Collectors Program with Bruce Johnson McLean
The CIAF '25 Collectors Program is facilitated by leading First Nations curator, Bruce Johnson McLean
The CIAF Collectors Program is a dedicated initiative tailored for avid and serious art collectors with a passion for acquiring exceptional works.
Running parallel to the CIAF On Country VIP Program, this exclusive offering is specifically designed to cater to the needs and interests of collectors and curators attending the Fair. Participants in the program gain unparalleled opportunities to preview and purchase new and unique works from the CIAF ‘25 Art Fair and Artisans Showcase.
Under the curatorial guidance of Bruce Johnson McLean—one of Australia’s most respected First Nations curators— collectors are invited into nuanced conversations around cultural authorship, practice, and the future of First Nations arts. Collectors are granted early access to works grounded in deep cultural provenance—many of which emerge from long-held community narratives, ancestral memory, and contemporary resistance.
The program offers intimate, critically engaged experiences—private viewings, artist-led walkthroughs, and curatorial dialogues that unpack each work’s cultural lineage, formal qualities, and socio-political context.
This program not only celebrates the artistry but also supports the ongoing development of Queensland’s first artists, empowering their stories to be ethically represented and cherished in collections across Australia and beyond.
The program is an opportunity to become part of a broader story—supporting the continuum of First Nations art while contributing to collections that honour ethical representation, cultural legacy, and artistic sovereignty.
The CIAF Collectors Program is a must for those passionate about First Nations art and its meaningful contribution to Australia’s cultural identity.
To register and secure your place, please complete the registration form by 23 June 2025.
Interested collectors can contact Bruce McLean directly to discuss their registration by emailing collectors [at] ciaf.com.au.
For other enquiries, please contact Wanda Weatherall at viprelations [at] ciaf.com.au.
YOUR HOST
Bruce Johnson McLean
Bruce Johnson McLean is a member of the Wierdi people of Wribpid (Belyando River region in Central Queensland). Bruce has been involved in First Nations art and culture his entire life and has over 25 years of professional experience in the sector, primarily as a writer, curator, advisor and consultant. Bruce was previously Assistant Director, First Nations at the National Gallery of Australia, managing their First Nations programs and initiatives. Before that, Bruce was Curator, Indigenous Australian Art at the Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art, for more than 16 years.
Bruce has curated many exhibitions and programs including Tony Albert: Visible 2018, Mirdidingkingathi Juwarnda Sally Gabori: Dulka Warngiid Land of All 2016, My Country, I Still Call Australia Home: Contemporary Art from Black Australia 2013, Joe Rootsey: Queensland Aboriginal Painter 1918-63 2010, Nurreegoo: The art and life of Ron Hurley 1946-2002 2009 and the Xstrata Coal Emerging Indigenous Art Award 2007 and 2008; co-curated: Mavis Ngallametta: Show Me the Way to go Home 2020, Goobalathaldin Dick Roughsey: Stories of this Land 2019 and GOMA Q: Contemporary Queensland Art 2015 and has been a part of the curatorial team for Land, Sea and Sky: Contemporary Art of the Torres Strait Islands 2011, Story Place: Indigenous Art of Cape York and the Rainforest 2003 and the Asia Pacific Triennial and Contemporary Australia series’. Bruce was also a curator of the international collaborative exhibition Histórias Indígenas (Indigenous Histories) 2023 at MASP, Sao Paulo, Brazil and KODE, Bergen, Norway.
Bruce has also worked on several major projects including large-scale illumination projects with Vincent Namatjira and the Mulka Project for Canberra’s Enlighten Festival. In 2002, Bruce was awarded the NAIDOC National Aboriginal Youth of the Year and is engaged in a range of cultural activities within his own family and community.
TESTIMONIALS
"To be immersed in a continuum of celebratory, cultural expression, with economic & business outcomes and see First Peoples represented in all aspects and levels of the Fair. Meeting local peoples, artists and experiencing a connect to country is a definite highlight and necessity to appreciate the artistry, stories, history and culture."
- Belinda Briggs, Curatorial Assistant Indigenous, Shepparton Art Museum
“Very positive. It’s the best high-profile event of its type in Australia”
- Jeffrey Taylor, City of Melbourne
“A great event that needs continued support”
- Tracy Cooper-Lavery, Director, Gold Coast City Gallery
Image: Yolonde Entsch & Elverina Johson, CIAF 2024. Photograph: Blueclick Photography.