CIAF soars with new and enhanced Airport partnership
Cairns Airport has pledged increased support for Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) in 2019 by securing the presenting partnership of this year’s 10th anniversary visual arts exhibition, My Yarn Now. Cairns Airport CEO Norris Carter said this year’s sponsorship agreement has been redefined to enhance an already fruitful and long-established partnership which recognises the significance of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and culture and the role CIAF plays in boosting regional tourism. “In this the event’s 10th anniversary year, Cairns Airport is proud to elevate its support for CIAF and in particular its world-class exhibition of works which shine the spotlight on Queensland’s most talented artists, attracting, visitors, along with curators and collectors, from across Australia and the world,” Mr Carter said. Over the past nine years CIAF has welcomed more than 280,000 visitors from the Far North, Australia and abroad, to experience the artistic talent and cultural riches of Queensland’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. CIAF Artistic Director Janina Harding said the event had become a highlight of the tourism calendar, with 90 per cent of attendees acknowledging CIAF for increasing their understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art and culture. Ms Harding said CIAF’s partnership with Cairns Airport was significant and testament to what can be achieved when organisations come together with mutually beneficial aims. Added to its presenting partnership of CIAF’s My Yarn Now Art Fair exhibition, Cairns Airport has confirmed support for the Annual Art Awards, sponsoring this year’s Innovation category. “For CIAF, Cairns Airport’s sponsorship of our major, Art Fair exhibition and Awards program is a truly wonderful endorsement for what we offer our artists and visitors and indeed, everyone who converges in Cairns for our annual celebration,” Ms Harding said.
