Create NSW

Create NSW
Name	Create NSW
Type	Statutory authority
Formed	2016
Jurisdiction	New South Wales
Headquarters	Sydney
Parent department	Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade

Create NSW is the New South Wales state agency responsible for arts, screen and cultural policy, funding, infrastructure and sector development across New South Wales, Australia. It provides grants, delivers cultural programs, manages heritage and public arts assets, and partners with institutions to support practitioners in visual arts, performing arts, screen production and cultural industries. Create NSW operates within a network of cultural organisations, statutory bodies and local institutions to implement state cultural strategies and support festivals, museums, galleries and creative workforce development.

History

Create NSW was established following administrative reforms that consolidated responsibilities formerly held by the Ministry for the Arts, the NSW Film & Television Office, and other arts units within the New South Wales Department of Premier and Cabinet. Its creation followed policy shifts similar to restructures affecting Arts NSW and administrations that had overseen funding to entities such as the Sydney Theatre Company, the Australian Museum, the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the State Library of New South Wales. The agency’s remit expanded during periods when the NSW Cabinet approved cultural investment linked to events like the Sydney Festival, the Vivid Sydney program, and partnerships with screen financiers akin to Screen NSW and initiatives comparable to the Australian Film Commission. Major statewide cultural plans and budgets were debated in contexts involving the NSW Legislative Assembly, the NSW Legislative Council, and successive premiers including figures connected to portfolios held by ministers who previously worked with bodies such as the Australia Council for the Arts and the National Trust of Australia (NSW).

Structure and governance

Create NSW functions as an executive agency under the auspices of the New South Wales Government and is administratively linked to the Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade. Leadership includes a Chief Executive and a Minister for the Arts—roles that have interfaced with ministers who also liaise with institutions such as the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, the Sydney Opera House Trust, the Bicentennial Park Authority and the boards of entities like the Art Gallery of New South Wales and the Australian Centre for Photography. Governance arrangements draw on statutory frameworks used by comparable bodies including the Australian Broadcasting Corporation governance model, heritage provisions mirrored in the Heritage Act 1977 (NSW), and funding oversight mechanisms similar to those employed by the Australia Council for the Arts and state level equivalents like Creative Victoria and Arts Queensland.

Programs and initiatives

Create NSW administers a range of programs that support screen production, performing arts, visual arts and cultural infrastructure. Screen initiatives connect with practices evident in partnerships with production companies linked to franchises akin to Mad Max-era studios and with funding programs resembling those of Screen Australia. Performing arts programs coordinate touring networks involving companies such as the Sydney Theatre Company, Belvoir St Theatre, Bangarra Dance Theatre and touring circuits tied to venues like the State Theatre (Sydney). Visual arts initiatives engage galleries and festivals like the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, the Biennale of Sydney and artist-run spaces comparable to Firstdraft. Cultural workforce and training schemes echo collaborations with educational institutions such as the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales, the Australian Film Television and Radio School and the National Institute of Dramatic Art.

Funding and grants

Create NSW delivers project grants, fellowships, operational funding and targeted support for festivals, Indigenous arts and regional cultural development. Grant rounds have supported organizations including the Sydney Festival, Vivid Sydney, City of Sydney culture programs, regional bodies like the Maitland Regional Art Gallery and city institutions such as the Parramatta Artists' Studios. Funding models mirror mechanisms used by the Australia Council for the Arts and draw on budget allocations debated in the NSW Treasury and approved via the NSW Parliament appropriation processes. Specific grant streams target Indigenous cultural initiatives connected to groups represented through organisations like Bangarra Dance Theatre, Carriageworks, Blacktown Arts Centre and collaborative projects with international partners such as the British Council and cultural diplomacy programs like those run by the Australian Embassy.

Cultural infrastructure and projects

Create NSW manages and supports capital projects, restoration and public art programs involving landmark sites including the Sydney Opera House, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the Australian Museum and precinct developments in places like Parramatta and the Hunter Region. It has overseen investments in theatre refurbishments analogous to works at the Capitol Theatre (Sydney), gallery upgrades similar to those at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, and precinct planning initiatives coordinating with the Transport for NSW and urban renewal projects in partnership with local councils such as the City of Parramatta Council and Wollongong City Council. Public art commissions and heritage conservation works reference frameworks used in projects along the Sydney Harbour foreshore and in adaptive reuse projects comparable to the conversion of former industrial buildings into cultural hubs.

Impact and criticism

Create NSW’s interventions have been credited with supporting successful screen productions, enabling touring seasons for companies like the Sydney Theatre Company and fostering regional arts infrastructure benefiting venues such as the Maitland Regional Art Gallery and Wollongong Art Gallery. Critics have raised issues regarding grant transparency, bureaucratic centralisation, impacts on independent artist-run spaces akin to Firstdraft, and tensions between commercial cultural events such as Vivid Sydney and funding for smaller cultural producers. Debates about funding priorities have unfolded in forums frequented by stakeholders from the Australia Council for the Arts, unions representing creative workers such as the Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance, and elected representatives in the NSW Legislative Assembly and NSW Legislative Council.

Category:Arts organisations based in Australia