of Orange Sky, which revolutionised support for people experiencing homelessness through the world’s first free mobile laundry service, Nicholas brings a philosophy of deep listening and radical humility to his work.

Within ACT, Nicholas operationalises the metaphor of the “power take-off” – ensuring that resources, knowledge, and capacity are effectively transferred to community hands. He works to bridge the gap between big ideas and on-the-ground reality, fostering environments where “wild ideas” can grow into sustainable, community-led solutions for justice and regeneration.

Benjamin Knight is a systems designer, creative strategist, and co-founder of A Curious Tractor (ACT). Working at the intersection of youth justice, regenerative economics, and community-led art, Benjamin’s practice focuses on “beautiful obsolescence” – designing systems that transfer power and capacity to communities until the designer is no longer needed.

At ACT, Benjamin leads the development of platforms like the Empathy Ledger, a technology assisted tool for ethical storytelling and narrative sovereignty. His work treats creativity as a mechanism for justice, using art and technology to disrupt extractive patterns and cultivate ecosystems where communities own their stories, data, and economic futures.

A Curious Tractor (ACT) is a regenerative innovation ecosystem operating at the intersection of social justice, environmental stewardship, and creative practice. Founded by Benjamin Knight and Nicholas Marchesi, ACT works deeply on-Country with regional and remote communities to dismantle extractive systems and cultivate community-led solutions.