The Guide: June 2026
Welcome to the June edition of The Guide!
June has arrived, and Queensland is bursting into life.
The month opens with a profound sense of celebration. Pride Month honors the LGBTIQ+ community, anchored in SEQ by a magnificent milestone: the 65th anniversary of Brisbane’s iconic Queens Ball .
On Saturday 13 June, we focus to regional creative landscapes as artists, arts workers, and visual arts organisations from across Queensland gather for: R|Talks: Regional Ecologies - Visual Arts Forum. Through curated presentations and roundtable dialogues, together we will examine innovative ways to bridge distance, context, and community.
From 22 June, The Keeper Project transforms Maroochydore’s waterways. For three weeks, multi-instrumentalist Lee Hardisty will kayak along Cornmeal Creek and through the Sunshine Plaza, serenading onlookers with the evocative notes of a live saxophone.
To the north, the annual Cairns Indigenous Art Fair will take place from 9-12 July responding to the 2026 theme, Reclamation & Regeneration. Look out for Darren Blackman’s Work In Progress at the Little Ambo Gallery (The Old Ambulance Station) as he shares conceptual ideas leading into his solo exhibition at CIAF in 2027.
Read on for a taste of other events and opportunities happening.
Creative Transformations
Results of the National Arts Participation Survey
Published on 3 June, Creative Transformations: Results of the National Arts Participation Survey is the sixth study in the landmark research series exploring Australians’ attitudes towards, and engagement with, arts and creativity.
The National Arts Participation Survey asks Australians key questions about their engagement with arts and creativity in daily life.
Key findings reveal that 98% of Australians engage with the arts in some way and 93% hold positive attitudes towards the arts.
The Keeper
The Keeper Project Maroochydore launches on 22 June with Keeper #1, Lee Hardisty. Over three weeks, Lee will kayak along Cornmeal Creek, including the waterway that winds through Sunshine Plaza, serenading an invited guest by saxophone as a live public performance.
From June 2026 to February 2027, ten local artists connected to Maroochydore have been selected to take on the role of Keepers.
R|Artist Residency Natural Ecologies, Sunshine Coast
Eumundi based interdisciplinary artist Katie Harris-MacLeod has been selected as the Natural Ecologies, Sunshine Coast artist in residence.
Working at the intersection of art, science, and ecology Katie’s practice explores ecological intimacy through a poetic dialogue between body and landscape, informed by psychogeography, ecofeminist thought, and the symbiotic entanglements that shape life cycles.
Working across performance, moving image, sound, and material processes, Katie will embark on a six-month residency with the support of the Creative Ecologies Research Cluster (CERC) at UniSC, Sippy Downs to develop Tree Ear (Sap Works), an interdisciplinary project that explores acoustic relationships within forest ecologies .
OPPORTUNITIES
FUNDING
The City of Moreton Bay is calling for applications from experienced professional artists to support four new public art commissions. Open to all Australian artists, the 2026 Art At Large themes include rejuvenation, the outdoors, play, movement and journeying.
EOIs close 6 July 2026
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Screen Queensland is currently accepting applications for the Attachment Program. The program facilitates paid, project-based attachments that provide essential on-the-job experience on Screen Queensland-supported films and series. Paid placements gain valuable hands-on experience alongside experienced practitioners on eligible productions for approximately 5 to 12 weeks.
FUNDING
Applications are now open for Emerging Artist Grants through The Ian Potter Cultural Trust. The program offers grants of up to $15,000 to assist talented emerging and early-career artists in taking up professional development opportunities, usually overseas.
FUNDING: Queensland Writers Fellowship
ART PRIZE: Gosford Art Prize
WHAT’S ON
PERFORMANCE
Created by Louise King in collaboration with guest pianist Eugenie Tamplon, the project reimagines the classical concert experience through intimate listening spaces, Nordic-inspired styling, hospitality, reflection and deep listening inspired by the Winter Solstice season. Winter Solstice tours across Toowoomba, Brisbane, Eudlo and Maleny Sunshine Coast Hinterland.
18 - 21 June, Toowoomba, Eudlo, Brisbane, Maleny
TALK
Join fellow artists and arts workers for R|Talks: Regional Ecologies - Visual Arts Forum. An afternoon dedicated to fostering professional connections across regional Queensland.
Speakers include Shanna Muston, Curator, Rockhampton Museum of Art; Amy Wockner, Team Leader, City of Moreton Bay Galleries as well as a series of presentations highlighting the importance of regional collaboration. The forum will close with the launch of Studio 26's publication Sharing Space.
12 - 5pm. 13 June, UniSC, Sippy Downs (Free)
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
EOI’s are open for the Sunshine Coast Wildflowering Design Lab 2026. Led by Marni Stuart and Dr Sue Davis participants will engage in a series of immersive wildflower walks, learn from industry professionals and experiment and collaborate at the UniSC Makers Space.
2 - 4 July 2026
WORKSHOP: Minor Signals // Big Trouble at Glór Project Space
CONFERENCE: The Design Conference, Australia 2026
Image credits (from top): R|Talks: A Place for Design. Credit: Tim Birch / Brook Andrew, Loop. A model of how the world operates (detail), 2008, installation view MCA Collection: Artists in Focus, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, 2026. Credit: Maja Baska / Lee Hardisty. Credit: Cooper Brady Photography / Katie Harris-Macleod. Credit: Charmaine Lyons Photography / Installation view of work by Shiarna design. Credit: Image Courtesy of Moreton Bay Regional Council / SQ Attachment Hillary Chua Camera Dept. Credit: Image courtesy of Screen Queensland / Lyla Levy Jordan performing with Yuriko Watanabe at Piere Boulez Saal, Berlin. Image: Bonnie Britain (Emerging Arts Grant - Ian Potter Cultural Trust) / Winter Solstice. Credit: Image courtesy of Louise King
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