More than $673,000 has been announced for 54 projects through the latest Regional Arts Fund Community Grants round. Funded projects will take place from 1 July 2018 across regional, remote and rural Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia.
Local councils, arts organisations, community groups and individual artists will produce and deliver projects that create high-quality artistic works, increase community capacity and provide professional development for regional artists and arts workers.
The convergence of art and science is a prevalent theme, with a number of projects that respond to and engage with the natural environment. New media and experimentation with technology shines through as the mode in which artists are choosing to explore and produce work – often using technology to bring history to contemporary formats.
Local narratives also feature strongly. Professional artists are collecting narratives from the local community as the basis for new original works.
Regional Arts Australia Chair Simon Spain noted, “These trends demonstrate a connection to place that is consistent with Australian regional arts practice. These connections often result in distinctive works that reflect the location, engaging large segments of the communities in which they are derived through the creation of meaningful content that is firmly grounded in the local environment”.
There is a continued focus on arts and health with projects addressing issues such as accessibility, dementia, and providing art in hospital settings.
Almost 20% of funding has been directed to First Nations artists and organisations for new collaborations and contemporary arts practice.
Find the full list of funded projects here.