Australia's coastline, flora and fauna have been the object of fascination for, and the subject of, representation by European cartographers, botanists and artists since the Seventeenth Century. To Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, the Earth is mother, and survival contingent upon intimate knowledge of, and reverence for, the lands, waters and skies, mapped and recorded through symbol, story, dance and song. While many non-Indigenous artists working in the landscape adopt an approach that is culturally and historically aware, the formalisation of art-practice as research within academic institutions requires artists to address ethical concerns in the conduct of their research. This paper proposes a methodology and strategies to ensure the preservation of First Peoples' cultural authority in knowledge sharing.