Art fair opens registrations for digital truth-telling workshop

Registrations are open for Breaking Ground in a Digital Age, a free online workshop presented by Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF), launching an expanded year-long digital truth-telling initiative and the organisation’s 2026 Ambassador Program.

The Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF), one of Australia’s premier First Nations-led art fair and cultural celebration, held annually on Gimuy Walubara Yidinji Country in Gimuy/Cairns, Queensland, has opened registrations for Breaking Ground in a Digital Age. Supported by Creative Australia’s Storytelling and Recording: First Nations Project Fund, the $50,000 initiative will run between June 2026 and June 2027.

Key Points

The program will deliver on-Country, online, and hybrid workshops, mentoring, and recording opportunities across regional and remote Queensland. Its focus includes ethical storytelling, Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) protections and media engagement.

The workshop follows an initial presentation of Breaking Ground in a Digital Age delivered by CIAF on Wednesday 3 June in partnership with the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA), featuring guest speakers Georgia Mokak and CIAF Art Fair Showcase exhibitor Rachael Bywaters. Organisers said the next session, Breaking Ground in a Digital Age, will be held on Wednesday, June 10 as the first activation of CAIF’s expanded First Nations digital truth-telling initiative and 2026 Ambassador Program.

Expanded ambassador program

CIAF’s 2026 Ambassador Program builds on momentum from its 2025 pilot, which the organisation said generated more than 1.8 million views and helped ambassador alumni secure paid creative commissions, collaborations, and ongoing professional opportunities. In 2026, the program extends beyond the festival period itself to create year-round opportunities through workshops, mentoring, digital storytelling, media training and community engagement.

The digital truth-telling and ambassador campaign will be delivered via CIAF’s professional development platform, CATAPULT, in partnership with digital communications specialist, Talicia Minniecon of Mob Made Media & Communications Agency (MMM&CA). CIAF said the program’s design centres on ethical storytelling, media engagement, ICIP protections, and culturally grounded digital communications practice.

“This program is about equipping people with the confidence, tools and ethical frameworks to communicate with purpose, while protecting cultural integrity and maintaining control over our own narratives,” Mob Made Media spokesperson Talicia Minniecon said

Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), through the Queensland Destination Events Program (QDEP), and the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) are supporting the expansion of the CIAF x MMM&CA Ambassador Program. CIAF said this reflects growing investment in grassroots, place-based First Nations storytelling initiatives. TSRA’s support will also enable a dedicated Zenadth Kes Ambassador to participate in the program.

Delivery across Queensland communities

The initiative will include on-Country outreach, truth-telling and recording workshops, training in ethical media engagement, consent, attribution and ICIP protection, and hands-on audio and video recording using accessible tools.

Workshops and mentoring will be delivered in partnership with regional art centres, cultural organisations and community leadership across Southeast Queensland, Cape York, Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait and Gulf communities.

According to CIAF, CATAPULT has operated since 2014 as a professional development and capacity-building initiative supporting Queensland First Nations artists through mentoring, exhibition pathways and industry engagement. The new stream, delivered under CATAPULT, integrates digital storytelling and media training to strengthen cultural authority and truth-telling while providing practical recording and communication skills.

“This exceptional project builds on the success of our existing CATAPULT professional development program and expands it into a dedicated truth-telling and recording stream that supports communities to tell their stories on their own terms,” CIAF artisitic director Teho Ropeyarmn said.

“It is about strengthening skills, protecting cultural authority and ensuring First Nations peoples maintain control over how stories, cultural practice and knowledge are recorded and shared.”