John Gordon Waight was born and raised in Darwin and is descended from the Mangarayi people whose country is just outside Katherine. John has extensive curatorial and arts industry experience including seven years as the Indigenous Curator and Liaison Officer, Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney and three years as Manager, Maningrida Arts and Culture Shop in Darwin. In 2012 John was Acting Curator of Aboriginal Art at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory where he delivered the 29th National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Award (NATSIAA). John is currently residing in Sydney where he recently completed a Batchelor of Art Theory at University of NSW Art and Design and is currently undertaking his Masters of Curation and Cultural Leadership, also at UNSW, while working full time as a health education officer at the Albion Centre.

Previously the Artists in the Black Coordinator at Arts Law Centre of Australia,  John is now the Head of  First Peoples Programs at the National Art School.