Queensland's peak Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultural organisation, UMI Arts, has issued a call out to members and Indigenous artists to participate and showcase works in its 2023 tour of Australia's three leading art fairs.
UMI Arts holds several exhibitions throughout the year to showcase artists' arts and craft works, as well as touring major arts fairs in Cairns, Darwin and Sydney.
Exhibition and market opportunities are open to artists at every stage of their arts career, from emerging to established artists.
As UMI Arts continues expand its programming and establish new events, its focus on promoting their member-artists will be elevated this year by providing representation at Sydney's National Indigenous Art Fair (NIAF) on the 1-2nd of July, Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) on the 13-16th of July and Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF) on the 11-13th of August 2023.
UMI Arts' Exhibition and Gallery Officer Robyne Pacey said this will be the second year running that the Indigenous-led, not for profit organisation has participated in Australia's three consecutive art fairs.
Ms Pacey noted they are looking for art and craft products in any medium that represent the First Nations people, culture, and stories of FNQ from both emerging and established artists.
"With its beautiful setting in Gadigal Country at Sydney's heritage Rocks precinct, NIAF is the perfect start to a whirlwind tour at the beginning of July before returning to Cairns, Gimuy Country, to fly the flag at CIAF and then wrapping up with DAAF where UMI Arts will join more than 70 art centres from around Australia in Larrakia Country," she said.
"We are keen to welcome our members and new members to participate and showcase their art and crafts in all mediums for what is intended to be a diverse audience of festival goers from collectors and curators to visitors from throughout Australia and overseas.
"This is a fabulous opportunity for emerging and established artists who want to build their profile and business to a much larger audience that due to vast distances and expense, is logistically difficult to achieve."
UMI Arts is open to all art mediums, but particularly paper works, works on canvas, artefacts, fabric and small gift, homewares, and jewellery.
For interstate markets (NIAF and DAAF) there is a focus on lightweight portable items to reduce freighting costs in a range of price points, preferably in the low (<$250) to medium (<$750) range.
