Norman Yakaduna Stewart

Norm Yakaduna Stewart is a respected Kwat Kwat, Moira, and Wurundjeri man, painting under the name of his great-great grandfather Yakaduna, also known as Tommy McRae. Norm’s creative and cultural expertise spans painting, drawing, woodwork and making cultural belongings (artefacts), and through his artwork, he sustains important family and community stories, cultural knowledge, and connections to country.

Norm was born in Nowra in 1958 to Norman Stewart Snr and Ellen Morgan and traces his origins to Corowa/Wahgunyah, Kwat Kwat country. Following the picking seasons, Norm’s family settled in Robinvale with his Grandmother on a small mission called Munatunga. As a young boy Norm has fond memories of this place, hunting for bush tucker and making canoes out of corrugated iron during flood season to collect yabbies, turtles and even pelican eggs. Norm and his siblings were forcibly taken from his Grandmother’s care, becoming wards of the state of Victoria in 1965 before being returned back to family several years later.

During his school years Norm enjoyed art classes but it wasn’t until later in life that he began to have an interest in the arts, inspired by the artwork and legacy of his Great Great Grandfather Tommy McCrae (Yakaduna). Norm describes his art-making as ‘a bit vast at times and quite vivid’ and he practices across styles of painting including portraiture, landscapes and Kwat Kwat mark making. In 2013 Norm undertook a year of study at Deakin University to deepen his knowledge of Visual Arts, strengthening his style and technique. In more recent years, he has developed a strong practice of bushcraft and woodcarving, creating stunning 3D sculptural works he calls the Yakaduna Birds, as well as cultural belongings such as coolamons, shields, clap sticks, digging sticks and boomerangs. Norm is passionate about sharing his knowledge and passing on culture and knowledge to the next generations, and regularly facilitates workshops for mob in community and in the justice system, as well as mentoring young men in the community to pass on skills.

Over the years, Norm has regularly exhibited and sold work via Kaiela Arts and taken on some bigger engagements including: a commission for Clothing The Gaps 2023 ‘For Our Elders’ campaign; commissioned artwork for the 2023 Munarra Centre for Regional Excellence build; featuring in Kaiela Arts showcase for 2025 Victorian First Peoples Arts and Design Fair Showcase at Melbourne Art Fair; and being a finalist in the prestigious Telstra National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards in 2025.