QPAC rests on the lands of the Yuggera and Turrbal peoples and we acknowledge that this has been a place of gathering, dancing and sharing of stories for millennia, long before our building was here.
We see it as a privilege to continue traditions of coming together to connect through culture and have a strong commitment to elevating First Nations artists and stories.
Created, produced and managed by a team of First Nations creatives, our program supports new works in development and trains and upskills new artists and arts workers through full scale stage works, festivals, and community events (such as NAIDOC celebrations and community festivals). Whether it’s through mainstage productions, community events or festivals such as Clancestry, our annual celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and culture, it’s our aim to build connection and understanding across the wider community.
Gallery
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Mob Music and Family Day - Clancestry, 2024.Photographer Tai Bobongie. 
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Mob Music and Family Day - Clancestry, 2024.Photographer Tai Bobongie. 
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Mob Music and Family Day - Clancestry, 2024.Photographer Tai Bobongie. 
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Mob Music and Family Day - Clancestry, 2024.Photographer Tai Bobongie. 
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First Gathering – Clancestry, 2023. Photographer Jo-Anne Driessens. 
Case Study
Established in 2013, Clancestry is a festival proudly programmed, curated, and run by our in-house First Nations team.
It is an opportunity not only to recognise but to celebrate the care and maintenance of tens of thousands of years of culture shared within First Nations communities and with the wider community. Featuring an exciting program of live events, activities, concerts, workshops, theatre, and children’s events, Clancestry is a contemporary festival with a timeless heritage supporting more than one hundred First Nations artists every year.
Importantly the festival includes performances and participation by both emerging and established artists and provides vital exposure to new and broad audiences. In addition to the performance and activity schedule, the festival also includes professional development opportunities for First Nations artists including creative development of new work, workshops and presentation of new work. Much-loved aspects of Clancestry’s annual program include First Gathering, Mob Music Stage and the Mob Words installation are a valued yearly point of connection for the First Nations community.
Fundraising Key Areas
Our fundraising focus spans six key areas that reflect the principles that guide QPAC as a Queensland cultural institution.
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Swan Lake – Ballet Preljocaj, 2025. Photographer David Kelly National and International Partnerships
QPAC has long collaborated and partnered with the most original, compelling and ambitious performing arts companies and artists, as well as their equivalents, from Australia and around the world to establish QPAC as a centre of arts excellence.
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Out of the Box - Wishing Wall, 2025.Photographer Peter Wallis. Young People, Education and the Arts
QPAC is seeking to build on its existing commitment to children’s programming by establishing a year-round education program catering to children of all year levels, recognising and demonstrating the importance of the arts in education and life-long learning.
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Digital Stage - Partnership launch at Arcare, 2025.Photographer Sam Mellor. Access and Outreach
QPAC's long-standing public engagement program seeks out opportunities to partner with external community organisations, establish community-based participatory experiences and identify regional outreach possibilities.
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QPAC New Performing Arts Venue - Exterior Concept Only Fit-for-purpose Infrastructure and Facilities
A key part of the leadership and investment role that QPAC plays in the performing arts industry is providing the resourcing and facilities needed for artists and arts companies to flourish.
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Love Stories, 2024. Photographer David Kelly. Queensland Artists and Stories
Through meaningful collaborations, strategic investments and partnerships, QPAC is committed to sharing Queensland stories by providing artists and creatives with the time and resources they need to turn their ideas into new works of scale.