Funding boost for visual arts sector

The Federal government is to fund 85 activities delivered by First Nations art centres, fairs, regional hubs and industry service organisations across the country.

Eight further activities will be supported through the Protecting Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Program to strengthen professional development and training.

The Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program is designed to foster a professional, viable and ethical First Nations arts industry. It enables artists and arts workers to earn income, develop professional skills and connect to the art market.

Key Points

Grant recipients include Gapuwiyak Bush Gallery 2027 and the Armidale & Region Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place. Each will use support to expand exhibition opportunities, strengthen professional practice and deepen regional engagement with the art market.

Recipients

Gapuwiyak Bush Gallery 2027

Funds for Gapuwiyak Bush Gallery 2027 will go towards weaving workshops and an exhibition to further support collaboration and long‑term regional development for Arnhem Land. Weavers will be led by fibre artists from Gapuwiyak Culture and Arts, Milingimbi Art and Culture, Bula’bula Arts, Maningrida Arts and Culture and the Buku‑Larrŋgay Mulka Centre. The activity is framed as a pathway to sustained regional outcomes through collaboration and cultural practice.

Armidale & Region Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place

Armidale & Region Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place will receive funding to support annual exhibitions showcasing works from local and regional Aboriginal artists. Exhibitions will be held in Armidale, across regional markets, as well as travelling fairs in New South Wales. Artists will also receive professional support and training in preparing, marketing and promoting their artworks, aligning with the program’s focus on workforce capability and market access.

Eight ICIP activities to build workforce capability

Additionally, the Protecting Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Program will fund eight activities that provide professional development and training opportunities for First Nations artists and art‑workers to build a stronger, more capable workforce. Two named recipients will deliver sector‑wide initiatives and major curatorial outcomes.

Indigenous Art Centre Alliance Incorporated

The Indigenous Art Centre Alliance Incorporated will host a landmark national First Nations art centre gathering in Brisbane in 2026. The forum is dedicated to preparing First Nations art centres for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, Paralympic Games and Cultural Olympiad. The event is described as the first sector‑wide forum focused on cultural and commercial opportunities linked to Brisbane 2032.

Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT)

Another grant recipient is The Koorie Heritage Trust (KHT). Its Revisiting Blak Design project will bring together four alumni of KHT’s ground‑breaking Blak Design initiative to collaborate with the KHT Curatorial Team on the development of a major exhibition of contemporary First Peoples jewellery. The exhibition will draw on KHT’s unique and irreplaceable collection of Victorian First Peoples art and cultural belongings.

Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said First Nations art celebrates and builds connections in Australia and internationally with the world’s oldest living culture. She noted the role of art in cultural continuity over tens of millennia and the importance of art centres in community life and livelihoods.

Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the funding demonstrated the government’s commitment to fostering First Nations arts and artists, highlighting the importance of visual art as cultural expression and knowledge transfer.