Big Talk One Fire Concert at Cairns Festival 2012

Cairns Festival will kick off its 2012 season with a multi-dimensional program spanning music, art, dance, culture, comedy and entertainment in a free and ticketed program that rolls out from Friday 17 August until Sunday, 2 September

One of the highlights of this years Cairns Festival is the UMI Arts Big Talk One Fire Concert to be held at Fogarty Park on the Cairns Esplanade on Friday 17 August, 2012

The UMI Arts’ Big Talk One Fire Concert and markets is a  FREE community concert with Indigenous bands from Far North Queensland, traditional dancers and visual arts and craft market stall holders. Big Talk One Fire is a celebration and showcasing of the breadth and diversity of indigenous culture and talent, from Cairns and Far North Queensland.

Cairns Indigenous Art Fair

In 2012, UMI Arts is again pleased and proud to support the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair with three activities that showcase and celebrate Indigenous artists and cultural practitioners who have cultural connection to Far North Queensland. 

UMI Arts annual Pathways Exhibition

On August 15th UMI Arts annual Pathways Exhibition will open at UMI Arts Gallery and will showcase works by 20 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists who have successfully completed UMI Arts annual skills based program, Exhibition Ready, over the past 12 months. Exhibition Ready is a program that culminates in a 6-week public exhibition at UMI Arts and it has become a pathway program for UMI Arts Member artists to further their artistic careers. In 2012, 5 of the 23 artists selected into the curated CIAF exhibition at the Cairns Regional Gallery are former Exhibition Ready artists for whom their exhibition at UMI Arts was either their first solo, group or their first self-curated exhibition. Increasingly the Pathways exhibition is becoming known as the exhibition that really showcases the next generation of CIAF artists! 

Big Talk One Fire Festival

On Friday 17th August, UMI Arts will again stage its popular Big Talk One Fire event at Fogarty Park.  Last year the event attracted over 4,000 people who came to experience the best of traditional and contemporary Indigenous dance and music. From 4pm Fogarty Park will come alive with local Indigenous arts and crafts stalls, and headline performers will include well known band, Black Image as well as a number of up and coming local Indigenous support bands. The event is free and everyone is welcome to come and celebrate the breadth and diversity of cultural talent we have in Cairns and Far North Queensland. 

2012 'Big Talk One Fire' Festival
Location: Fogarty Park, Cairns Esplanade
When: 4pm Friday 17th of August, 2012

 

UMI Arts booth at CIAF

This year, UMI Arts will have its own UMI Arts booth at CIAF, showcasing the work by member artists who live and work in Cairns. This is the first time that local artists have had the opportunity to showcase their work at CIAF through UMI Arts.  UMI Arts has over 600 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members who have cultural connection to Far North Queensland. For many of these artists who live in Cairns, UMI Arts fulfils the role of the Cairns Indigenous Art Centre, providing Members with skills-based  workshops and programs, facilities, an internet Café, advocacy, support  and advice. Artists who will be represented by UMI arts include Gertrude Davis, Kathi Gibson, Kevin Edmondstone, Kel Williams, Joey Laifoo, Napolean Oui, Teho Ropeyarn, Lisa Michl, Bernard Singleton Jnr and Robert Tommy Pau.  

UMI Arts is the peak Indigenous arts and cultural organisation for Far North Queensland. UMI Arts is a not-for-profit company managed by an all-Indigenous Board of Directors. All UMI Arts programs and events are about creating pathways for success for Indigenous artists and cultural practitioners. This year, every event that UMI Arts is staging to support CIAF, is delivered in partnership with its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Members, whether they live in Cairns or in remote communities in Far North Queensland.  UMI Arts endorses and is a proud supporter of the Indigenous Art Code.

During CIAF, UMI Arts Gallery, the Pathways exhibition and UMI Arts retail Shop will be open from 10am to 4pm, Friday to Sunday inclusive. For more information please visit our website on www.umiarts.com.au or ring (07) 4041 6152 or email admin@umiarts.com.au  

UMI Arts gratefully acknowledges its funding partners: Arts Queensland (Backing Indigenous Arts Program); Australia Council for the Arts (VACS), Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander Arts Board of the Australia Council (National Indigenous Arts Infrastructure Program) and Office for the Arts (IVAIS).