The second annual Cairns Indigenous Art Fair begins tonight, promising to build on the spectacular success of the inaugural event in 2009. Simon Crerar catches up with artistic director Michael Snelling to find out how the event has grown in 2010 and why Cairns need it…
This weekend in Cairns you can watch dancers from the tip of Cape York, hear the National Indigenous Children’s Choir, and buy artworks made by artists based as far away as Brisbane, Cardwell, Thursday and Mornington islands.
Kicking off tonight at Tanks Arts Centre with an exciting opening party, this year’s Cairns Indigenous Art Fair is a wonderfully diverse celebration of the best Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and crafts from across Queensland.
Mixing contemporary and traditional arts, the packed three-day program blends visual arts, film, music, dance and theatre.
“CIAF is a celebration, but at its root it has an economic base, trying to develop and improve an economy for local artists,” artistic director Michael Snelling explains.
