Dear Regional Arts WA Community,

February has arrived with the kind of energy that makes you sit up straighter in your chair. We’ve welcomed in the Lunar New Year – the Year of the Horse, no less – and come galloping in accordingly. Students are back at school, the rhythm has returned, and the momentum for the year ahead is building beautifully.

It’s been wonderfully busy, in that productive way where every day feels purposeful. And speaking of purpose, let’s start with some particularly good news.

Kicking off with Positive News!

I’m delighted to congratulate all the brilliant recipients of the WA Government’s ‘Arts Activities in Regional Communities’ and ‘Regional Performing Arts’ programs. It’s funding that will ripple through regional WA, creating opportunities for communities to gather, swap stories, sharpen skills, and celebrate local creativity.

A special mention to the six Regional Arts Network organisations who secured funding:

  • Goolarri Media Enterprises will grow and evolve their Writers Program
  • Kimberley Arts Network is launching The Kimberley Open Studios Trail
  • Creality Arts is bringing us Festival Machines
  • Arts Margaret River is preparing Common Ground 2026
  • Denmark Arts Council is developing their ‘Beyond Brave New Works’ Project
  • Wheatbelt Arts and Events for ‘Which Way to Hollywood’ development and premiere season in York. 

These projects will roll out during 2026 and 2027, which means we’ve got two years of creative brilliance to look forward to.

Attendance at Creative Industries Forum

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of representing Regional Arts WA as a panel speaker at The McKell Institute WA’s Inclusive Prosperity Series, hosted by Minderoo Foundation. My message to the room was clear: if we are genuinely committed to addressing regional disadvantage, we must embrace structural change and commit to long‑term, place‑based solutions. And critically, those policy settings must be shaped by the very communities living the realities we aim to solve. To create meaningful social and economic impact, artists and arts organisations must be strengthened and empowered. Not as an afterthought, but as essential partners in creativity, regional development and transformation.

From working in this space, I know that regional artists and arts organisations are already doing this work. Every day, they’re building the region’s social fabric, strengthening wellbeing, and creating resilience in communities across WA.

It was wonderful to hear from the Minister for Creative Industries Simone McGurk and to speak alongside industry colleagues Di Bain and Ian Booth. I appreciated their perspectives on how Western Australia can continue to back its creative talent and institutions.

Image of Minderoo and McKell Institute forum of presenters

Regional Arts Network Peer Learning Exchange

One of the great joys of supporting our Regional Arts Network is watching the magic that happens when people come together.

This month, we were delighted to facilitate a Regional Peer Learning Exchange between The Cannery Arts Centre (CAC) in Esperance, Rave About Arts in Ravensthorpe, and Arts Margaret River (AMR). Ainsley Foulds (Chair/Program Director, Rave About Arts) and Katie Witt (General manager, CAC), joined by colleagues Raquel Tacey (Vice Chair, Rave About Arts), Deborah Mills (Finance Manager, Rave About Arts), and Karen Ritchie (Secretary, CAC) travelled to Margaret River to work closely with Michelle Wright and the AMR team. The exchange resulted in an incredibly rich few days of learning and knowledge‑sharing, and strengthened connections across the three organisations. 

The exchange covered substantial ground: governance fundamentals, policies and procedures, venue operations, gallery management, after-school programming, and the intricate logistics of touring and programming decisions. The host invited their guests to attended a AMR Board meeting and got a proper behind-the-scenes look at how they operate.

Through the Regional Arts Network initiative we can foster genuine connection, build organisational capability, and strengthen the regional creative ecology. When our network organisations work together, our entire state benefits.

Grateful to Minderoo Foundation for their support of the Regional Arts Network and Thrive! Framework.

Image of Regional Arts Network group from Ravensthorp, Hopetoun, and Esperance meeting in Margaret River

Strategic Planning Webinar Success

This week, governance expert Kate Larsen facilitated our first Strategic Planning webinar for not-for-profit WA regional arts organisations. 

Let’s be honest: writing a Strategic Plan often ends up in the ‘too hard basket’ or the mañana pile. It’s one of those critical tasks that gets pushed to tomorrow, and then the day after that. But strong strategic planning underpins good governance, supports long-term decision-making, and helps organisations communicate their value to stakeholders and communities.

The webinar covered a plethora of information with plenty of time for questions and real-world advice.

The March 30th session is now fully booked, but if you’d like to join the waiting list, you can register here and we’ll notify you if a spot becomes available.

This activity is supported by the WA Government through RAWA’s Regional Arts Sector Investment program. 

A Final Thought…

This month, new research published in the Australian Journal of Education revealed concerning stats about the state of arts education in this country.

Since 2018, 48 creative arts degrees have been discontinued. Undergraduate enrolments in creative arts have declined at 30 out of 46 universities, with some institutions seeing drops exceeding 50%. Year 12 arts subject enrolments are down 21% overall, with drama declining by 39% and dance by 38%.

These statistics sadly represent a reduction of future artists and arts workers into the creative sector.

Back in 2021, during the former Morrison Government, the Job-Ready Graduate scheme fundamentally restructured university funding by incentivising STEM subjects through lower fees and increasing fees for humanities degrees, including the arts. 

In regional WA, we see daily evidence of how crucial the creative workforce is to regional vibrancy, liveability and social cohesion. Which is why we are working to forge new employment pathways and learning opportunities through our Future Regional Creative Workforce Project and Outback Prac initiative (facilitating student placements). 

We hope to see changes that allow Australia’s creative workforce to continue shaping our social fabric and cultural future.

Read the full Guardian article here

Until next time, notice the little things as Bunuru season continues (like the dolphins in Bunbury in our header image), keep making beautiful things, and if you’re in need of strategic planning inspiration (or just moral support), you know where to find us.

With gratitude,

Dr Pilar Kasat