Ballarat International Foto Biennale facts for kids

The Ballarat International Foto Biennale (BIFB) is a special festival. It happens every two years in Ballarat, Australia. This festival celebrates photography. It lasts for 60 days. BIFB shows amazing photos from Australia and around the world. It also helps new photographers share their work.

History of the Foto Biennale

The idea for this photo festival started in 2007. It began in a town called Daylesford. Jeff Moorfoot was the first director. In 2009, the festival moved to Ballarat. It has been held there ever since.

Fiona Sweet became the Artistic Director and CEO in 2016. She used to work in design. She also helped with other arts festivals. Fiona Sweet wanted to create a special place for photography in Ballarat. She helped start the National Centre for Photography. This is Australia's newest gallery. It is only for photography.

How COVID-19 Affected the Festival

In 2021, the festival faced a challenge. It was delayed because of the COVID-19 lockdown. The festival was supposed to open in August. It had to wait until September. Ballarat had some local lockdowns. This meant the festival's opening was delayed again. But it still went ahead later.

What Happens at the Biennale

The BIFB has two main parts. One is the Core Program. This part shows photos from about 20 top artists. They come from Australia and other countries. These photos are displayed in old buildings in Ballarat.

The other part is the Open Program. This is for many different artists. Over 200 artists show their work. You can see their photos in cafes and galleries. They are also shown in public places all over the city.

The festival also has an Events Program. This program lets everyone get involved. You can join workshops to learn photography. There are talks by artists. You can also see special photo shows. There are even photo competitions.

In 2021, the festival featured a special show. It was a collection of photos by Linda McCartney. She was a famous photographer.

Impact of the Festival

The Ballarat International Foto Biennale helps Ballarat a lot. In 2017, many people visited the festival. Over 26,800 visitors came. This brought about $3.89 million to the local economy. A famous American photographer, David LaChapelle, was the main artist that year.

In 2019, even more people came. Over 37,000 visitors enjoyed the festival. This added $7.8 million to the city's economy. The main artist was Liu Bolin from China. He is known for his "camouflage" art. His photos showed people blending into their surroundings.