AS WINTER-WEARY music and art-lover head for much warmer Darwin this weekend to attend the National Indigenous Music Awards tomorrow and the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair running all weekend, it’s worth remembering that much of our finest cultural product comes from the north.

The Aboriginal Art Fair, on whose Foundation board the NGA’s Senior Curator, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art, Franchesca Cubillo, sits,  has contacted us with news of the event, which features works on paper, textiles sculptures, photographs, painting on canvas and  bark, fibre weaving and carved wood sculpture.

After raising more than $8.5 million for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities over the past nine years and showcasing the work of thousands of remote artists, the Fair will mark its 10th birthday this year by doubling in size to encompass fashion, film and a panel discussion.

Showcasing the contemporary fine art of over 60 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Centres at its annual event, the fair was originally designed to complement the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards in August.

It’s a time  when the city of Darwin becomes the focal point of the nation for visitors with an interest in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and the celebrations of the Darwin Festival.

The fair provides a unique opportunity to purchase art from the country’s most remote desert and coastal regions, to rural and urban communities, following the Indigenous Art Code, which helps provide a framework for the ethical purchase and sale of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artworks.

“From Country to Couture – The DAAF Fashion Show”, “What Is Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art” – a DAAF Panel Discussion, Artist workshops and demonstrations each day in the exhibition halls, in the Darwin Convention Centre Forecourt and at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, free Kid’s Activity Stations, Cultural Performances by the Waringarri Dancers, Zugubal dancers and Young Wagilak Group, a Hop On, Hop Off Bus, the Desart Art Worker Photography Prize, Radio Larrakia 94.5FM live broadcasts and the launch of the 10th Anniversary of the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair’s mini magazine.

Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair at the Darwin Convention Centre August 5-7, all details at darwinaboriginalartfair.com.au National Indigenous Music Awards Ceremony & Concert: Darwin Amphitheatre, Saturday August 6.