Subscribe

Country Arts Support program funds 159 regional arts projects in 2004

Link to full list of projects below [click here]

12 May 2004

Regional Arts NSW is delighted to announce a total of 159 new grants for a raft of diverse community based arts projects in regional and rural New South Wales from the Country Arts Support Program (CASP) for 2004.

With grants of between $300 to $3,000 from a total pool of $200,000 devolved from the New South Wales Ministry for the Arts, the program will continue to make a big impact in regional, rural and remote communities across the state this year.

The list of new projects for 2004 includes a large range of festivals, public art works, live performances of plays and music recitals as well as workshops in a diverse range of artforms including video, photography, music, painting, writing, dance, pottery and even kite-flying and crop art!

CEO of Regional Arts NSW, Victoria Keighery said,"The Country Arts Support Program continues plays a vital role in cultural development in regional NSW. It dramatically demonstrates how a relatively small amount of funding can have a major impact in regional areas."

"Literally thousands of people stand to directly benefit from these projects - most of which wouldn't be going ahead without a CASP grant," she added.

The Country Arts Support Program funding is directed at artists' fees for locally developed projects. Priority is given to innovative initiatives that will develop skills and provide ongoing benefits for small, isolated communities. Recommendations for funding are made in each region by a local CASP panel which are then endorsed by the state CASP panel. Funding is divided evenly among the thirteen regions of the state, with special allocations made for regions not serviced by the Regional Arts NSW network.

Competition for funding under CASP continues to intensify with a success rate of only 50% this year as compared with 58% last year. $403,102 was requested in a total of 234 applications this year.

The full list of 2004 CASP grant recipients is available from the link below. It features:

	10 projects with strong Indigenous arts components
	29 projects (or 18%) specifically targeted at youth
	34.5% of projects in the visual arts and crafts (from sculpture to portraits to textiles and art made from waste)
	17% of projects in music (from conducting workshops to vocal development and drumming classes)
	11% of projects in public art (from murals to mosaic pathways and Indigenous installations)
	12.5% of projects in performance (from new works from local playwrights to youth theatre workshops and tours of professional performances)
	5% of projects in dance (from Indigenous to Middle Eastern dance workshops)
	5% of projects in writing (from community storytelling to bush poetry)
	5% of projects in video/film/photography (from making music videos to a CWA photography workshop)
	7% of projects being events within festivals (writers' festivals, cultural festivals, folk and bluegrass festivals and film festivals)
	2.5% of projects in community cultural development workshops (including cooperative museum marketing, youth audience development and arts and business workshops)
	10 Guarantees against loss (GALs) for touring shows

Look out for a CASP project in your area!

For the full list of 2004 CASP grant recipients click [here]

Media enquiries
Rachael Vincent
Communications Manager
Tel 02 9247 8577 ext 5
Email rachael@regionalartsnsw.com.au

The Country Arts Support Program is made possible with funding devolved
from the NSW Ministry for the Arts.