The National Indigenous Music Awards are pleased to announce in the face of the COVID19 pandemic, that they will continue in 2020, reacting to a climate where celebrating and shining a light on First Nations artists is even more important than ever. Opening their nominations today, the NIMAs are ready to face the challenge of building and supporting community in a changed world.
The NIMAs are responsive to the health needs of Australians, particularly those in our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community. The NIMAs have always played an integral part in bringing us together as a community and this year we will take the opportunity to innovate, providing a multimedia experience which will celebrate not only music, but also the way technology has transformed Indigenous life, be it in our major capital cities, or our remote communities.
The National Indigenous Music Awards will work with media partners to create a rich program of live music across multiple screens and the ability for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people from across the country to connect with the program, the artists and each other with the announcement of new NIMAs Creative Director, Iwaidja, Malak Malak and Badu Island man Ben Graetz.
A fierce advocate for the First Nations, disability, LGBTIQA+ and arts communities, Graetz has served as Artistic Director of the Darwin Pride Festival, Darwin Entertainment Centre, Garrmalang Festival and Arafura Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies and was awarded the prestigious Artist of the Year in last year’s LGBTI Australia Awards for his nationally-renowned alter-ego Miss Ellaneous. Graetz said he was excited by the challenge of helming the awards, which usually attract over 4,000 each year in Darwin, even with the additional complexities that COVID-19 has presented.