Take a peek at First Nations arts pearl, QUAMPI on Minjerribah

• QUAMPI, Quandamooka Arts and Culture Centre, on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) is set to be completed by November, with doors opening in 2025
• Minister Enoch joined Quandamooka Elders, leaders and community members for a special tour of the centre as part of Quandamooka Festival celebrations
• QUAMPI will be a major cultural tourism attraction showcasing contemporary Quandamooka art alongside historical objects, storytelling, music and events.  

Nestled between the beach and bush on picturesque Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island), the new Quandamooka Arts and Culture Centre, QUAMPI will share the rich arts and culture of the Quandamooka people with visitors from across the world.

Featuring exhibition and workshop spaces, a stunning open foyer, talking circle, Elders space, café and gift shop, QUAMPI’s vision is to showcase Quandamooka arts and culture, while inviting First Nations artists from throughout Australia and overseas to exhibit and collaborate.

Quandamooka artist and renowned curator Avril Quaill is QUAMPI’s Artistic Director and is currently collecting works of art for the Centre’s inaugural exhibition and events program in 2025.

It was co-designed by award-winning architecture firm, Cox, and the Quandamooka people, integrating key elements of the land and sea into the build such as rammed earth, shells and native timbers. Quampi is the traditional name of the local oyster and its pearl shell that has been a favoured food of Quandamooka people for thousands of years.

QUAMPI is a key deliverable of the Queensland Government’s Minjerribah Futures program. The Centre also received funding from the Australian Government’s Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC).

Minjerribah Futures has supported North Stradbroke Island’s transition from its past reliance on sand mining to a sustainable future as a cultural and eco-tourism destination with the delivery of campground upgrades, new recreational trails, tourism business capacity building, marketing, education programs, public art, events, research and rehabilitation activities.

Quandamooka Festival takes place from 30-31 August 2024.

Quotes attributable to the Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch:

“QUAMPI will be the culmination of a long-held ambition by the Quandamooka people to establish a place where rich stories, arts and culture can be nurtured and shared with each other and with the world.

“This centre will be a vibrant hub for Quandamooka cultural life, welcoming visitors with diverse experiences of culture and Country while showcasing talented local artists and creating job opportunities for the community.

“The Miles Government is proud to have worked with the Quandamooka people and the Australian Government to make QUAMPI a reality.

“This dedicated centre will also play a key role in bringing Quandamooka stories to the world as we prepare to celebrate Queensland’s unique First Nations cultures on the global stage of the Brisbane 2032 Olympics and Paralympic Games.”

Quotes attributable to the Minister for Tourism Michael Healy:

“QUAMPI holds great potential for the Quandamooka people, Minjerribah and our entire state,” he said.

“We know that more and more visitors are looking for authentic opportunities to connect with First Nations culture and experiences on Country, and QUAMPI makes this possible in the most stunning way.

“It is also a unique opportunity for Quandamooka artists, musicians, storytellers and dancers to share their art in a first-class venue on their own Country with their own people, Elders, children and wider community.

“The Quandamooka vision for eco and cultural tourism on Minjerribah is forging a bold path of sustainable visitation with a focus on social and cultural benefits for Traditional Owners and the local community, alongside environmental protection and rehabilitation.

“I think we really can look forward to a ‘Glad Tomorrow’ on North Stradbroke Island.”

Quotes attributable to the Chair of the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC) Cameron Costello:

“This is a special day for our Quandamooka people,” he said.

“We’re excited that QUAMPI will be the showcase for Quandamooka arts and culture, a place where our people and visitors from across Australia and the world can come together and share in unique artistic and cultural experiences and truth telling.

“QUAMPI will attract new businesses and create a wave of employment opportunities as we continue the transition from sand-mining on Minjerribah now and into the future.”

Quotes attributable to QUAMPI Artistic Director Avril Quaill:

“QUAMPI is an architect designed, purpose-built art museum of the highest international standards ,” she said.

“Not only can we showcase our Quandamooka arts and culture in the best facility, we will also be able to loan objects and exhibitions from local and international collections, as well as provide a world class venue for conferences and events.”

Quotes attributable to GCEO, ILSC Joe Morrison:

“For Millenia, Australia's first peoples have used art as a form of storytelling and to pass knowledge from generation to generation. Art is an expression of Indigenous culture, identity, place and life.”

“The Quandamooka Arts and Culture Centre will provide endless opportunities to Indigenous artists to showcase their work.”

“The Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation partners with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia to unlock the social, cultural, economic, and environmental advantages that come with managing and owning Country. We are proud to be playing a part in bringing the Quandamooka Arts and Cultural Centre to life and look forward to the opening in 2025.”

Further information:

QUAMPI was announced in mid-2019, with design and development work undertaken from 2019 to 2020, when construction was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and impacts to the building industry. Construction commenced in 2022.

Quandamooka People comprise the Nunukul, Ngughi and Goenpul peoples who are the Traditional Owners of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) and Mulgumpin (Moreton Island), the Southern Moreton Bay islands and South Stradbroke Island. Quandamooka Country also includes the mainland from the mouth of the Brisbane River, Wynnum, Chandler, Lytton, Belmont, Tingalpa, south to Cleveland, to the Logan River.

Notable Quandamooka artists include the great poet and activist Oodgeroo Noonuccal to today’s art stars such as playwright Wesley Enoch and contemporary artists Megan Cope, Delvene Cockatoo-Collins, Sonja Carmichael and Elisa Jane Carmichael.

 ENDS

Media contact – Kim Sweetman 0457 600 237