Boost for Regional Arts
Tue 3 May 2011
A $4 million package of regional arts initiatives announced in today’s Budget will help transform and enrich small towns and regional communities across Victoria.
Premier and Minister for the Arts Ted Baillieu said the Regional Arts Transformation package will bring new opportunities for regional Victorians to experience the best of the arts.
“While there are many regional Victorian centres with fantastic arts venues, programs and festivals, some experiences have been out of reach for regional communities, especially in small towns,” Mr Baillieu said.
Melbourne is consistently acknowledged as Australia’s cultural and creative capital because of its high-quality arts experiences, facilities, collections and events, but this package recognises that Victoria’s cultural life extends well beyond the city limits.
It will widen the reach of artistic endeavour in this state and ensure that regional communities have opportunities to fully enjoy the arts.
The package includes:
- $2 million over four years for a new Small Towns Transformation program, managed by Arts Victoria, to connect artists with small regional communities and develop significant projects that will benefit local towns
- $2 million over four years to support major arts companies to increase touring to country Victoria.
The package invests in Victoria's regional arts sector and will ensure that regional audiences have access to the best quality performers and experiences while also enabling small communities to initiate arts projects of local significance.
Regional areas will also benefit from a new $1 million Victorian Sculpture Initiative, which includes dedicated funding to support regional communities to establish sculpture parks and gardens and two new annual sculpture prizes with the winning sculptures installed in appropriate locations across the state.
The Geelong Cultural Precinct project also received a boost, with the government delivering on its $15 million commitment to the project through the Regional Growth Fund.
