WELCOME TO THE ARTS NORTH WEST NEWSFLASH

Published 24/8/2023

ARTS NORTH WEST AND MUSIC NSW ARE HITTING THE ROAD!
ARMIDALE // TAMWORTH // TENTERFIELD
24-28 AUGUST

Arts North West and MusicNSW are going on a road trip to Armidale, Tamworth and Tenterfield and we want to connect with you! We invite everyone from any art practice to come along and share some creative ideas and get to know our local creative ecology. Join one of our Industry Mixers, complete with live entertainment at each venue, and connect with creatives in our region.

We are also offering 1-on-1 sessions with Dave Burgener, the Regional Manager of MusicNSW and our own Executive Director, Lauren Mackley. Do you need advice on project management, touring coordination, budgeting, promotion, grant applications, gain industry insights, or share what you're currently working on? Do you know someone who might benefit from this? Let them know!

Dates & Locations:

⭐ Armidale - Thursday 24 August 2023
The Welder's Dog Armidale, 120 Marsh St, Armidale NSW 2350

⭐ Tamworth - Friday 25 August 2023  
The Tamworth Hotel, 147 Marius St, Tamworth NSW 2340

⭐Tenterfield - Sunday 27 & Monday 28 August
Industry Mixer at The Commercial Boutique Hotel, 288 Rouse St, Tenterfield NSW 2372 and then 1-on-1’s at the Tenterfield Corner Cafe, 212-214 Rouse St, Tenterfield NSW 2372

Registrations are open for the Armidale ‘Gather and Trade - Aboriginal Artisan Micro Markets’

Arts North West is hosting another instalment of our ‘Gather and Trade – Aboriginal Artisan Micro Markets’ at the Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place in Armidale from 10.00 am Saturday 2 September 2023 at The Armidale Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place, 96-104 Kentucky St, Armidale NSW 2350.

This event is part of a celebration of the newly refurbished foyer and entryway at the Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place and the official opening the ‘For Our Elders’ exhibition.

Arts North West are looking for First Nations artists and craftspeople who create cultural and contemporary artworks to register to be part of the market stalls for the event. This is a great chance for local aboriginal creatives to showcase and promote their arts practice to a wider audience.   

These markets are a collaboration with the Aboriginal Cultural Centre and Keeping Place and Settlement Services International’s (SSI) Ignite Small Business Start-ups Program. Arts North Wests contributions are funded by Create NSW.

If you would like to be a stallholder on the day and you have your own insurance, complete the registration via the link below: 

'A LETTER TO MY RETURNING...'
GIVING A VOICE TO FLOOD-AFFECTED REGIONS

‘A Letter to My Returning…’ is a creative recovery response project; aiming to work with flood-effected individuals, community groups and organisations who have been affected by the flood events of 2021/2022.

Through the power of letter writing, participants are encouraged to address a letter directly to the flood waters. As part of a larger project Arts North West is looking to engage ten local artists from flood-affected communities to create artworks and creative documentation that reflect on the flood events that have affected the region.

These artworks will draw inspiration from the letters, as well as the artists’ own experiences and interpretations of the flood events and their effects on homes, livelihoods, and the landscape. The letters and artworks will be curated as part of a touring exhibition.

This project has been made possible by the Foundation for Rural Regional Renewal through FRRR.

Applications and submissions close
at the end of October 2023.

NSW GOVERNMENT’S ARTS, CULTURE AND CREATIVE INDUSTRY POLICY: ‘A NEW LOOK AT CULTURE’

Last week, the Tamworth Community Centre played host to Create NSW's A New Look at Culture town hall session. Dignitaries included The Hon. John Graham MLC, serving as the Minister for the Arts, Music, the Night-Time Economy, Jobs, Tourism, and Roads; Kevin Anderson MP - Member for Tamworth; Kerri Glasscock - Director of Sydney Fringe Festival; and Russell Webb - Mayor of Tamworth. The event saw an impressive turnout, fostering lively discussions and meaningful engagement, all with the aim of shaping NSW's upcoming Arts, Culture, and Creative Industry Policy.

The NSW Government is working towards the State’s first Arts, Culture & Creative Industries Policy, and they need the community’s feedback. We want to hear from you – The creative industries in NSW are vitally important to the NSW economy.

Don't miss your chance to contribute. Have your say!

SUBMISSIONS CLOSE 31 August 2023.

Make a submission through the link below:

Register your feedback and comments via the website

FROST OVER BARRABA ARTS FESTIVAL HAS RETURNED!

Frost Over Barraba has been a cornerstone event for our region’s creatives for over 5 decades. After a small hiatus, it’s back in 2023 with a new vibrant look and experience. Come and enjoy the six categories of the exhibition including painting, works on paper, sculpture & 3D works, Photography, Youth (Primary and Infants), and Youth (Secondary).

The exhibition is open from Thursday 31 August - Sunday 3 September 2023. In addition to the exhibition, there is an extensive program of events running across the four days. The program includes live music, market stalls, and pop-up art shows.

This year’s Frost Over Barraba also has two ticketed events as part of the festival. The Arty Party (replacing the traditional Opening Night event) will be held on Friday 1 September and is a chance for everyone to get together. Tickets are $30 per person and include canapés and a noodle box. A licensed bar will be available at the venue and there will be live music from cellist Emily Bishop.

On Sunday 3 September Concert Pianist and Pipe Organist Jane Stewart will play a special concert to 'Welcome the Spring' on Barraba's historic Thomas Jones Pipe Organ in Barraba Anglican Church. Tickets are $10 per adult and $5 per child.

