Backing Indigenous Arts

The State Government is investing $10.73 million to strengthen Indigenous arts in Far North Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities

Backing Indigenous Arts $10.73 million will fund:

Indigenous Art Centre network and hubs – $4.42 million
Weipa Hub– $250,000 over two years
Building Skills and Opportunities – $3.43 million
Cairns Printmaking Centre – $1.63 million Cairns Indigenous Art Fair – $1 million

Background

Some of Australia's best contemporary art comes from Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait. Artists such as Arone Meeks, Rosella Namok and Dennis Nona are drawing our gaze northwards. Their work, inspired by culture and country, is creating a fascinating window into Far North Queensland, the place and its people.

Many more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists are destined for success. This is why the Queensland Government has developed Backing Indigenous Arts. The four-year program (2007-2010) will invest $10.73 million into the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts industry.

This program is about building a more sustainable industry for our Far North Queensland artistis. We want more of these talented artists to create careers in the arts. We want to see new and emerging artists developing their skills through training and industry partnerships. We want to showcase their work and expose them to new audiences, here and overseas.

Backing Indigenous Arts will tap into all art forms and encourage artists to tell their own stories with traditional techniques and new technologies.

Far North Queensland artists have their own identities and the right to shape their own future. Through its many initiatives and partnerships, Backing Indigenous Arts will help boost this industry and create pathways to take this unique art to the rest of the world.

Brochures

See Backing Indigenous Arts brochures:

Brochure – Part 1 (PDF 462KB)
Brochure – Part 2 (PDF 285KB)
Brochure – Part 3 (PDF 568KB)
Brochure – Part 4 (PDF 224KB)