First Nations artists across Australia participated in this art project on gender and disaster. The purpose was to consider the ways gender is implicated in First Nations communities’ experiences of disasters and emergencies. The project model provided community groups with a culturally safe space and time to discuss events that have impacted their communities, and the increase of the vulnerability of women in relation to disasters. Family violence increases amongst non-Indigenous people after disasters, as evidenced by Gender and Disaster Australia over more than a decade, yet little is known about what happens within First Nations communities affected by disasters relating to gendered roles and family violence. This project represents a small step towards opening conversations. Watnanda Consulting was engaged to coordinate this project and was guided by Gunditjmara cultural principles to enable each person to participate with self-determination, flexibility, and new opportunities. The feedback on the project process ‘was simple (no red tape), empowering, self-determining, it showed trust and actioned orientated’; ‘this is how we like to do business’. The participants were surprised to have such a blank canvas when is came to designing how, when and where they would undertake the project. There have been opportunities to enhance self-determination that have stemmed from this project for the participants. The project has provided an opportunity for people together, connect, reflect, discuss, and tell their stories on an oral form and captured in a painting about gender and disaster. In this panel, three artists and the coordinator will yarn about what was achieved and what the future holds for engagement with the concept of how gender is relevant to disasters and experiences for First Nations people. The project was funded by Gender and Disaster (through Commonwealth DSS funding) and the beautiful paintings are on display in the Exhibition booths.