Regional Arts NSW

Media Release

CASP 2008

View the full list of recipients here

01 April 2008

Country Arts Support Program funds 139 new projects for 2008

Regional Arts NSW is delighted to announce the successful funding applicants of the Country Arts Support Program (CASP) for 2008. This year 139 new arts projects have been given the go-ahead in regional, rural and remote NSW, with a remarkable range of activities, from terrazzo tiles to tiled history poles, comedy to cartooning, and puppetry to pavement art.

"This small grants program has a major impact and plays a vital role in regional communities of NSW," said Elizabeth Rogers, CEO of Regional Arts NSW. “With such a diverse range of impressive projects and high quality applications, assessment becomes harder every year.”

CASP is a key regional arts funding program for NSW which provides support to employ artists in locally initiated arts and cultural projects. The aim is to provide access to arts activities for small communities, to encourage communities to work together on cultural projects, to foster cultural diversity in the regions and to ensure that regional and rural areas have an artistic voice.

Grants of between $300 and $3,000 are provided from a total pool of $200,000 which is devolved to Regional Arts NSW from the NSW Government. Recommendations on funding are made locally by regional CASP assessment panels, coordinated by the Regional Arts Boards. Applications from local government areas not serviced by a Regional Arts Board are assessed by the State CASP assessment panel which meets in Sydney to approve the final allocations.

This year there were 221 applications received from every region of the State, with a total request of almost $460,000. Many of these were first-time applicants and 139 grants were approved.
Some of the highlights among this year's list are:

A two day puppetry and music workshop with artists Antonia Aitken and Tim Hansen, for students from three remote schools: Hill End, Sofala and Hargraves, as part of the Hill End Artist-in-residence program.
Two Wagga Wagga artists will conduct a series of art workshops for 15 young socially-isolated and disadvantaged people from refugee backgrounds culminating in an exhibition at the Riverina Community College.
Media artist Rebecca Ingram will conduct a community workshop in digital film encouraging stories that tell the history of the mining of the black opal in Lightning Ridge from an Indigenous perspective.
An Indigenous woodcarver will sculpture a piece of camphor laurel, a drummer will conduct drumming workshops and Worimi Elder will coordinate Indigenous dance for the official opening of a community garden at the Forster Neighbourhood Centre.
Visiting composer Yantra de Vilder will undertake a contemporary music-making project involving Indigenous people and disabilities groups in Casino. Vocal and instrumental sounds of participants will be sampled and incorporated into dance soundtracks.

"Light'n Up Productions" will travel to Uralla to help develop decorative gateways and site decorations for Uralla's inaugural "Get Off Your Arts Festival".

Contact: Annette Eassie, Funding Manager, Regional Arts NSW
Tel 02 9270 2502 Email funding@regionalartsnsw.com.au

View the full list of grant recipients for CASP 2008 here