Page 2869 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 17 September 2014
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I would also like to acknowledge Warehouse Circus’s support for the Women with Disabilities ACT’s Strong Women, Circus Sisters Troupe. Many of us may have seen the documentary about this project, which followed 15 young women with disabilities as they learned a range of circus skills over a period of six months, which came to an end with a public performance. A photographic exhibition has also been held down at the Tuggeranong Arts Centre.
I am pleased to note that the ACT government supported the Circus Sisters Troupe’s rehearsals and performance through a grant from the Office for Women. The project received other support from the Canberra community, including the Woden School, Anglicare’s Shaw Possibilities program, Hands Across Canberra and the Snow Foundation, so I think that shows what a connected and supportive community we have here.
Our arts organisations are not just connecting with the local community; they are working collaboratively with national and international artists and organisations. A key initiative of our government is our artists-in-residence policy. It has the support of an Arts Residencies ACT program and is designed to grow the vision of Canberra as a sought-after destination for artists. This program has allowed our local arts organisations, like Craft ACT, to raise their international profile and create new partnerships.
Organisations such as Craft ACT play an important role in supporting artists to develop their business skills, thereby increasing the economic contribution made by the arts. As part of our centenary celebrations last year, Craft ACT successfully tendered to administer the Legacy of Good Design competition, which resulted in the official set of uniquely designed objects for the centenary. These products were sold through the Craft ACT shop, which recorded more than $135,000 in sales and a total revenue of $260,000 to artists and the sector over the life of the project. The artists and designers also gained high-profile exposure throughout the year and gained significant skills and business development, and attracted new opportunities that further enhanced their professional practice.
One of the legacies of our centenary year was a greater understanding of our diverse arts culture. The government, through responsive arts policy and funding programs, will continue to advocate and support our local artists and arts organisations. The Australia Council for the Arts recently announced a new funding model to make it easier for artists and arts organisations to apply for funding. This represents new and exciting opportunities for our local artists to apply for this funding.
Madam Speaker, the ACT is under represented in per capita funding from the Australia Council compared to other states—I think Mr Smyth just looks at a jurisdictional cost. That also includes, though, the funding that goes to our national institutions. We dearly value our national institutions here, but I think it provides an unrepresentative view of the funding that is invested through the council into the ACT and it does not reflect the true value of their funding investment into our local artists. Key arts organisations or prominent artists around town would actually say that I should continue to advocate for more support from the arts council.
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