Artists, creatives and groups will be able to forge forward with their initiatives with the new round of Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) grants.
Townsville City Council partners with Arts Queensland to deliver RADF grants, which support local arts and culture in regional Queensland. Round two for the 2024/25 financial year is now open.
Townsville Acting Mayor Ann-Maree Greaney said the funding would help further homegrown arts practitioners bring their ideas to life.
"Townsville is home to a large number of talented artists and groups, and Council remains committed to promoting local arts and culture across the city's growing population," Cr Greaney said.
Six groups and artists were awarded a combined $49,953.55 in funding at January's Townsville City Council Ordinary Meeting for RADF round one, including:
- $10,000 for Shakespeare Under the Stars for Amadeus
- $5,750 to Madonna Davies for The Cloud Factory
- $9,510.91 to Townsville Folk and Acoustic Music Club for the Townsville Folk Festival Youth Mentoring Program
- $8,417 to Michael Sams for Creative development of full-length play Hunters
- $10,000 to Umbrella Studio Association for Mapping Australia Through Songlines
- $6,275.64 to North Queensland Potters Association for Clay with the Masters: Advancing Ceramics in North Queensland
"The groups and artists who have had their grants approved have shown their commitment to delivering these projects and how they will impact our city," Cr Greaney said.
"I know each of these initiatives will delight audiences and attendees, strengthening our city's social fabric and benefiting our local arts economy."
Artistic Director of TheatreiNQ Terri Brabon said being awarded funding allowed Townsville artists to expand their craft without moving away from North Queensland.
"The support of Arts Queensland and the Townsville City Council through RADF allows regional companies like ours to bring more skills to the services we provide in the community," Ms Brabon said.
"In our case, we see the constant drain of North Queensland talent down south and it is through grants like RADF that we are able to afford to bring them home to perform for the community that supported their development."
