In Memoriam

The 2022 Whitsundays Arts Festival is dedicated to festival founder, Cathy Knezevic. The Festival mourns her passing, as she inspired the whole team. Cathy shared with us her joy for life, her love of art, her warmth and empathy, and her sheer brilliance.

Cathy was instrumental in building the art community in her hometown of Mackay. Beginning in the days before Artspace Mackay, Cathy served as art Co-ordinator and Touring Exhibitions at the Mackay City Libraries. With the establishment of Artspace Mackay, Cathy moved over into the role of Exhibitions Officer. Through her work at Artspace, and by establishing her own private art gallery, Cathy met and fostered some of the leading artists in North Queensland. When Cathy and her husband Tom moved up to the Whitsundays, she took that energy and inspiration to her new home and recognised the necessity to create some lasting cultural institutions here in the Whitsundays. And so, the Whitsundays Arts Festival was hatched with the tremendous support from her husband Tom Casey.

Our Story

The Whitsundays Arts Festival is a truly unique event in this region providing tourists and the community an experience celebrating the region’s cultural richness. The idea was hatched by Cathy Knezevic who relocated here after years of experience promoting the arts in North Queensland. It was a team effort with dedicated volunteers providing the many skills needed to make a success of a new festival. The inaugural 2020 Festival explored art and the environment - how art is influenced by the environment and how artists enrich our experience of the environment. In 2021 the Festival focused on the idea of place in our magnificent and diverse landscape, both the external landscape and the internal sense of where and how we belong to a place. In 2022 we explore “Memories” through art, performance, film, and music. Taking place in Fairy Tree Park in the centre of Airlie Beach and now in the many beautiful venues around the region, the festival brings together a vibrant and engaging setting that celebrates all things art.

2022 Theme: Memories

“Memories”, just the word, evokes emotions and thoughts about another time, and often may conjure up smells, sounds, and images from a place, object, a film, music, or where you were when something of great import happened somewhere in the world or outer space.

“Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.” - Elie Wiesel

The 2022 Whitsundays Arts Festival invites you to come with us on a journey of music, film, performance, sculpture, visual arts, and songwriting. There will be interactive and joyful activities for all ages. Lots more workshops, performances, and interactive opportunities as well as visual delights in many guises. We invite you to join us for this great celebration on the beautiful Airlie Beach foreshore once again.

Vision

To create an arts festival that engages, educates and celebrates all forms of art throughout the Whitsundays Community. Locals and visitors will get to see a different side of the Whitsundays region with a multi-faceted arts festival of events and community celebration.

Goals

Inclusivity: most festival events are open to the public and accessible to all groups, and that all groups can creatively participate including schools; local arts groups and artists, and residents of all ages and ability.

Connecting: Art, Culture, and Community through Education, and Celebration.

Advocating: for public and private support of the arts and cultural activities.

Encouraging: collaborative efforts among local art organisations.