- Funding of more than $1.05 million through the Queensland Arts Showcase Program is supporting 23 new arts and cultural projects across the State.
- Supported projects include new dance, theatre and circus works, musical performances, visual art exhibitions and sculpture installations.
- Funding includes $65,918 to support two paid industry placements, helping to boost Queensland's creative workforce.
The Miles Government investment of more than $1.05 million through the Queensland Arts Showcase Program (QASP) is supporting the development and presentation of 23 new arts and cultural experiences across the State.
From a major new dance work, exhibitions and festivals to a family-friendly circus show on the Gold Coast, the latest round of QASP funding supports arts experiences that engage audiences, activate communities, grow creative employment opportunities.
In a collaboration between Indonesian artists and First Nations artists, acclaimed company BlakDance will develop a new work called Bunyi Bunyi Bumi, which weaves together First Nations and Indonesian cultural stories, with funding also supporting an industry placement for a First Nations associate producer.
On the Sunshine Coast, Noosa Regional Council will present the 2025 Floating Land: Escape Making outdoor sculpture program, featuring new works by 12 artists responding to the natural environment, while ARC Circus Co. will develop a new circus production for families to debut on the Gold Coast.
In Townsville, First Nations playwright Shannon Jensen will create a play called Watersong, featuring an all-female First Nations cast, to premiere at TheatreiNQ in November 2024, while Angela Murphy will gather the stories of Queensland Country Women's Association members to create a new theatre work for touring across northern and western Queensland.
Australian South Sea Islander artist Jasmine Togo-Brisby will be supported to create a new work, Copper Archipelago, for the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art at GOMA from November 2024, while Lincoln Austin will receive funding to develop The Weight of Experience, a major new work for Rockhampton Museum of Art, and to mentor an emerging artist.
As stated by the Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch:
"The 23 projects funded through this latest round of the Queensland Arts Showcase Program (QASP) highlight just some of the rich diversity of Queensland's arts and cultural sector," Minister Enoch said.
"The depth of creative talent in Queensland is continuing to grow, evidenced by the consistently highly competitive rounds and the calibre of projects supported from across the state.
"The Miles Government's Creative Together 2020-2030 strategy is committed to growing new arts and cultural experiences through funds like QASP, boosting creative employment and capacity building opportunities as we prepare to showcase the state's cultural identity on the global stage of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games."
As stated by Phluxus2 Dance Collective's Nerida Matthaei:
"We are incredibly grateful for the support of Arts Queensland through the latest QASP round.
"As a small local company, we are proud to champion local artists and artistry and we could not do that without this funding. Save the date for Nov 2024 when we will premier our latest work here at home in Brisbane in partnership with QPAC."
As stated by artist Jasmin Togo-Brisby:
"As one of very few Australian South Sea Islander artists to present at the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, the endorsement of QASP funding will allow me to produce work that contributes a South Sea presence within contemporary Asian and Pacific art on Australian soil and on a global platform."
