Our history

KickArts was founded by a collective of artists in Cairns in 1993, to give a voice to contemporary visual arts practice in Tropical North Queensland. Now in its seventeenth year, KickArts has grown to become an extensive and dynamic not-for-profit-company and a significant part of the cultural life of Cairns and northern Queensland.

In April 2004, KickArts moved into the newly created Centre of Contemporary Arts at 96 Abbott Street, in the central business district of Cairns. The multi-purpose contemporary arts facility is shared with the Just Us Theatre Ensemble (JUTE) and End Credits Film Club. 

A major development occurred in March 2009 when KickArts officially opened Djumbunji Press KickArts Fine Art Printmaking. The printmaking studio and its professional staff provide major cultural infrastructure for Cairns and artists across Far North Queensland. Djumbunji Press was made possible by funding from the Queensland Government through its Backing Indigenous Arts program and the generous provision by James Cook University of the studio building in the Cairns Cultural Precinct on Greenslopes Street.