- $350,000 in RACIP funding over four years to support young artists in regional WA, through Next Gen and Next Level funding opportunities
- Both these grants focus on fostering young and emerging artists, which is key to ensuring a sustainable and strong regional arts sector into the future
- Five artists and five projects from across regional WA have received funding in the first round
Emerging regional artists and creative professionals are set to benefit from the latest round of funding delivered through the Regional Arts and Cultural Investment Program (RACIP).
A songwriting workshop from an Australian Idol star, an epic fantasy series told through a Kimberley First Nations' lens, and a youth art collective in Wagin are just three of the opportunities and programs supported by the Next Level Fellowship program and the new Next Gen funding program.
For the first time in 2024, the Cook Government has offered grants of up to $3,000 for five regional arts organisations to deliver workshops, classes and training tailored to children and young people in regional Western Australia through the Next Gen funding program.
Next Gen will support and employ local artists and engage young people at an invaluable age, helping impart a lifelong passion for the arts.
This new initiative, delivered by Regional Arts WA, joins the existing Next Level Fellowship program, which offers grants of $8,000 to regional artists aged 18 to 26 who are building a career in the arts.
Both of these funding programs will support the regional arts sector by empowering young artists and helping to promote diverse, sustainable and passionate creative communities across WA.
The first round of projects to receive Next Gen funding are:
- Shire of Coolgardie Next Gen Arts Workshops (Goldfields-Esperance)
- Cunderdin Community Resource Centre Regional Renaissance: Cultivating Creativity Cunderdin (Wheatbelt)
- Wagin Community Resource Centre Wagin Youth Art Collective (Wheatbelt)
- Shire of Morawa Galactic Dreamtime Workshop (Midwest)
- Wheatbelt Arts & Events Inc York Yarns (Wheatbelt)
The recipients of the Next Level 2024 Fellowships are:
- Robbie Fieldwick promethe(us) (Peel)
- Tahnee Carter Koa: Book One (Kimberley)
- Amberley Milne songwriting retreat with producer James Newhouse (South West)
- Amy Reeves Idol Inspirations: Songwriting Workshops (Kimberley)
- Jessica Le Monnier ceramics and self-expression workshops (Goldfields-Esperance)
Next Gen and Next Level are supported by the Regional Arts and Cultural Investment Program with funding managed by Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, and delivered by Regional Arts WA.
Learn more about the new funding program: https://regionalartswa.org.au/funding/nextgengrant/
Comments attributed to Culture and the Arts Minister David Templeman:
"Engaging young creatives and employing local artists are vital to creating a flourishing and sustainable regional arts sector.
"This funding will help emerging regional artists channel their passion into projects that demonstrate the cultural richness of our diverse and prosperous regional communities."
Comments attributed to Regional Development Minister Don Punch:
"Initiatives like thesedemonstrate thesocial valueof the arts to Western Australian communitiesand the importance of creative industries to our regional economies."
