Kaya,

As we move from Djilba into the warmer, and often busier Kambarang months, arts events are lighting up across the state.

Of course, the sun was already out in Kununurra, where our First Nations Project Officer Janine Oxenham and Investment Coordinator Carla Steele have presented on funding and our Social Fabric equity project at AACHWA’s Our Business forum on Miriwoong Country. Missed them there? Feel free to reach out.

Regional artists have also had the spotlight in Perth this week, with the Regional Arts Triennial Radical Futures exhibition now open at John Curtin Gallery until November, a brilliant showcase of creativity from across our regions. We also enjoyed the WA Regional Visual Arts Summit, including our RAWA-sponsored workshop with Emma Gibbens, Planning Your Planting. We supported this workshop because it speaks to something central to how we see the sector: that artists, organisations and communities are all part of one ecosystem, shaping and shaped by each other. It’s an idea at the heart of our Thrive strategy, and Emma’s session gave people a way to feel that rather than just hear about it. It was great to connect with colleagues and friends who had travelled from all over the state and to meet so many new people, as well.

Alongside our Chair, Josephine Johnson, I attended The Philanthropy Conference 2026 in Brisbane, a rich conversation about generosity, power, community and system change. It was the first time the conference included an arts showcase, and a powerful one. I’d love to see the arts woven even more centrally into these conversations in future, not just alongside them, but as part of how we build community, shift perspectives and imagine new futures.

Now I’m off again, this time at Artlands with our Manager of Strategy and Partnerships, Alysha Saunders. This year’s theme, Water Connects Everything, brings together artists, First Nations knowledge holders, policymakers and industry voices for three days of dialogue on what creativity can reveal about the systems shaping regional Australia’s future. Looking forward to sharing more soon.

Have a read of all the amazing things happening and let us know what’s on near you.

Dr Pilar Kasat