Round 2 arts and culture funding announced

Midsummer Night’s Dream, Sport for Jove Theatre Company. Image: Seiya Taguchi

Over 100 recipients will share in more than $4 million as part of Round 2 of NSW Government’s Arts and Cultural Funding Program for 2020/21.

More than one third of the recipients are in Western Sydney and regional NSW.

This funding will build on the State Government’s support for musicians and live music venues this year, with $635,542 being provided to contemporary music projects and programs including $308,104 to 14 individual musicians. The funding will support the state’s talented artists, workers and organisations including 12 Aboriginal-led projects and 20 projects with a focus on First Nations communities to deliver strong arts and cultural outcomes for NSW audiences.

Investing in our artists helps to build our economy and strengthen our arts and cultural offerings for local audiences and visitors to our great State. The extraordinary projects funded through Round 2 will employ over 8,300 artists and reach more than 3.4 million people across the State.

I am excited by the depth of talent and creativity represented in this round, including a significant investment in contemporary music and musicians, and a considerable number of First Nations, Western Sydney and regional NSW initiatives.

Funded projects include Sport for Jove’s Shakespeare Carnival and their annual program of performances and in-school workshops; the return of the Electronic Music Conference with a Festival that will feature 100 artists performing at 25 events over 9 days; and Bach Akademie’s Weddings and Funerals over Coffee concerts of J. S. Bach’s classic works.

All applications were assessed against published criteria and ranked in order of merit by the Artform Advisory Boards. A full list of Round 2 recipients is available here.

For further information on arts and cultural funding, including targeted support opportunities, visit the Create NSW website at www.create.nsw.gov.au.