Investment in Scenic Rim creatives to pay dividends for the region
Projects ranging from a feature film to a coffee table book showcasing the Scenic Rim, the composition and performance of an original piece of music and collaboration by artists leading to a touring exhibition will share in grants totalling $25,000 from the Regional Arts Development Fund.
At its Ordinary Meeting today, Council endorsed funding for four projects valued in total at $303,000 on the recommendation of the Scenic Rim Arts Reference Group.
Arts Reference Group Chair Cr Michael Enright said the $25,000 in grant funding towards the projects worth more than 10 times this amount represented an excellent investment in the Scenic Rim's creative industries and artisans and with widespread dividends for the community, Council and Arts Queensland.
In the first round of RADF funding for 2022-2023, local artists and cultural workers were invited to apply for grants for projects which explored a reimaging of arts and culture after years of COVID and local disaster impacts on the community.
"In the Scenic Rim Arts Reference Group's assessment of the applications, the focus has been on creative ideas that will help rebuild our creative industries, support our artists and cultural workers and provide opportunities for our audience to emerge, reconnect and reimagine," Cr Enright said.
Amy Parry's project to adapt for film the award-winning novel, A Lifetime of Impossible Days, will be supported with funding of $10,250.
A touring exhibition featuring stories connected to significant trees will be developed from a collaboration between artists Shelley Pisani and Joolie Gibbs from the If The Trees Could Talk project which was approved for a $6,121 RADF grant to Bronwyn Davies.
The Tamborine Mountain Orchestral and Choral Society's project to compose an original piece of music with workshops on the mountain by members of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and culminating in a combined concert with the society and Tamborine Mountain State High School students will receive $7,048.
Photographer Gary Moloney will receive $1,581, which will go towards the costs of printing a coffee table book of images taken in the Scenic Rim during the past 50 years with a focus on Mount Barney.
"I am excited by the diversity of projects supported in this funding round and know that they will enrich the cultural life of our Scenic Rim communities," Cr Enright said.
"Council is grateful for the support of Arts Queensland which provided $39,500 for the Regional Arts Development Fund, matched by Council's contribution of $30,500, which enables us to allocate a total of $70,000 for worthwhile creative projects annually.
Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch said as part of this successful, long-term collaboration, the Queensland Government will provide $2.13 million for RADF 2022–2023 to a total of 59 local councils, who will contribute a co-investment amount of over $1.9 million.
“Established in 1991, RADF is a long-standing success story between the Queensland Government and regional councils, enabling local artists and arts workers to tell their rich and unique stories, boosting regional employment opportunities and other positive economic outcomes”, Minister Enoch said.
“For 31 years RADF has provided a legacy of creating new art and cultural experiences for Queensland audiences and communities, and a platform for professional development and growth across the regional arts sector.”
The Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Scenic Rim Regional Council to support local arts and culture in Regional Queensland.