Alethea Beetson named BIGSOUND First Nations producer

Respected Brisbane-based indigenous artist and producer Alethea Beetson has been appointed to the newly created position of BIGSOUND First Nations producer.

QMusic stated, “In her new role, Alethea will help in our mission to make BIGSOUND a more culturally appropriate event that celebrates First Nations peoples and music in a way that is inclusive and authentic.”

Beetson (from the Kabi Kabi and Wiradjuri people) has worked extensively with Indigenous communities and youth across multiple art forms to inspire new works responding to societal issues, cultural heritage and the impact of colonisation. 

She also taught drama and introduced literacy programs and indigenous-supportive curriculums at schools.

In 2013, Beetson founded Digi Youth Arts; a not-for-profit arts organisation that shares the stories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.

Its first production, Glad Tomorrow, explored the challenges and benefits of young adolescents leaving Indigenous communities to receive an education and cope with life in boarding school. 

The show was inspired by her experience as an Indigenous support teacher at Brisbane Boys' College, and from Oodgeroo Noonuccal's poem A Song of Hope. 

She said, “The most pressing issue for the Indigenous youth I work with is maintaining a connection to culture and community.

“It is integral to their social and emotional well-being.”

More recently, Beetson works as the Indigenous Engagement Coordinator at the Queensland Museum and was the Curator of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander program for Festival 2018 Brisbane.

With a background in law, she has also held speeches on how treaty, sovereignty and Constitutional recognition can co-exist, as part of the Recognise campaign.