Art organizations and galleries throughout New South Wales have expressed significant relief after the state government announced a $15.4 million funding package over two years, effectively preventing what many feared would be a devastating crisis for the region's cultural institutions. The announcement has particularly benefited regional galleries, which had been facing an uncertain future following earlier funding rejections.
Sixty-two arts organizations across NSW will receive the $15.4 million in funding for the next two years through Create NSW's Arts and Cultural Funding Program (ACFP), as announced by the state government on Thursday. Of this total, $7.5 million will go directly to 31 regional arts organizations, including 10 regional galleries that serve communities outside Sydney.
The funding announcement comes exactly one month after more than 50 applicants – representing 76 out of 158 total applications – were rejected when they initially applied for four-year funding from Create NSW. This rejection shocked many previously successful applicants, who were then forced to scramble and reapply for two-year funding instead. At the time, concerns grew that the low success rate for regional public art galleries, which fell below 18%, signaled that the state government was attempting to shift financial responsibility to local governments. Many regional galleries already depend heavily on local councils to fund their infrastructure and core staffing costs.
Dr. Tracey Callinan, Chief Executive of Regional Arts NSW, expressed satisfaction with the outcome despite the earlier setbacks. "This is a really positive response and one that acknowledges that regional arts has great value, but its own challenges too," she said. "Not everybody has been funded, but that is the reality of a funding program." Callinan indicated that Regional Arts NSW would work to support galleries that missed out on funding, while acknowledging her continued concern that local councils would need to step in to keep some galleries operational.
However, not all galleries were successful in securing funding. The Broken Hill City Art Gallery, which holds the distinction of being the oldest art gallery in regional NSW, applied for $100,000 per year – the same amount it currently receives from Create NSW – but failed to secure funding in both the four-year and two-year application rounds. "This is a very disappointing outcome for the gallery and a sad day for artists and the industry in the far west in general," said Kathryn Graham, the gallery's manager. Graham emphasized that the gallery's role in supporting artists, students, tourism, and First Nations cultural programs provided a compelling case for state funding. "It's a significant loss of funding for a gallery of our size, and we now face the unpleasant task of reviewing our operations and reducing our services in line with the funding shortfall," she added.
Among the regional galleries that successfully secured funding, several received substantial amounts that will help maintain their operations. The Wagga Wagga Art Gallery will receive $110,000 per year, while both the Tamworth Regional Gallery and Maitland Regional Art Gallery will each receive $85,000 annually. The Maitland gallery had originally applied for $110,000 per year, meaning they received about 77% of their requested amount. "This will probably impact our forward plan, but we welcome the funding," said Gerry Bobsien, Maitland's director. "We've got a really fantastic program scheduled for the next two years, and we've been sitting here wondering what we need to cut. Now, we're just keen to get on with it." Bobsien noted that working with limited resources has become standard practice in the sector, saying, "For many of us in the sector, we've been working with less forever. Finding savings, being entrepreneurial – it's just business as usual."
Sydney-based organizations also received funding, though the amounts were more modest. Just under $3 million was allocated among 23 arts organizations in Sydney, including the Australian Design Centre in Darlinghurst. The ADC, which previously received $300,000 annually from Create NSW, will now receive $150,000 per year – a 50% reduction from their current funding level. This cut comes on top of the recent loss of $200,000 in annual federal funding. "ADC is grateful for any funding support from the state government," said Lisa Cahill, the organization's Executive Director. "However, we applied for $200,000 per annum – $150,000 per annum is short of that. It's also 50% of what we currently receive and have been in receipt of for the past decade – and obviously that $300,000 has not kept up with costs."
The Australian Design Centre has been working to address its funding shortfall through public appeals, which Cahill described as successful but insufficient. The organization's recent public fundraising campaign raised close to $50,000 in donations, which Cahill called "wonderful." However, she pointed out the broader context of declining support: "But in real terms, we're receiving about a third of what we got a decade ago. This level of uncertainty and erosion of support is obviously creating a great deal of uncertainty and stress on the organization, and the people in it."
Brett Adlington, Chief Executive of Museums & Galleries of NSW, expressed relief and gratitude for the funding outcome after what he described as a period of significant anxiety. "The organization was delighted by the outcome of the ACFP after being nervous about what was coming," he said. "There's still some challenges out there for organizations who weren't funded and perhaps some organizations might need to rethink their plans. But generally we're very happy and very grateful."
Beyond organizational funding, Create NSW announced that an additional $3.29 million has been allocated for individual projects that will support 1,296 artists and workers across the state. Among the recipients is Western Sydney artist Khaled Sabsabi, who was notably reinstated as Australia's representative at the Venice Biennale after being controversially removed from the position earlier. His unnamed monumental work, according to Create NSW, "will explore shared yet distinct experiences of displacement and migration, focusing on the intersections of multicultural and multi-faith communities locally and globally."
John Graham, NSW Minister for the Arts, characterized regional areas as "the big winners" from the revamped Arts and Cultural Funding Program. The program has undergone significant changes, dropping the previous annual application process in favor of a new biennial system based on feedback from arts organizations. "We have heard the message from the sector that they want less paperwork, and fewer acquittals," Graham explained. "That is why the move from annual to multi-year funding for so many of these organizations is so welcome." The shift to biennial funding cycles is intended to reduce administrative burden on both applicants and the funding body while providing organizations with greater planning certainty.
