Artistic director’s fair farewell
THE FAR North will feel the big impact when a much-loved artistic director leaves her current role after a successful spell.
Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) artistic director Janina Harding will sign off after her eighth festival in July.
Ms Harding said she was devastated to go but she had to so she could look after her family.
“I am terribly sad, but you know this will be my eighth CIAF,” she said.
“I think that’s long enough for an artistic director, it is time to put in a fresh face that will bring in new ideas.”
Ms Harding said she was proud to see how much CIAF had evolved over the years.
“I started in 2015. It’s just grown so quickly over those years into more of a festival,” she said.
“It was originally an art fair mainly.
“Practising the arts is part of our culture. That’s why I
thought, in building what has become a festival we are able to include theatre, comedy, it’s not just visual arts and exhibitions.
“Although that is the
centrepiece, the art fair and all these other things happen around it.”
Ms Harding said her background in festivals helped her evolve CIAF into one. She has
worked on the Fringe Festival in Melbourne, the first Melbourne Indigenous Festival and Melbourne International Festival.
Ms Harding said CIAF had its obstacles, especially in 2020.
“None of us in 2020 knew how to put it on a digital platform. We had to learn on the job,” she said.
“We know how to put on a festival but we had to do it in a different medium. Everything was on our social media and on our website.”
Ms Harding moved to Cairns to connect with her roots and she feels like she has done that.
“It was about reconnecting with family and country all over again,” she said.
“I have always wanted to live in Cairns, it’s been my dream.
“I love the place, weather and people. It’s great.”
Ms Harding said that even though she had to leave she would make sure to come back and see how CIAF evolves.
“We’ve become a big family really,” she said. “I think the whole arts area in Cairns is sad about me leaving.”