New funding for regional and remote tours: DD Dumbo, Georgia Fields, Big Village, Harbour & more
Thirteen contemporary music acts and companies are included in the Australia Council’s $2.8 million worth of funding for three programs, primarily to get more music and arts events to regional and remote areas around the country.
The three programs are Playing Australia, Contemporary Music Touring Program and Contemporary Touring Initiative.
The Contemporary Music Touring Program has been allocated over $190,000 covering rock, pop, hip hop jazz, country, folk and blues concerts to build up fan bases for acts.
56% of these shows will be in regional and remote communities.
There are two funding rounds a year in the program, offering support for the net touring costs associated with a national tour.
The largest allocation of the February round, announced yesterday, went to African drum-based Pape Mbaye and Chosani Afrique with $26,349.
Receiving $15,000 each were critically acclaimed indie Oliver Perry aka D.D. Dumbo; Melbourne jazz singer, pianist and composer Monique diMattina; slam poet and hip hop act Luke Haralampou aka Luka Lesson; WA-based Lynn Hazelton; Sydney indie pop band I Know Leopard; and the Harbour Agency.
The rest on the list were Sydney hip hop label Big Village Records ($14,992); Melbourne singer-songwriter Georgia Fields ($14,939); Queensland-born troubadour and didge player Joe Geia ($14,500); The Go-Set’s Justin Keenan ($8,944); Melbourne trumpeter and sound artist Peter Knight ($8,285); and Tasmania’s Karl S Williams ($12,800).
The Playing Australia Regional Performing Arts Touring Fund has $2 million for eight organisations including theatre and dance, with 60% shows in outback areas.
Over the past four years the fund has supported 5000 performances to an estimated audience of 1.6 million.
There were also over 3000 additional engagement activities as workshops, masterclasses and opportunities for communities and artists to engage directly with artists and the touring companies.
The third program, the Contemporary Touring Initiative (CTI) received $577,000 to support four organisations to develop national touring of contemporary visual art and craft exhibitions.
Arts Council CEO Tony Grybowski said the Council worked on the policy that every Australian should be able to access the arts.
“Arts touring programs are central to strengthening connections with local audiences and increasing access to the transformative power of art,” he said.
“This support is also critical to a sustainable, diverse and vibrant national arts ecology.”