The 2024-25 NSW Budget has allocated $1.66 billion to support the arts, tourism, and night-time economy, aiming to develop vibrant communities and create jobs in the creative, tourism, and night-time sectors [5ed7d4dc]. The funding will be used to support free museum entry, events, festivals, and arts and cultural institutions [5ed7d4dc]. The budget includes investments in Destination NSW, the Arts and Cultural Funding Program, screen and digital games, the night-time economy, and music [5ed7d4dc]. Additionally, the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport will be established on July 1, 2024 [5ed7d4dc]. The NSW Government plans to reform the Arts and Cultural Funding Program and prioritize the development of a 'Foundation events' category [5ed7d4dc]. Key cultural institutions in NSW, such as the Art Gallery of NSW, Qtopia, and the Australian Museum's Spirit House, will receive a significant investment of $585.6 million to ensure their sustainable futures [5ed7d4dc]. The budget also includes further reforms to support venues, event organizers, and councils, and streamline planning processes [5ed7d4dc]. The goal is to grow the creative industries in NSW and enable more people to pursue careers in arts, culture, entertainment, and experience tourism [5ed7d4dc].
In Wexford, Ireland, a new project called 'The Night Belongs to YOU-th' is being introduced by Creative Places Enniscorthy to support creative youth [710d6c12]. Led by the Wexford Arts Centre, the Presentation Arts Centre, and a community steering committee, the project aims to develop talent and provide creative courses [710d6c12]. Participants will have the opportunity to work with renowned artists and create a showcase on June 22 from 7pm-9pm [710d6c12]. This initiative is part of an effort to nurture young talent and promote the arts in Wexford [710d6c12].
The Western Australian State Government has approved $600,000 in funding for a pilot program called 'Creativity and Wellbeing for Young People' [e534b1fc]. The program aims to improve creativity and wellbeing for young people across Western Australia by delivering culture and arts projects with health benefits [e534b1fc]. The program will be jointly delivered by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and Healthway, with each agency contributing $300,000 for the one-year trial [e534b1fc]. Eight organizations with a demonstrated commitment to working with young people will receive up to $75,000 each to deliver projects over 12 to 18 months [e534b1fc]. The projects will prioritize young people from First Nations or culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, as well as those facing physical, mental, social, or educational disadvantage [e534b1fc]. The program aims to provide opportunities for participation and engagement in arts and creative activities, build health outcomes for young people, increase employment opportunities for artists, and increase accessibility and engagement of creative experiences for young people [e534b1fc]. The funded organizations and their projects include Community Arts Network, Black Swan State Theatre Company, Breaksea, Centre for Stories, Boss Arts Creative, City of Melville, Ravensthorpe Arts Council, and Ellenbrook Arts [e534b1fc]. The program aligns with the 10 Year Vision for Culture and the Arts in WA and aims to reach priority communities and provide opportunities for creative activities [e534b1fc]. The projects funded by Healthway will focus on arts workshops, arts and culture programs for young Aboriginal people, creative play programs, and after-school artist-in-residence programs [e534b1fc]. The pilot program is part of the government's commitment to providing opportunities for children and young people to engage in authentic creative and artistic experiences and improve their mental, social, and emotional wellbeing [e534b1fc].
Creative Australia has announced the first 35 recipients of its new Creative Leadership Program, which will run from July 2024 to October 2025 [9daece0f]. The program will offer in-person and online connections, workshops, mentoring, and resources to support self-directed training and development [9daece0f]. The recipients include artists and arts workers from various backgrounds and disciplines, such as dance, theater, visual arts, and writing [9daece0f]. Some of the recipients mentioned in the article are Alex Craig, Alice Cadwell, Andrew Varano, Bobbi Jean Henry, Catherine Jones, Colin Robert Kinchela, Daniele Constance, Dearna Newchurch, Ebony Wightman, Elverina Johnson, Fayen d'Evie, Geoffrey Lim, Jade Turner, Jannah Beth, Jasmin Sheppard, Jessica Moody, kelli mccluskey, Kelly Blumberg, Laura Imbruglia, Lauren Mullings, Luke D King, Miranda Wheen, Naima Ibrahim, Nathan Stoneham, Rebecca Slater, Samantha Faulkner, Sam Routledge, Sasha Bradbury, Simon John Brian Cook, Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa, Thomas Patrick Campbell, Zena Cumpston, and Zoë Anne Zmitkova [9daece0f]. The program aims to support leadership development for artists and arts workers across career stages and provide opportunities for connection, reflection, creativity, and idea development [9daece0f].