A First Nations arts and culture centre on Minjerribah/North Stradbroke Island in Queensland has opened to the public, envisioned as a space for sharing Quandamooka culture through various art forms.
Co-designed by Cox Architecture and Quandamooka people, with project inception and community engagement realised in collaboration with The Fulcrum Agency, the centre accommodates exhibition and workshop spaces, an open foyer, a yarning circle, a community Elders’ space, a cafe and a gallery shop. The client for the project is the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation (QYAC).
A communique from Cox Architecture noted that the Quandamooka Arts and Culture Centre (also known as QUAMPI) is “a key project of the Queensland Government’s Minjerribah Futures program,” which supports the transition of Minjerribah “from its past economic reliance on sand mining to a new future as a leading destination for cultural and ecotourism.”
A project timeline from Cox notes that “the project has had a long gestation period, commencing in 2017” with a consultation and engagement period that spanned more than two years. In 2019, the Queensland government announced it would commit $4.5 million to the construction of the centre – then known as the Quandamooka Art, Museum and Performance Institute.
Associate director at Cox Ali Farmer stated, “Quandamooka Elders and community members have been incredibly generous in sharing their knowledge of people, place and culture with us over the last eight years.”
According to the architectural design statement, the name QUAMPI is derived from the name of a local pearl oyster, fragments of which are embedded into walls of the centre to represent the Quandamooka people’s seagoing heritage. The centre incorporates other culturally emblematic materials, such as local timbers and rammed earth. The statement notes that rammed earth is made from layers of sand recycled from now-ceased mining operations.
The statement highlights that external spaces have been designed to support a wide range of programmed and informal activities and performances. Among them is a woven timber community Elders’ space, intended for storytelling and sharing of knowledge to small gatherings. It notes that the woven timber screen is visible from within and outside the space, ensuring light filters throughout the space across the day.
Landscape design for the project was undertaken by RPS Landscape Architects. Documents state that the centre has two wings that frame a central performance lawn which opens to Deanbilla Bay. Additionally, planted berms conceal key public spaces from street view.
The new centre has opened to the public for the 2025 Quandamooka Festival, taking place across 13–14 September.
Read an earlier discussion piece about QUAMPI, written by Kieran Wong of The Fulcrum Agency, here.
Source: Architecture - architectureau
