CIAF has secured funding to expand its First Nations digital truth-telling initiative and 2026 Ambassador Program, launching immediately with a statewide webinar and workshop series focused on ethical storytelling, media engagement and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) protections.
Supported by Creative Australia’s Storytelling and Recording: First Nations Project Fund, the $50,000 initiative will deliver on-Country, online, and hybrid workshops, mentoring, and recording opportunities across regional and remote Queensland between June 2026 and June 2027.
The first online workshop, Breaking Ground in a Digital Age, will be presented by CIAF on Wednesday, 3 June, in partnership with the National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA), featuring guest speakers Georgia Mokak (NAVA) and Rachael Bywaters, a CIAF Art Fair Showcase exhibitor.
CIAF’s 2026 Ambassador Program builds on the momentum of its 2025 pilot, which generated more than 1.8 million views and helped ambassador alumni secure paid creative commissions, collaborations, and ongoing professional opportunities. In 2026, the program expands beyond the festival period itself, creating year-round opportunities through workshops, mentoring, digital storytelling, media training and community engagement.
With a focus on ethical storytelling, media engagement, Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) protections, and culturally grounded digital communications practice, CIAF’s digital truth-telling and ambassador campaign will be delivered through the organisation’s professional development platform, CATAPULT, in partnership with digital communications specialist, Talicia Minniecon of Mob Made Media & Communications Agency (MMM&CA).
According to Ms Minniecon, the program is all-powerful in its design to strengthen story sovereignty, ethical amplification and self-determined representation.
“We’re seeing more First Nations creatives, artists, entrepreneurs and community leaders navigating media and online spaces every day, often without access to culturally safe training or support,” Ms Minniecon said.
“This program is about equipping people with the confidence, tools and ethical frameworks to communicate with purpose, while protecting cultural integrity and maintaining control over our own narratives,” she said.
CIAF Artistic Director Teho Ropeyarn said the project represented an important investment in First Nations-led truth-telling, professional development and cultural legacy.
“CIAF has always been about creating platforms for First Nations voices, creativity and cultural leadership,” Mr Ropeyarn said.
“This exceptional project builds on the success of our existing CATAPULT professional development program and expands it into a dedicated truth-telling and recording stream that supports communities to tell their stories on their own terms.”
“It is about strengthening skills, protecting cultural authority and ensuring First Nations peoples maintain control over how stories, cultural practice and knowledge are recorded and shared,” he said.
Adding to the strength of the program, Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), through the Queensland Destination Events Program (QDEP), and the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA) are supporting the expansion of the CIAF x MMM&CA Ambassador Program, reflecting growing investment in grassroots, place-based First Nations storytelling initiatives.
TSRA’s support will also enable a dedicated Zenadth Kes Ambassador to participate in the program.
The initiative will include:
- On-Country outreach, truth-telling and recording workshops
- Training in ethical media engagement, consent, attribution and ICIP protection
- Hands-on audio and video recording using accessible tools
- Mentoring for CIAF Ambassadors, artists and emerging storytellers
- Creation of community-owned recordings and cultural documentation
Workshops and mentoring will be delivered in partnership with regional art centres, cultural organisations and community leadership across Southeast Queensland, Cape York, Zenadth Kes/Torres Strait and Gulf communities.
Watch the recording of the first workshop as part of the CATAPULT – Digital Truth Telling Edition series and learn more about the program below.
CIAF’s CATAPULT program has operated since 2014 as a professional development and capacity-building initiative supporting Queensland First Nations artists through mentoring, exhibition pathways and industry engagement.
Since 2014, CIAF has supported more than 855 paid First Nations artists and cultural workers and generated more than $6.5 million in direct art sales.
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