Djumbunji Press Opening Media Release
Title
Djumbunji Press Opening Media Release
Author
Djumbunji PressDetails
25 February 2009Publication date
25 February 2009Type
News
Language
EnglishCountry of context
Australia
Full text
Djumbunji Press KickArts Fine Art Printmaking Studio will be officially launched on Saturday March 14 at 3.00pm when the doors will be open to the general public to come and share in the celebrations that mark this momentous occasion. Djumbunji Press is a partnership between the Queensland Government, James Cook University and KickArts Contemporary Arts. This exciting new initiative will provide major cultural infrastructure for Cairns and artists across Far North Queensland and has been made possible through support from Arts Queensland, who is the foundation partner of Djumbunji Press through its Backing Indigenous Arts Program.
‘Djumbunji’ is a traditional word of the Gimuy Yidinji people, which means ‘belongs to scorpion place’ and honours the location of the Printmaking Studio in the area of Bunda Djumbunji (Scorpion Mountain), the traditional name for the Whitfield Mountain range.
Djumbunji Press provides professional printmaking facilities that will give all artists in Far North Queensland the opportunity to develop new skills and create new works of art that can be presented to the world. The services that will be offered through Djumbunji Press include: workshops from beginners to master classes, accredited courses, an open access studio for printmakers to print their own editions, custom printing for artists who do not want to print their own editions, commissioning of new works and an Artist in Residence Program. These exceptional services and facilities are accessible to every artist in the region with an interest in printmaking and the printmaking process.
KickArts are also commissioning and publishing new works of art that will be professionally distributed to commercial galleries, collectors, public institutions and online. Printmaking exhibitions will be curated by KickArts and tour nationally and internationally. Djumbunji Press will champion the development and production of fine art printmaking across Far North Queensland and deliver economic benefits to artists. [Press release, 25 February 2009]