Design Tracks Cairns
Open to rural and remote Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and South Sea Islander participants aged 15-18 in Far North, and North Queensland.
2027 Program
May 2027 (exact dates TBD)
Nominations close February 10 2027.
Design Tracks
‘Design Tracks’ is an annual multi-day art education program for Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and South Sea Islander young people aged 15-19 in Queensland.
Hosted by QAGOMA Learning, the program offers participants opportunities to work alongside established First Nations creative mentors, create professional networks and build on artistic skills. ‘Design Tracks’ encourages participants to feel inspired by the Creative Industries and consider their own future career pathways.
Each year, the program is co-designed with community stakeholders and mentors in response to a creative theme. Participants and their mentors work as a group to develop a creative response to this theme and share their ideas with peers and an industry panel at the conclusion to the program.
Current Programs
Submit nomination
Design Tracks Brisbane
Open to Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and South Sea Islander participants aged 16-18 from Southeast and Central Queensland.
2026 Program
18 – 21 August 2026
Nominations closed.
Past Programs
.jpg?rect=417,0,1667,1667&w=320&h=320&q=90&fit=crop)
Design Tracks 2025
In 2025, participants who attended Design Tracks, were challenged to examine the CIAF 2025 theme, ‘PAY ATTENTION!’. Participants engaged with First Nations Elders, artists, arts workers and precinct partners, to be more observant of cultural, social and political issues affecting their communities and working together, share a message via a creative response.
Learning from First Nations businesses and Cultural tours, participants were able to generate ideas, and through skills-building workshops with established First Nations Artists, they constructed creative works based on storytelling and lived experience.
Design Tracks 2024
In 2024, participants who attended Design Tracks Brisbane in August, were challenged to examine the Brisbane cultural precinct using the CIAF 2024 theme, ‘Country Speaks, are we listening?’. Participants engaged with First Nations Elders, artists, arts workers and precinct partners, to consider responsibilities to country in urban settings, and within cultural institutions.
Through various tours and workshops, participants were able to generate ideas and construct meaning through storytelling and hands-on making.
Design Tracks 2023
In 2023, participants who attended Design Tracks Cairns, were challenged to examine the Cairns cultural ecology and its commitment to wellbeing for all, particularly how it supports Elders in community. Engaging with First Nations Elders, artists, arts workers, and local businesses, participants considered ways to better represent First Nations community’s histories and knowledge.
Working in small groups enabled mentors to help participants feel comfortable and provide considered guidance while modelling the creative skill sets of collaboration, empathy, and deep listening.