'Alana Harris was born at Penrith, NSW, in 1966 and is from Wiradjuri and Ngunnawal country. She grew up in Cowra, NSW, but on completing her Higher School Certificate moved to Canberra in 1984. She received a traineeship in photography at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies (AIAS) in Canberra that year and commenced a Diploma of Arts (Photography) at the Canberra Institute of Technology in 1985. In 1987, she participated in the 'After 200 years' project and was employed as Senior Photographer at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders Studies (AIATSIS, formerly AIAS). She has been involved in several exhibitions and in 1990 received the NAIDOC ACT Aboriginal Artist of the Year award. She was awarded that honour again in 1993, in which year she also received the Australian Heritage Commission Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander National Art Award (Photography). In 1995, she was awarded a professional development grant from the Australia Council.' (Source : Libraries Australia.)
