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Regional Arts Fund grants $213,000 for 15 projects across NSW

22 November 2002

The Federal Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod Kemp, today announced the latest Regional Arts Fund grants for NSW.

With 48 applicants requesting over $800,000, the second round of the Fund under Regional Arts NSW was bound to be fiercely competitive. In the end, after lengthy deliberations, the Assessment Panel decided on 15 successful applications, with a total commitment of $213,372 - money which will go to a wide range of important projects from every region of state.

With the unusual exception of dance, all art forms are included amongst the successful projects, including - for the first time - film. Projects from Indigenous communities or with significant Indigenous involvement represent 26% of funded projects, and projects targeting or involving young people make up almost half (46%) of the successful applications. 85% of grantees received the full amount of funding requested.

The Regional Arts Fund (NSW) assessment panel also identified the need to support communities experiencing isolation because of geographical, social, cultural or economic circumstances, with 60% of grantees falling into one or more of these areas.

The benefits of Regional Arts Fund support for these communities are enormous, be it for projects large or small.

The recent 'Ngiyani (We All)' mural project in Narrabri (funded in the last RAF round) is a good example of the sort of impact even small amounts of funding can have. Both of the artists - Gamilaroi people - have gone on to significant work on new projects. Gary Payne has completed two murals in Queensland schools and is working on a mural for the Narrabri Police Station as well as developing a pavement project for the Moree Plains Shire Council. John Jarrett has been commissioned to participate in a project for the Moree Regional Library and he is also developing a business proposal to establish an arts workshop and retail outlet. All from a project with a modest budget of $2,621.95, for which the Regional Arts Fund contributed $1,980 for artists' fees.

This is a story we at Regional Arts NSW know will be repeated amongst the many other projects funded through the Commonwealth Regional Arts Fund, demonstrating yet again how from little things big things grow.

LIST OF PROJECTS FUNDED FOR 2003:

2-3 YEAR PROJECTS
South East Film Festival
South East Arts Region - Year 1 $17,695, Year 2 $21,150 (South East)
The Film Festival will be a youth arts initiative between SEAR, secondary schools and Community Technology Centres spanning the entire South East region. It will provide opportunities for young film-makers to create new work as well as launch a short film competition for Tropfest.

Brewarrina Circus Skills Development Program
Outback Arts - Year 1 $20,000, Year 2 $20,000 (Far West)
Circus skills workshops for young people in small, remote and predominantly Indigenous communities. As well as performance, other areas covered include set design, costumes, sound & lighting.

PARTNERSHIPS
"Kids View"
Yoorana Gunya & NSW State Attorney General's Dept - $7,254
(Central West)
A project targeting Indigenous women within marginalised communities using design & puppetry workshops to assist those communities in dealing with issues of child abuse.

AYO Outreach
Australian Youth Orchestra & West Darling Arts - $8,449 (West Darling)
Funding to assist AYO's regional outreach program, delivering classical chamber music workshops to young string players and music teachers from Broken Hill, Wenworth & Central Darling Shires.

The Regional Sculpture in Industry Partnership
Hastings Shire Council - $9,240 (Mid Nth Coast)
The Regional Sculpture in Industry Partnership aims to develop sustainable relationships between regional sculptors and industries, and to establish ongoing partnerships between Hastings Council, artists and the business/industrial sector.

Nganyayawana - North Hill Project
Armidale Dumaresq Council - $20,000 (North West)
A broad reaching CCD project aiming to provide significant Community reconciliation outcomes. Involves consultation across Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal sectors to develop this major site with four public art installations.

MENTORSHIPS
Graduate Traineeships
Flying Fruit Fly Circus - $10,000 (Albury Wodonga)
Graduate Traineeships for two young artists, Darcy Grant who will work with Kim Walker as an Assistant Director & James Poole with Tora La Rosa as an Assistant State Manager & Trainee Rigger.

"Artists, Fathers & Community"
Moree East Primary School P & C - $10,000 (North West)
"Artists, Fathers & Community" brings in local Indigenous artists to work with young children on weekly basis on skills and cultural development, a component of which is the "Father/Son" art project. Works will be exhibited at 2003 Moree Croc Fest.

"To the Manor"
Eastern Riverina Arts Program - $11,312 (Eastern Riverina)
"To the Manor" involves a series of community workshops in design, sculpture, drawing and costume to create material for a site specific community performance event. Themes include shelter, home, identity, social protocol & global community with participants from multicultural backgrounds.

2 Friendly 4 Words
Lieder Youth Theatre Company - $13,386 (Southern Tablelands)
2 Friendly 4 Words is a theatre based project working with regional artists to deliver new skills (physical theatre, fire, puppet, music and magic). The theme deals with teenage pregnancy and its impact on young people's lives within small communities. A touring production will complete the project.

10 x 10 Young Playwrights Workshop & Production
Outback Theatre-South West Arts - $15,376 (South West)
10 x 10 Young Playwrights Workshop & Production is a performance project giving young people in remote communities the opportunity to develop new writing. Based in Moama/Echuca, participants will come together in a writing/film making camp and the final performance will target new young audiences across the region.

RESIDENCIES
Valley Artists - $8,000 (Upper Hunter)
A cross cultural, multi-artform residency & workshop program that will introduce the Sumatran form of "randai" folk opera to the Wollombi Valley and aims to broaden perceptions of community theatre forms. A focus on skills, creative and professional development will culminate in a public performance.

Goulburn Regional Art Gallery - $4,530 (Southern Tablelands)
Human Constructs - Visual Arts Workshops - Series of residencies by artists in small and/or isolated communities within the Southern Tablelands region. These skills based visual arts workshops in various media will run in conjunction with a touring exhibition.

Wagga Wagga Writers Writers - $12,680 (Eastern Riverina)
Assistance towards four residencies in the Booranga Writers Centre's 2003 Literary Program. Writers will be selected to participate in the program and conduct writing workshops in collaboration with various community cultural groups across the Eastern Riverina.

Lismore Regional Art Gallery - $4,300 (Far North Coast)
Practices in Re-Assemblage is the residency component of an initiative with Tweed River Regional Gallery, who will host a forum and Grafton Regional Gallery, who will present an exhibition). Workshops with three regionally based artists will give isolated artists access to skills and professional development.