Franchesca Cubillo is a Yanuwa, Larrakia, Bardi and Wardaman woman from the Northern Territory with more than 30 years' experience in the museum and art gallery sector. Born in Darwin, Cubillo's family moved to Adelaide after Cyclone Tracy in 1974. After working in the Kimberley region Cubillo completed a Bachelor of Arts in Aboriginal Affairs with Honours in Anthropology from the University of Adelaide. She then worked as a curator at the South Australian Museum, followed by the National Museum of Australia and the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. Most recently she was senior curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art at the National Gallery of Australia. She is a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellow, has held numerous board and committee positions, has published extensively and presented on subjects including the repatriation of Australian Indigenous ancestral remains, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, culture, museology and curatorship. Cubillo is currently the Executive Director, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts at the Australia Council, chair of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation and the co-chair of the National Aboriginal Art Gallery, Alice Springs.
