THE National Folk Festival has today (Monday, February 15) announced that its artistic director for the 2022 festival will be five-time ARIA award-winner, Katie Noonan, a change from the old practice of having local resident director. Noonan is widely known for her excellence in creative programming, through her roles as music director of the Commonwealth Games and artistic director of the Queensland Music Festival.

THE new “Little Darlings” Youth Portrait Prize 2022, at the National Portrait Gallery, is for students only, with four separate categories across kindergarten to year 12. Responding to the theme “identity”, young artists can paint, draw, photograph, print or combine all of these to make their portrait. Three winners will be chosen from each category by a panel of judges including NPG director, Karen Quinlan.

THE Jewish International Film Festival returns this year with 51 films from 19 countries. The opening-night film, “Incitement”, reveals the forces which incited Yigal Amir to assassinate Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Another amazing title is “When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit”, about a Jewish family fleeing the Nazis. Dendy Canberra, February 17-March 24, book here.

WESLEY Music Centre’s lunchtime concert series resumes with Axel Ruge on double bass, and Hilda Visser-Scott on harpsichord and piano performing works by Knut Guettler, Giselher Klebe, Louis de Caix d’Hervelois, Reinhold Glière and Giovanni Bottesini. Wesley Music Centre, 20 National Circuit, Forrest, Wednesday, February 17, 12.40-1.20pm. Book here or call 6232 7248.

DEAN Bowen’s exhibition “Journey” will be at Beaver Galleries, 81 Denison Street, Deakin and online, Tuesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm, until February 28. The exhibition presents a diverse array of monotypes, prints and drawings which capture Dean’s engagement with, and his particular vision of, the world around him.