To most of us, knowing where to find an emu feather would be a bit like being sent out to look for the horn of a unicorn. Where do you even start?

But Jessika Spencer has a whole collection of them (emu feathers, that is).

The Wiradjuri woman from Narrandera in NSW, now living here in the ACT, used to be a ranger for ACT Parks’ Murumbung Yurung Murra group, made up of local Indigenous people who run tours of important sites across the region.

“There was a really large collective of emus living on Country, and we got to know exactly where they nest and where they preen, and so I still have a lot of those feathers.”

Today, Ms Spencer runs her own art business called Ngurru, which creates and sells mainly woven pieces from material she gathers all over Canberra. But a large portion of her emu feathers went into one she’s become perhaps most famous for, called ‘Ochre’.

“It’s basically a wall-hanging … and I wove in my feathers to make a big circle,” she says.

The white centre was made up of clear quartz stones in a nod to Gubur Dhaura, a former white-ochre quarry in Franklin in Gungahlin. White ochre was often used by the Indigenous people in body and rock painting.

‘Ochre’ by Jessika Spencer. Photo: ACT Government.

Ms Spencer created the piece to enter in the inaugural Lanyon Art Prize, an art competition designed to celebrate the circa-175-year-old Lanyon Homestead, near Tharwa.

Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG) and ACT Historic Places launched the prize as a “biennial, non-acquisitive initiative designed to empower local artists while preserving the unique story of Lanyon Homestead”.

Artists, musicians, craftspeople and designers aged 18 or over who reside in the ACT or surrounding regions were invited to come up with something that responded “directly to the historic homestead, picturesque landscape, and storied past of Lanyon”.

Lanyon Homestead. Photo: ACT Historic Places.

A panel of judges would rate the works, with $10,000 cash awarded to the winner; a solo exhibition at CMAG (plus a $1000 support payment) for second place; and $1000 cash for third.

There was also the ‘People’s Choice Award’ and the ‘Tuggeranong Arts Centre Award’, both worth $500.

All entrants would then be curated into a special exhibition and put on display at the homestead for two months.

And now, for 2025, it’s back. Entries are open to the 2025 Lanyon Art Prize, with all works to be submitted by 6 July. Winners will then be announced on 23 August with the same prizes in the mix.

“A house museum setting is quite static, and there are only certain stories we can present because of that, but we know that there were many other stories, many other families and people who worked in Lanyon, the women, families, migrant workers, First Nations people – it’s a very, very rich story,” ACT Galleries, Museums and Heritage director Dr Anna Wong says.

“So what we’re seeking from the artists is a response to Lanyon as a place – its history, its landscape, its setting, everyone who’s come through, and I guess what it means for our contemporary society as well.”

Dr Wong says more than 100 works were entered in the last prize, from “beautiful paintings” to “fantastic sculptural works”, but she definitely remembers Ms Spencer’s.

Dr Anna Wong and Arts Minister Michael Pettersson. Photo: Dom Northcott, ACT Government.

“Jessica’s work was a real highlight. It just fitted beautifully on the dining table as an exhibit.”

Arts Minister Michael Pettersson also loved the idea, describing the return of the competition as an “exciting opportunity for artists to further their art” while engaging with “a special place in the region’s history”.

Ms Spencer “never goes into anything thinking I’ll win”.

“It’s more for the experience – I always see things as learning opportunities, and that’s really what it was,” she says.

A close-up of another of Jessika Spencer’s emu-feathered artworks. Photo: Ngurru, Instagram.

“It was really cool. They curate the space so each room has different artworks displayed. You get to go through it with one of the guides and learn not only the history but also about the art pieces.”

Will she enter this year?

“I’m in the same headspace as I was back in 2023, where I’m watching it – it’s in the back of my mind – and probably will end up entering something; I also want to encourage other mobs to see it as I did and give it a go.”

For more information on the Lanyon Art Prize or to apply, visit ACT Historic Places.