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| Regional Arts Australia | |
|---|---|
| Name | Regional Arts Australia |
| Formation | 1966 |
| Type | Non-profit peak body |
| Purpose | Advocacy and support for regional, rural and remote arts and cultural development in Australia |
| Headquarters | Canberra |
| Region served | Australia |
| Leader title | CEO |
Regional Arts Australia is the national peak body representing regional, rural and remote arts organisations across Australia. It advocates for cultural policy, supports community arts development and coordinates programs linking Indigenous arts, state and territory arts councils, local government and philanthropic partners. Working alongside organisations such as the Australia Council for the Arts, Creative Australia, and state bodies, it shapes initiatives affecting communities in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
Regional Arts Australia traces its antecedents to regional cultural movements of the 1960s and 1970s, aligning with national developments such as the establishment of the Australia Council for the Arts and the decentralisation drives influenced by entities like the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust and the Arts Council of Great Britain. Early collaborations involved state peak bodies including Country Arts SA, Regional Arts Victoria, Arts Queensland initiatives and grassroots organisations in towns such as Broken Hill, Dubbo, Launceston and Alice Springs. Over decades its role intersected with federal policy moments like debates in the Parliament of Australia over arts funding, the creation of the Australia Council restructuring, and national inquiries such as productivity and cultural funding reviews. The organisation’s archives reflect partnerships with Indigenous institutions including the National Museum of Australia, the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies and community arts projects linked to festivals like the Tamworth Country Music Festival and the Adelaide Festival.
The governance model incorporates a board drawn from representatives across states and territories, comparable in oversight to boards of bodies such as Creative Victoria, Screen NSW and the board of the Australia Council for the Arts. Executive management liaises with ministers in portfolios represented in cabinets of the Commonwealth of Australia and with chief executives from state arts agencies including Arts Queensland, Screenwest and Create NSW. Membership categories mirror those used by peers like Music Australia and Craft Australia, and include regional arts organisations, community arts centres, Indigenous art centres such as those associated with Desart and ANKA, plus individual practitioners comparable to fellows of the Australian Arts Council.
Programs span professional development, touring and capacity building, with models similar to touring programs run by the Australian Performing Arts Centres Association and commissioning initiatives observed in collaborations with the Museum Victoria and the National Gallery of Australia. Services include grant navigation aligned with schemes from the Australia Council for the Arts, mentoring comparable to programs at Sydney Theatre Company or Belvoir St Theatre, and cultural mapping akin to projects by State Library of New South Wales and the National Library of Australia. Projects often engage with Indigenous networks such as First Nations Media Australia and training partners like TAFE NSW and university cultural faculties at the University of Melbourne and the University of Queensland.
Funding sources combine federal project grants, philanthropic support from foundations such as the Ian Potter Foundation, partnerships with state bodies like Create NSW and corporate sponsorship from companies that have supported national arts initiatives including telecommunications and banking sponsors historically associated with the Sydney Opera House and the Melbourne International Arts Festival. Collaborative funding frameworks are negotiated with the Australia Council for the Arts, local councils including the City of Newcastle and philanthropic entities like the Australia Cultural Fund. Strategic partnerships extend to media organisations such as the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, touring agencies including Country Arts SA and national advocacy groups like Regional Arts Australia’s peer networks.
Advocacy campaigns have addressed issues affecting communities in regions such as the Riverina, Kimberley, Gulf of Carpentaria and the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area, lobbying alongside organisations like the Local Government Association of Queensland and development agencies including the Australian Regional Development Conference participants. Impact evaluations reference case studies in towns such as Wollongong, Sheffield, Tasmania, Mildura and Mount Isa, demonstrating cultural and economic linkages similar to studies by the Australia Council for the Arts and reports produced for the Productivity Commission. Policy submissions have engaged parliamentary committees including the Joint Standing Committee on the Arts and informed national cultural frameworks comparable to reviews that shaped Creative Australia.
Membership comprises state and territory peak bodies such as Regional Arts Victoria, Country Arts SA, Regional Arts NSW, Regional Arts WA, Arts Tasmania regional programs, Regional Arts Queensland and Northern Territory counterparts. Individual members include community centres like The Majestic Theatre (Wondai), Indigenous art centres affiliated with Desart and ANKA, performance venues analogous to Her Majesty's Theatre (Ballarat), community festivals such as the Mildura Country Music Festival and producers with links to institutions like Belvoir St Theatre and La Boite Theatre Company.
Regional Arts Australia has been associated with awards and events celebrating regional practice, paralleling national prizes such as the Miles Franklin Award, the Archibald Prize and touring circuits that feed festivals like the National Folk Festival and the Woodford Folk Festival. Events include regional showcases, biennales and conferences that convene stakeholders similar to assemblies at the National Association for the Visual Arts conference, and prize programs echoing models used by the Helpmann Awards and state literary prizes. Annual gatherings bring together delegates from cultural institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia and tertiary arts faculties at the Victorian College of the Arts.
Category:Arts organisations based in Australia