Cairns Art Gallery
The best way to immerse yourself in Cairn’s culture is to visit its Art galleries around the city. The city of Cairns is home to several experienced and upcoming indigenous artists. Cairns is gifted with talented artists who can do various art forms in canvas, ceramics, canvas, sculpture, photography, and oil.
Cairns’ art scene is exciting and vibrant, with artists who can mix traditional styles with modern techniques. Visitors can even buy artwork from the different galleries and even have a chance to see the artists themselves. There are several art galleries in Cairns, but the biggest is the Cairns Art Gallery.
Cairns Art Gallery is a non-profit company established in 1995 and is currently the most prominent public galleries in Queensland, Australia. The Gallery focuses on the extent and diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art from northern Queensland. The Gallery is a significant destination for regional, national, and international art exhibitions.
The Cairns Art Gallery is inside the old Public Curators Building and is a leading venue for exhibiting art collections from Australia and other countries. There are also art displays on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island art.
Current Exhibitions
Entrance to Cairns Art Gallery is free, so go and visit the different exhibitions. One of these exhibits is the “Xapiri” is an experimental film inspired by Yanomami shamanism. Gisela Motta and Leandro Lima created this film that featured indigenous forest-dwelling peoples called the “Yanomami” in the South American Amazon river basin.
The Northern landscape exhibit feature several local artists that showcase landscape from the region or regions far north of Queensland. It features artists such as Fred Williams, Ray Crooke, Anneke Silver, Rosella Namok, and Danie Mellor. The Cairns’ Art Gallery has also recently acquired collections from notable artist Noel Wood and Valerie Albiston.
Gallery Shop
The Gallery Shop has a wide selection of gifts inspired by art, culture, and design from Tropical North Queensland. Local artists created art books, prints, postcards, jewelry, artists’ ceramics, textiles, and jewelry that guests can buy as unique souvenirs. Their social media pages also have an updated list of gifts, homewares, stationery, and books available for purchase.
The profit from the shop will go directly to support the Gallery’s programs and activities. The Cairns Regional Council funds 55% of the Gallery’s operation while the remaining 45% is financed from other sources like the profit from the shop and other activities. Visitors can apply to become Gallery members and receive a 10% discount on all shop purchases.
Visitors can purchase Ray Crooke’s fine art reproduction prints hand-selected by his daughter Diana Crooke and available in limited edition prints. The Gallery also has an online catalog of original paintings, prints, and drawings from local artists in Far North Queensland that can be purchased from the Gallery Shop.
Adults and Kids Art Classes
Cairns Art Gallery also offers art classes and workshops for students and adults. Various artists provide children and adults art-making workshops on multiple media such as jewelry design, drawing, and painting.
To make art accessible for everyone, the Gallery’s artist and staff can also visit schools or other venues to conduct the art workshop. The schedule of their workshop is posted on their website.
Perrotta’s at the Gallery
Enjoy sumptuous Italian food and beverages after your visit to the Cairns’ Art gallery. Perrotta’s at the Gallery is a local favourite with its refined and relaxing outdoor ambiance. It’s a cafe, restaurant, and bar just adjacent to the Cairns’ Art gallery with a great view of the lagoon.
Guests can enjoy its authentic Italian menu, including pizza, small plates, pasta, and handcrafted cocktails. There is also a great selection of delicious breakfast such as buttermilk hotcakes, breakfast carbonara, avocado toast, and Perrotta’s eggs benedict. Perrotta’s at the Gallery has an all-day dining menu with different salads, tacos, burgers, and pasta.
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