UMI Arts is marking its 20th anniversary this June with a special, invitation-only exhibition featuring 20 member artists and 120 artworks. The show, titled Freshwater Saltwater, will run from June 28 to August 23, 2025, aligning with important events in the region’s First Nations cultural calendar, such as Cairns Festival, NAIDOC Week, and the Cairns Indigenous Art Fair (CIAF).
Since its beginning, UMI Arts has hosted an annual Freshwater Saltwater members’ exhibition, but this 20th anniversary edition is a curated showcase celebrating two decades of cultural leadership and artistic achievement. The regular Freshwater Saltwater exhibition will also continue later in the season at the UMI Arts Gallery.
The anniversary exhibition will be held at Mulgrave Gallery in Cairns, located in the restored former Mulgrave Shire Council Chambers. The gallery’s high ceilings, heritage features, and focus on regional and Indigenous art provide a fitting atmosphere for this significant event.
The public is invited to the official opening ceremony on Saturday, June 28 at 11 a.m. Visitors can spend the day hearing from artists, joining workshops, and shopping at the UMI Arts market.
Freshwater Saltwater brings together diverse creative expressions from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists across Far North Queensland. Lisa Michl Ko-manggén OAM, UMI Arts’ Artistic Director, said the exhibition took a year to prepare and reflects the varied geography, stories, and cultural traditions of artists from Mt Isa, Cairns, the Tablelands, Cape York, and the Torres Strait.
The title Freshwater Saltwater draws on the region’s cultural identities: “Freshwater” refers to Aboriginal nations whose rivers flow through rainforests and landscapes from Cardwell to Cape York, while “Saltwater” represents island nations and Torres Strait peoples surrounded by the ocean.
The exhibition features a curated selection of works on canvas, paper, ceramics, artifacts, and jewelry from 20 well-known mid-career and established artists. The collection visually explores the connection of cultures and stories from rainforest to desert to island.
Participating artists include notable names such as Dr. David Bindi Hudson, Michelle Yeatman, Joelene Roughsey, Robert Tommy Pau, Kassandra Savage, Edward Williams, Sandra Ase, and Lisa Michl Ko-manggén, who collaborated with other artists. Other featured creatives include Michael Anning, Wanjibung Edwards, Kel Williams, Dorothy Edwards, and Priscilla Major, all of whom have played key roles in the growth of UMI Arts since its founding in 2005.
