Aus Council have handed out $6.1m in their latest round of arts grants
Some of Australian music’s best and brightest have today received some highly-sought after grant funding today, with the Australia Council for the Arts announcing recipients of their latest round of grants.
The funding will support 221 projects delivered by 147 individual artists, 25 groups and 49 small-to-medium arts organisations, including acts such as Jen Cloher, Alex Lahey, Luke Yeoward, LUCIANBLOMKAMP, Seekae, and even Gareth Liddard of The Drones’ new project, TFS.
A number of big-name festivals and events have also secured funding, including Face The Music, Rudely Interrupted’s concert for the international day of persons with disabilities, Felix Reibl’s Spinifex Gum project, and a national tour from Ecca Vandal.
Of course, the grants aren’t just going towards popular musicians, with funds also being given out across the areas of dance, theatre, literature, visual arts, emerging and experimental arts, and community arts and cultural development.
Tony Grybowski, Australia Council’s CEO, expressed his excitement and pride at the projects funded, and the consistent diversity of applicants.
“Since the new grants model opened in early 2015 we have received nearly 10,000 applications and we’re seeing an increasingly diverse range of artists creating and presenting art in new and innovative ways. We’re excited to be able to empower artists to push boundaries and deliver compelling works,” Mr Grybowski said.
Of the 221 projects receiving grants today, 35% of the applications received in this round were from first-time applicants. 19% of the grants were awarded to applicants based in remote and regional Australia, and 45% of the grants were given to female applicants.
“Since the new grants model opened in early 2015 we have received nearly 10,000 applications and we’re seeing an increasingly diverse range of artists creating and presenting art in new and innovative ways. We’re excited to be able to empower artists to push boundaries and deliver compelling works,” said Mr. Grybowski.
“We’re proud to be able to support Australia’s artists to develop the skills and networks they need to create great art and expand to reach new audiences across Australia and the world. We can’t underestimate what powerful cultural ambassadors our artists are for Australia.”
A full list of the grants outcomes can be found on the Australia Council for the Arts website, with the closing date for applications in the next round of grants being October 3rd.
This article originally appeared on The Industry Observer, which is now part of The Music Network.