In time for its 2022 season, the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) has announced a new collaboration with Welcome to Country, the not-for-profit online marketplace of First Nations experiences and products. The new partnership will deliver a two behind-the-scenes experiences at the art fair in July this year.
Welcome to Country’s CIAF tour series offers a personal experience led by Indigenous artist, writer, tour guide and all-round Cairns insider, Jack Wilkie-Jans. Welcome to Country’s exclusive CIAF experiences include:
- CIAF VIP Art Fair Tour – July 7 and July 8 at 3pm (90 minutes), Cairns Convention Centre. Participants will receive insights into the Art Fair and Art Market as well as Queensland’s First Nations art scene including meeting the remarkable artists and seeing the art centres that set the stage for CIAF 2022. Includes an Acknowledgement of Country, canapes and a welcome drink.
- CIAF VIP Fashion Showcase Experience – July 7 at 5pm (120 minutes), Tanks Arts Centre. Participants will be the first to see the CIAF Fashion Performance with front row seats for the dress rehearsal. It’s a rare opportunity to meet the designers, models and the creative team who are together shaping Australia’s burgeoning Indigenous fashion scene. Includes an Acknowledgement of Country, canapes, and welcome drink. There’s a chance to add on a ticket to the premiere performance July 8.
Welcome to Country Head of Marketing Tim Sculthorpe said the behind-the-scenes experiences would be sure to resonate with visitors long after they returned home. “Welcome to Country is all about providing insights and experiences that money cannot usually buy. We always strive to ‘go beyond the ordinary’, something we share with CIAF. The organisation’s commitment to championing and creating a platform for emerging and established Indigenous artists is something to be celebrated, and we are delighted to offer visitors front row access to this incredible event,” Mr Sculthorpe said.
CIAF General Manager Darrell Harris said the event’s inclusion in Welcome to Country’s platform of experiences realised a long-held dream to strategically promote the event to a wider tourism market. “For CIAF, this is the beginning of something big and we are grateful for the opportunity to work with Welcome to Country to deliver something truly special at this year’s event,” Mr Harris said.
CIAF 2022 runs from July 6 – 10, 2022 at the Cairns Convention Centre as well as at arts and cultural hubs throughout the city. The multi-arts program comprises mostly free and some ticketed events and is an inclusive event geared at people of all ages. In 2022 artists respond to the theme, Masters of Country, where Queensland’s First Peoples as experts in cultural knowledge. For more, visit: www.ciaf.com.au
