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Lisa Steffanoff


Anthropologist | Curator | Media/Art Producer








Interviewer: Courtney Boag
Cinematography: Stéphanie Austruy

Photo (right): Provided by Lisa Steffanoff


4 October, 2024





“I would love to think that the incredible legacy and scholarship of anthropology is not forgotten but rather reworked, as it has been for a long time by Indigenous people and other scholars. For people to engage meaningfully with the archives, to find material value in it and, of course, to critique it where needed. I would love the archives to have this perpetual value.”


Lisa Steffanof










Lisa Steffanoff


Lisa Stefanoff is a writer, researcher, curator, and media/art producer living with her family in Mparntwe (Alice Springs), Central Arrernte country. For over two decades, Lisa has worked alongside desert artists and media-makers, collaborating closely with Aboriginal community-controlled organisations on projects related to language, art, regional history, and other storytelling initiatives. These collaborations span a variety of media, including screens, galleries, radio, and print. Lisa is a founding member of the Curatorium Collective and also holds senior research adjunct positions at the Charles Darwin University Centre for Creative Futures (CCF) and the University of New South Wales Big Anxiety Research Centre (BARC).

Having completed her graduate studies at New York University (NYU) as a Graduate School of Arts and Sciences MacCracken Fellow, Lisa has conducted collaborative, participant-action, and cultural practice-led research in Mparntwe since 2002. In her previous role as a University of New South Wales Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award Research Fellow, Lisa’s research helped produce the first-ever Pitjantjatjara language mental health virtual reality film Waumananyi – the song on the wind (2019). This project was a collaboration between the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Women's Council Uti Kulintjaku, University of New South Wales fEELab, and the ‘Big Anxiety’ project. Her career has also included research and project management roles at the Cooperative Research Centre for Remote Economic Participation/University of South Australia, the Institute for Aboriginal Development Press, and the Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (CAAMA) in Alice Springs.

In addition to her research and media production work, Lisa has dedicated much of her career to curating and supporting contemporary Indigenous cultural expression. She has worked closely with Rosalyn Brenda Boko (below) over many years to preserve and progress the stories in Rosalyn’s mother - Margaret Nampitjinpa Boko’s - paintings and to support the work of the Ngunytjuku Mamaku Tjukurpa Kanyini Wanka (Keeping Mother’s and Father’s Stories Alive) group.

Rosalyn Brenda Boko


Rosalyn Boko is a family story-keeper and storyteller fluent in Luritja, Pitjantjatjara, Yankunytjatjara, Western Arrarnta, and other central desert languages. She grew up at Iwupataka (Jay Creek) and now resides in Yarrenyty Arltere (Larapinta Valley) with her husband, sons, and her beloved dogs. Alongside her father, David Jangala Boko, Rosalyn is a founding member of the Ngunytjuku Mamaku Tjukurpa Kanyini Wanka (Keeping Mother’s and Father’s Stories Alive) group. Together, they lead efforts to preserve and share the family’s stories, continuing the work of her artist mother, Margaret Nampitjinpa Boko, through paintings, audio recordings, video, and other media.












In conversation with Lisa Steffanoff, Rosalyn Brenda Boko, Lena Driffen and Fiona Nelson (Mparntwe - Alice Springs)



Interviewer Courtney Boag had the pleasure of virtually meeting Lisa, Rosalyn, Lena Driffen, and Fiona Nelson weeks before her in-person interview with Lisa at The Ethics Centre. The following conversation helps lay the foundation for the later discussion between Courtney and Lisa (see below), offering valuable insights into Rosalyn’s upbringing and her journey of learning to paint from her mother, Margaret Nampitjinpa Boko, a highly respected Aboriginal Australian artist. Today, Lisa, Rosalyn, Lena, and many others work closely together to preserve Margaret’s stories through animated and innovative mediums.











In Conversation with Lisa Steffanoff (Ethics Centre)

*Postscript: In this interview, Lisa refers to her former colleague as Steven McGregor. The correct surname is McGregor.















Interested to learn more about Lisa’s work? Follow her work here. 


Head over to The Curatorium Collective and immerse yourself in ‘Winimaku ara papa wiimatjaraku and other stories’, an interactive website experience featuring a unique collection of animated creative works by Rosalyn Boko, Margaret Nampitjinpa Boko, Lisa Stefanoff, and many others. This innovative display of creative research by The Curatorium Collective is pioneering new and interactive methods for presenting and sharing research insights.

You can read about this ongoing creative research project Winimaku ara papa wiimatjaraku and other stories here. 

Follow Lisa on LinkedIn via @lisasteffanof

Anthrōprospective is Australia’s first independent anthropology journal of it’s kind. Based in Naarm (Melbourne).

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we work, the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people.