The full program and festival information can be found here:

BODY OF WORK EXHIBITION IS COMING TO GUNNEDAH!

A stunning collection of 14 Mannequins reimagined by talented artists from around the New England North West, showcasing a vast array of mediums and arts practices will be opening at The Gunnedah Bicentennial Creative Arts Gallery from 6.00pm on Friday, September 1st, 2023. Nibbles and light refreshments are available and all are welcome to attend. The exhibition will then tour to the Wee Waa Community Arts & Cultural Centre in October, 2023. We will share more exhibition details soon.

This project has been funded by Arts North West’s Country Arts Support Program (CASP) Funding.

INAUGURAL CYRIL KNOX ART PRIZE

Entries are open for the inaugural Cyril Knox Art Prize, a biennial award that recognises and celebrates the best Aboriginal artists in North West NSW. Whitehaven Coal has partnered with Narrabri Shire Council to deliver the first-ever Cyril Knox Art Prize exhibition at The Crossing Theatre in Narrabri beginning Saturday 23 September, with the theme for this year’s Prize being “For Our Elders”. 

The winner will receive $5,000 with the community voting for the People’s Choice Award. The People’s Choice winner will receive $1,500. There will also be a junior prize of $500.

For more information about the Cyril Knox Art Prize, entry and submission criteria, see below.

Entries close on Sunday 10th September 2023. 

HICCUP - A Windmill Theatre Company Production by Jude Henshall and Ellen Steele

It’s a perfect, balmy night in the outback. A sleep-deprived camper, a cheeky quokka and an emu with a penchant for creating wild inventions, awake to discover that a koala has come down with a stubborn and ear-shatteringly loud case of the hiccups.

The three embark on an epic journey through the night that sees them frantically eat, sing and invent their way towards a cure before the sun comes up.

Hiccup is a hilarious rocking musical extravaganza about working together, finding friendship and how to, once and for all, stop the hiccups.
DATES:
🎟️ Wednesday 13 September 2023 10:30 and 12:30 - Tamworth Capitol Theatre
🎟️ Friday 15 September 2023 10:30am and 1pm - Gunnedah CIVIC Theatre
🎟️ Wednesday 20 September 2023 at 11am - Narrabri Crossing Theatre
🎟️ Friday 22 September 2023 at 10am - Armidale TAS Hoskins Centre

GET TICKETS HERE

Hosting an event or workshop? Arts North West wants to know!

Arts North West hosts an online calendar for advertising events, workshops, and exhibitions in the New England North West. Additions to this calendar are shared in our ANW Newsflash and social media platforms.

Click here to view the
Arts North West Arts and Cultural Events calendar.

CURRENT GRANT FUNDING

31 August - NAB Foundation Community Grants - 2023
NAB Foundation Community Grants fund local projects that help communities prepare for natural disasters, support long-term recovery and build resilience against future disasters. Grants are available for community-led projects that fall under one or more of the readiness, recovery and future-proofing categories.

31 August - The Dobell Exhibition Grant
The Dobell Exhibition Grant program provides financial assistance towards the development of new, curated exhibitions of visual arts at regional and public galleries in New South Wales. The program aims to support high-quality exhibitions that speak to a broad audience across NSW. To assist in expanding appreciation for the visual arts, the proposed exhibition should be supported by innovative public and education programs that creatively engage both artists and the community.

31 August - FRRR Strengthening Rural Communities — Small & Vital
The Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Small & Vital stream gives small remote, rural and regional communities across Australia the opportunity to access funds for a broad range of initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities. Grants up to $10,000 are available for a broad range of grassroots, community-led initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities that strengthen local people, places and climate solutions, with a preference for smaller communities (populations under 15,000).

31 August - Strengthening Rural Communities – Prepare & Recover
The Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Prepare & Recover program supports communities in remote, rural and regional communities across Australia to implement initiatives that prevent and prepare for future climate related impacts, or recover from existing disasters in the medium to long-term timeframe, generally one to ten years after the disaster. Grants up to $25,000 are available for a broad range of initiatives to strengthen the capacity and capability of local people, organisations, networks, and systems that help communities to be informed, skilled, connected and resourced for the future.

31 August - Strengthening Rural Communities – Rebuilding Regional Communities
The Strengthening Rural Communities (SRC) Rebuilding Regional Communities (RRC) stream gives small remote, rural and regional communities across Australia the opportunity to access funds for a broad range of initiatives that directly and clearly benefit local communities.

Recognising the impacts of COVID-19 on communities, the Australian Government has partnered with FRRR to distribute $5 million from 2022 to 2024 to support community-led initiatives. The objectives of the program are to:   

• Enhance the process of recovery of remote, rural and regional communities from the COVID-19 pandemic;

• Reduce social isolation and foster stronger, more resilient remote, rural and regional communities; and/or  

• Sustain local remote, rural and regional organisations and their work. 

30 September - Windmill Trust Scholarship
This unique opportunity opens up avenues for regional artists seeking to further their professional development, exhibition opportunities or deepen research.
The $10,000 can be used to cover costs like studio rent, travel, materials, professional development, exhibiting or to take the time and space to develop your career in new directions. 

THERE ARE MANY MORE ONGOING GRANT OPPORTUNITIES LISTED ON THE ARTS NORTH WEST WEBSITE.

If you require assistance in applying or reviewing your grant submissions, please reach out to our Executive Director, Lauren Mackley at rado@artsnw.com.au or 0493 316 463.

CURRENT JOB VACANCIES