And the CASP 2018/2019 Recipients are...

Arts and culture in regional NSW will continue to shine with an outstanding line-up of new creative projects fast-approaching thanks to over $259,000 in funding from the NSW Government, announced by Minister for the Arts, Don Harwin.
 
Through this funding, creative organisations from across regional and rural NSW will play host to a range of short-term, locally initiated community productions, programs, performances and workshops.
 
Among the 83 projects selected, the program will support 7 projects from our region:

• Leeton Shire Council: NAIDOC Week in Leeton 2019 (Murray, Murrumbidgee)($3,000).
  In 2019 Leeton Shire Council will invite Aboriginal Cultural Groups to host cultural activities to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as part of NAIDOC Week Celebrations.

• Leeton Shire Council: Small Art Adventures (Murray, Murrumbidgee) ($2,600)
  Small Art Adventures is a class-based project designed to introduce preschool-age children to arts and craft, have fun and be creative with others. Artworks will be centred around a theme to suit their skill level, age and preference.

• Murrumbidgee Council Art Locally - Jerilderie at our Reedy Place (Albury,Murrumbidgee) ($3,000)
  Offered simultaneously with the local Show n Shine market, there will be two artist workshops and an exhibition open to a selection of emerging and more established artists.

• Murrumbidgee Regional Conservatorium of Music Inc.: Western Riverina Community Music Workshops (Murray, Murrumbidgee) ($3,000)
  Young people in the Western Riverina with an interest in furthering their musical studies will have access to diverse and interactive workshops led by high quality music teachers and musicians.

• Narrandera Parkside Cottage Museum: Now & Then: Re-writing History (Cootamundra, Murrumbidgee) ($2,650)
  Literary artist Kate Rotherham will deliver a creative writing program aimed at building capacity within the aspiring writers of Narrandera. This workshop series marks the commencement of a collaborative program between the community's writers, local media and the local museum to interpret and promote the region's cultural identity.

• Narrandera Shire Council: Little Music for Big Instrument (Cootamundra, Murrumbidgee) ($2,970)
  Narrandera is home to Australia's largest playable guitar. This project will see the instrument tuned before being professionally recorded to realise music by local composers Fiona Caldarevic, Vic McEwan and Jason Richardson.

• The Cad Factory: Recording and Mixing Tutorials (Cootamundra, Murrumbidgee) ($1,480)
  This project is an opportunity for local musicians to learn about the recording studio process, with a focus on how equipment and software techniques can be translated to home studio set-ups.
   
  Arts Minister, Don Harwin, said that the annual Country Arts Support Program (CASP) funding aims to drive creative and vibrant state-wide arts projects that engage diverse audiences and promote an innovative NSW arts and cultural sector.
   
  “This funding reflects our ongoing commitment to promoting diverse arts and cultural experiences in regional NSW – everything from local community street art, youth choirs, and Aboriginal arts as well as securing a number of critically-acclaimed authors and artists that are going on tour.”
   
  “Increasing access and participation in arts and cultural experiences drives economic benefits across the regions and also enables positive social impacts too, including greater awareness, appreciation and expression of our cultural diversity.”
   
  The Country Arts Support Program fund is a devolved grants program administered each year by Regional Arts NSW on behalf of Create NSW.
   
  Grants of up to either $3,000 or $5,000 (depending on region) are available primarily for professional artists’ fees, travel and accommodation, with applications assessed by 14 regionally-based panels coordinated by the local Regional Arts Development Organisations.