The Victorian First Peoples Art and Design Fair has been named a finalist in the IPAA Leadership Awards and voting is now open for the People’s Choice Award.
The Victorian First Peoples Art and Design Fair been named a finalist for the IPAA Victoria Leadership Awards.
An action of the Victorian Government’s Creative State 2025 strategy, the Victorian First Peoples Art and Design Fair is a landmark initiative driven by the First Peoples Directions Circle, which guides the work of Creative Victoria, and delivered by the Creative Victoria First Peoples team.
The Victorian First Peoples Art and Design Fair debuted at the 2025 Melbourne Art Fair with a major showcase exhibition featuring work by 37 First Peoples artists and four First Peoples arts centres, representing 20 language groups.
The initiative aims to promote and grow the market for Victorian First Peoples cultural products. At the showcase exhibition, more than $138,000 in sales went directly to artists, delivering both artistic excellence and economic impact.
The Fair was nominated in the Implementing Aboriginal Self-determination Award category which recognises work that empowers Aboriginal communities to achieve long-term change and improved outcomes, through developing new relationships and new ways of working.
The Creative Victoria team is also eligible for the People’s Choice Award, which celebrates exceptional projects or initiatives as recognised by peers in the sector.
The Victorian First Peoples Art and Design Fair is led entirely by First Peoples, conceptualised by the First Peoples Directions Circle. The 2025 showcase exhibition was curated and delivered by Janina Harding and Dr Jessica Clark.
Investing in the future of the initiative, Creative Victoria also awarded $654,000 in funding to eight First Peoples organisations to establish professional studios and creative spaces, enabling long-term community autonomy and capacity building.
The next Victorian First Peoples Art and Design Fair event is being planned for 2027.
Show your support for the Victorian First Peoples Art and Design Fair by casting your vote for them in the People’s Choice Award here. Voting closes on 1 August 2025.
Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on Thursday 28 August.