While most of the country is opening up after our first COVID-19 wave, access to remote Indigenous communities in FNQ and the Torres Strait is still restricted. I live on Moa Island in the Torres Strait, so that’s me. It’s also every Indigenous art centre across the region.

But no one here is wasting this precious time. Arts workers and artists have been taking the opportunity to get skilled up for the exploding digital space, with the support of the Indigenous Art Centre Alliance (IACA), the peak body for art centres in FNQ.

When the country shut down and the arts funding dried up, at the request of its members, IACA channeled its resources into an online training series. For three months now, industry practitioners have been sharing skills to help art centres adapt and continue making - photography, online sales and marketing, legal and admin, social media, and a few sessions from me on video making.

I was so grateful to be a part of this program, for the opportunity to experiment and grow sideways. Like all the other participants who’ve been logging on to teach and learn, I’m extending my craft and reach into new spaces. IACA have provided their art centre network and supporting industries an opportunity to dabble and adapt, so we can come out the other side feeling inspired, not defeated.