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Cairns Indigenous Arts Fair wins with Ports North
THE winning partnership between Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF) and Ports North continued in July as the waterfront venue of Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal and its park surrounds played host to the popular three-day event.
CIAF and Ports North have enjoyed a long and successful relationship that in 2012 received top honours at the Queensland division of the Australian Business Arts Foundation (AbaF) City of Melbourne SME Award.
According to CIAF general manager, Vanessa Gillen, CIAF shared the Queensland award with Ports North in recognition of their partnership that enabled the world-class event to evolve and expand as a result of its move to Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal. 
“Since those early years of CIAF the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal has played an integral role in perfectly positioning the event and providing an idyllic, multi-dimensional venue to enjoy art exhibitions, fashion performances, music and dance on the outdoor stage, workshop activities on the lawn and close proximity to everything,” Ms Gillen said.
“The Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal is such a magnificent waterfront venue that showcases our stunning tropical Trinity Inlet while being more accessible to Cairns locals and visitors.
“As an Indigenous cultural experience, CIAF is a major contributor to the region, culturally and economically.
“Last year’s commissioned survey found that CIAF contributing more than 4.7 million in Cairns and more than 2.6 million to the Queensland economy in terms of local and tourist expenditure during the event,” she said.
Ports North chairman, Russell Beer commended the relationship which he said represented great synergies between Cairns heritage, environment and culture.
“We’ve had a strong relationship with CIAF from its beginning, and our sponsorship agreement which sees CIAF being held at the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal is a worthwhile investment by the corporation,” Mr Beer said.
“As well as exhibiting Australia’s premier Indigenous artwork, it also showcases Cityport, our Cairns Foreshore Development and the Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal to a national and international audience.”
Cairns Indigenous Art Fair is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland’s Backing Indigenous Arts Initiative, a program that aims to build a stronger, more sustainable and ethical Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts industry in the state. It is also supported through the Visual Arts and Crafts Strategy, an initiative of the Australian State and Territory Governments.
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