$1.6 MILLION FOR HUNTER ARTS AND CULTURE

Hunter organisations will receive over $1.6 million in NSW Government funding to support high quality and innovative arts and cultural initiatives, Deputy Premier and Minister for the Arts Troy Grant announced today.

Leading organisations funded include Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Maitland Art Galleries, the Hunter Writers’ Centre, The Lock-Up arts space and Tantrum Theatre Co-operative.

Mr Grant made the announcement at Flipside Dance which received $55,000 for their 2016 project Pushing the Boundaries contemporary dance and multi-arts project for youth in the region.  The project involves young people from Newcastle, the Central Coast and Greater Hunter working with choreographers, composers and visual designers to develop works to be performed locally. 

Mr Grant said the Government’s support will improve the viability of Hunter arts and cultural organisations and help create new markets and audiences for artists.

“The Hunter has a thriving arts and cultural sector and our Government is proud to support such a diverse array of creative local programs,” Mr Grant said.  

“The Government is committed to providing people with access to a diverse range of arts experiences, no matter where they live.” 

Other organisations funded in the Hunter in 2016 are:

 ·         $255,000 over the next three years for Newcastle’s Tantrum Theatre Cooperative, which delivers innovative theatre productions engaging with groups including young people, Aboriginal people and people with a disability.  

·         $98,000 in 2016 for Newcastle’s The Lock-Up multidisciplinary arts space that provides experimental and cross-platform exhibitions, events, public programs and residencies.

 ·         $35,000 for the annual National Young Writers Festival to be held in Newcastle from 29 September to 2 October, 2016. The event will include debates, readings, launches, performances and workshops for writers aged 13 to 35.

 ·         $420,000 over the next three years for Arts Upper Hunter, which provides a wide range of opportunities for people to engage with arts and culture across the Upper Hunter, Muswellbrook, Singleton, Gloucester and Dungog LGAs.

·         $70,000 in 2016 for the Newcastle Art Gallery to present a calendar of exhibitions and public and educational programs.

·         $50,000 for the Hunter Writers Centre to deliver a program of exhibitions, events, public programs and residencies that aim to develop audiences and promote local, national and international artists.

·         $150,000 over the next three years for Octapod Association Inc to develop the Lower Hunter region’s arts and cultural sector through the delivery of programs for people with disability, young people and people from culturally and linguistically diversecommunities.

• $330,000 over the next three years for Lake Macquarie City Art Gallery to produce in-house and guest curated exhibitions that explore themes of contemporary visual arts from across Australia and the local region and for professional development opportunities for artists and curators through exhibitions and its residency and workshop programs.

·         $198,600 over the next three years for Maitland Regional Gallery to deliver an exhibition and public program of activities highlighting a range of work from nationally significant artists to school students in the local region.