A strong foundation
The DARWIN Aboriginal Art Fair has been BUSY building a GLOBAL audience who have an eye for First Nations ART.
TAKING PLACE annually on Larrakia Country, the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair (DAAF) has become a headlining celebration of First Nations art and culture not only here in Australia but, increasingly, around the world (thanks largely to its pivot to an online offering due to the pandemic). A vivid coming together of artists, art lovers, performers, designers and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Centres, the fourday Fair, planned and executed by the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Foundation, provides a vital forum for celebrating and elevating an ancient art form passed through millennia, as well as facilitating social and cultural interaction between First Peoples and communities from across the country. Whether online or in person, DAAF’s success at introducing a new audience to the beauty and drama of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, fostering greater recognition and understanding of its form, and creating economic benefits for artists and communities is unparalleled. And while DAAF has gone from strength to strength since its inception in 2007, with record sales, and an ever-expanding cultural program of artist talks, masterclasses, and the Country to Couture event showcasing unique fashion collections from First Nations designers and artists, as well as the introduction in 2020 of the National Indigenous Fashion Awards, the Foundation’s work transcends the event itself, continuing for 365 days a year. The not-for-profit Indigenous organisation is owned and governed by the Art Centres it represents, and works closely with them throughout the year. Art Centres occupy an important role within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, maintaining and strengthening cultural practices, offering safe and inclusive meeting places and providing invaluable access to training, education, career pathways and enterprise. They also offer crucial economic benefits, both to the Indigenous art and craft industry and the health of the communities they are situated in, with sales resulting from Art Centres often providing the only externally generated source of income within communities. The economic independence this revenue provides contributes to ensuring that people can continue to live and thrive on their cultural and ancestral homelands, and results in the preservation of traditional practices, ceremonies, language, art and spirituality. With plans well under way for a return to the Darwin Convention Centre from 5-7 August next year for DAAF 2022, the Foundation, and its passionate, engaged staff will be working tirelessly until then to deliver a cultural spectacle that builds on – and betters – the successes of the past. Mark it in your diary and clear some space on your wall.