Arts Queensland

🔎 Uncover Queensland’s rich heritage this Queensland Day at Queensland Museum Cobb+Co.

Take a free guided tour to explore Queensland stories, or experience the excitement of live blacksmithing demonstrations by Australian Champion Blacksmith, Terry Drennan.

When: Saturday, 6 June 2026
Where: Cobb+Co Museum, East Toowoomba

Find out more 👉 https://qldday.initiatives.qld.gov.au/whats-on/parties/



📷 National Carriage Collection, 2025. Credit: Queensland Museum Cobb+Co
📷 Blacksmithing Demonstration. Credit: Queensland Museum Cobb+Co

🦖 Celebrate Queensland Day with a family-friendly Dino Dance Party at Queensland Museum Tropics in Townsville.

🖍️ Get creative with hands-on crafts, uncover dino facts and marvel at the state fossil, Muttaburrasaurus.

When: Saturday, 6 June 2026
Where: Queensland Museum Tropics, Townsville

Details here 👉 https://qldday.initiatives.qld.gov.au/whats-on/parties/



📷 Dino Dance Party. Credit: Queensland Museum Tropics

Umbrella and PUNQ are inviting proposals for major works to feature in this year’s festival.

👉 Apply now: www.umbrella.org.au/punq-eoi/
🕛 Applications close: 11:59pm AEST, Sunday 7 June 2026

🎨 Celebrate Queensland Day at GOMA.

Join a free, volunteer-guided tour at the Gallery of Modern Art and explore standout works by Queensland artists. Experience diverse voices, bold ideas and a celebration of our state’s unique sense of place.

When: Saturday, 6 June 2026
Where: GOMA, South Brisbane

Be part of the action and learn more here 👉 https://qldday.initiatives.qld.gov.au/whats-on/parties/



📷 QAGOMA Volunteer Guided Tour Australian Collection, Queensland Art Gallery. Credit: QAGOMA

📷 Installation view of Betty Quelhurst’s The convenience store, Breakfast Creek 1955 in ‘Under a Modern Sun: Art in Queensland 1930s–1950s’ / QAG, August 2025 / Gift of the artist through the Queensland Art Gallery Foundation 1997 / Collection: QAGOMA / © Betty Quelhurst / Photograph: C Baxter, QAGOMA

✍️ Are you a Queensland-based writer looking to write the next chapter in your career?

Applications for the 2026 Queensland Writers Fellowships are now open – providing $20,000 cash funding and $4,500 in professional development for three Queensland writers to advance their chosen writing project.

Over the last decade the Fellowships have helped to elevate the careers of more than 30 writers, including Laura Elvery, Kris Kneen, Mary-Rose MacColl and Vuong Pham.

⏰ Applications close 2:00pm Monday 13 July 2026.

Learn more and apply here 👉 https://bit.ly/3PXSybI

Queensland Day is coming! 😎

On 6 June, we celebrate the moment Queensland became its own state and separated from New South Wales.

Let’s celebrate everything that makes our state great!

Here’s how you can join the fun:
🎉 Check out your closest QLD Day party
💛 Vote for your favourite businesses across 15 categories
🌟 Nominate selfless Queenslanders for the QLD Day Award + so much more.

Find out how to get involved 👉 Search ‘Queensland Day’ or visit qldday.initiatives.qld.gov.au

Cultural Tourism Fund Recipients Announced! 🎆🎻

Seven organisations will share in over $891k through the Cultural Tourism Fund to deliver exciting new work and to reach new audiences.

What’s in store?
✨ Revitalised cultural festivals and events
✨ Marketing activities to grow cultural tourism
✨ New programming to showcase Queensland’s unique arts experiences

Projects kick off from 13 July 2026 and include favourites like the Gympie Music Muster 🤠 Australian Festival of Chamber Music 🎵 and 1770 Festival 🎉

Find out more about these projects here 👉 https://bit.ly/49NIGrH

🎭 The Dustarena is officially open in Winton, Outback Queensland!

Part of the artist-led Crackup Corner Arts Precinct, The Dustarena is a new performance space under the stars. To break it in, The CrackUp Sisters are performing their new show The Dusty Hour, a one-of-a-kind Queensland performance blending original music, circus and storytelling to celebrate the culture and inclusivity of Outback Queensland.

Supported by the Queensland Arts Project Fund and Organisations Fund 2026-2029, this is a must-see!

🎟️ Get your tickets: https://crackupsisters.com.au/product/the-dusty-hour/



📷 The Dusty Hour, Dustarena, ‘Crackup Corner.’ Credit: Satisfaction Photos.

🌟 It’s National Volunteer Week!

This week we’re celebrating the volunteers who help Queensland’s arts and culture sector thrive. From behind-the-scenes organisers to front-line helpers, your dedication keeps our creative communities alive and vibrant.

A special congratulations to Emily MacManus from The Lighthouse Toowoomba, a recipient of the Regional Community Arts Program, who has been named a finalist for the Queensland Excellence in Volunteer Management Award 👏

Thank you to all the amazing volunteers across Queensland for your passion and commitment to the arts. You truly make a difference.

Round 2 applications for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Development Fund are now open.

Funding is available to support Queensland-based Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander creatives to develop new performing arts works and connect exceptional visual, fashion and textile artists to national and international audiences and markets.

Eligible individuals, groups and organisations can apply for:
🔸Up to $20k for small projects under the performing arts stream.
🔸Up to $70k for larger projects under the performing arts stream.
🔸Up to $30k for projects under the visual arts, fashion and textiles market development stream.
🔸An additional $10k to support access costs for artists and/or audiences with disability.

Applications close 2pm Monday, 29 June 2026.
Learn more and apply here 👉 https://bit.ly/4eycvQ9



📷 The Lublies by Lubly & Co (Bizzi Lavelle, Natano Fa'anana and Garret Lyon), 2026. Credits: Cam Attree, Jeremy Ghislain, Joseph Mayers

📷 Wulgurukaba Walkabouts performers sharing Cultural Dance and Storytelling during Yabu Gugay, 2025. Credit: Pippa Samaya