2018 CASP Grant recipients announced

Minister for the Arts Don Harwin has announced that regional and rural arts organisations from around NSW are to benefit from nearly $250,000 in small-grant funding. The Country Arts Support Program (CASP) will fund 76 organisations to support community arts and cultural development.

Minister Harwin said that the annual Country Arts Support Program (CASP) funding brought essential support to a wide range of community productions, projects and installations and improves the quality, reach and strength of short-term, locally-initiated activities.

“Large or small, this funding will strengthen regional and rural arts and cultural engagement, provide new training and employment opportunities across the state and create even more ways for areas to support their diverse local communities,” he said.

“From classical, jazz and blues performances to community murals from young artists and touring theatre productions in schools, our Country Arts Support Program is a valuable initiative that gives back to an incredible range of audiences and ages.”

The CASP fund is a devolved grants program administered each year by Regional Arts NSW on behalf of Create NSW. Funding of up to $250,000 is available with applications assessed by 14 regionally-based panels coordinated by the local Regional Arts Development Organisations.

Regional Arts NSW CEO, Elizabeth Rogers said, “The successful applications show clearly how regional communities can develop and deliver so many different arts projects that create vitality in their local area.”

For further information on the Create NSW Country Arts Support Program funds and other opportunities, including targeted support, visit www.create.nsw.gov.au or email arts.funding@create.nsw.gov.au.

Recipients of CASP grants in our region include: 

Griffith & Regional Association of the Performing Arts Inc (GRAPA): Ties That Bind ($2,000) 

Funding will support the script-development and intensive workshopping, dramaturgy and direction assistance of a new Australian theatre play being written by GRAPA member, Bernie Maxwell, to be performed in Griffith in February 2018.

 Griffith City Library: Book Week 2018 ($3,231)

Western Riverina Libraries consisting of Griffith, Narrandera, Hay, Carrathool and Jerilderie will invite a children's author/illustrator/presenter (TBC) to perform as part of Book Week 2018 celebrations. The guest presenter will visit all libraries, inspiring over 3,000 children throughout regional communities. The event will be held between 17-24 August 2018.

Griffith Regional Art Gallery: Skills Exchange Residency Project ($3,000)

A three-day artist residency across a weekend at the Lake House artist studio at Lake Wyangan will facilitate skills-sharing between artists with disability from Temora, Wagga Wagga, Narrandera and Griffith. The results from this development will inform a larger curated exhibition at Griffith Regional Art Gallery in December 2018.

Griffith Regional Theatre: Snake Sessions ($3,000)

Streetstyle artist troupe Branch Nebula will conduct a residency to launch Griffith's new skate park. They will perform and conduct workshops and interactive activities on-site during the April school holidays, engaging with young people using the park. This residency will culminate in a performance including local youth and a celebratory street party.

Narrandera Arts and Creative Network Inc: What happens if... ($3,250)

Artist Lindee Russell will work with the Narrandera community to develop collaborative and individual visual art pieces through the exploration of scarce resources and sustainable methods that will be collated to form an exhibition. What happens if... invites participants to create opportunities within constraints, thus inspiring new work.

 Narrandera Parkside Cottage Museum - The History of Narrandera in 8 & 1/2 Chapters ($2,977)

A diversity of stories will be brought to life across the local Narrandera community via the interpretation of objects by a word artist and photographer in early 2018. The project will use creative expression to interpret the history of Narrandera and provide opportunities for local artists to train and upskill, culminating in an exhibition of works created.

Click here for the full media release and list of recipients

Image Credit: Ashleigh McDonald, 'An Earthmoving Performance', from 2017 CASP supported RE//CREATING exhibition.