Dear friends and creators,

It’s been another month of travel for myself and our Regional Arts WA team, and there is no doubt the weather has shifted. It’s been a crisp month in the southern pockets, meanwhile, up north, the sun’s turned up, and so have the mozzies! After all that rain, they’ve come out in full force, clearly not ones to miss a party.

Wherever you’re reading this (in hail, rain or shine), I’m genuinely excited to share the goings-on at both RAWA, and news from our creative communities.

Refreshed Website Launch!

After months of dedicated work, I’m very thrilled to announce the launch of our refreshed Regional Arts WA website. This has been a labour of love from our entire team, with a dedicated focus on improved load times and enhanced accessibility (no more watching the clock while you wait for a page to load!).

The beautiful new homepage visual project (which we’ll share more details about next week) represents a unique collaboration that captures the essence of our creative state. I’m immensely proud of both the internal and external work that has gone into making our digital presence more welcoming and functional for all.

Good Arts, Good Mental Health

This month, we hosted an insightful webinar on the connection between arts and mental health, hosted by Dr Christina Davies, Honorary Research Fellow at UWA’s School of Humanities and Associate Professor at the School of Allied Health. Her powerful reminder that “You don’t have to be good at arts for arts to be good for you” was a key takeaway for participants.

The intersection of arts and mental wellbeing is something I hold especially close to my heart. In my travels across regional WA, I’ve witnessed how the arts can create spaces for vulnerability, connection, and resilience, particularly in communities where traditional mental health supports are limited.

Regional Roundup

The Social Fabric Project continues to connect communities across the Goldfields-Esperance region. On June 3rd, South African writer and activist Sisonke Msimang led a storytelling workshop where participants shared their origins through prose. It was highly emotional and Sisonke’s knowledge-sharing invaluable. At the Museum of Goldfields on June 21st, another workshop on Social and Emotional Wellbeing, facilitated by Carol Thompson was well attended by a diverse group from the Kalgoorlie community.

I had the pleasure of attending and presenting at the West Kimberley Arts forum, in Derby. The gathering focused on capacity building and skills development for artists and arts workers in remote areas. We heard directly from community voices about their creative needs and aspirations, which helps us develop solutions driven by locals rather than imposing top-down ideas that miss the mark.

In Margaret River, we attended the State Budget announcement with Minister for Creative Industries Simone McGurk, alongside representatives from the Creative Tech Village, the Creative Corner Inc, and digital agency Bureau42. While we’re advocating for increased regional funding, it was heartening to see strong local creative industry representation at this important event.

Coming Up!

Next week brings together our eagerly anticipated Regional Arts Network (RAN) Gathering at the WA State Library. Representatives of 20 regional arts organisations across our vast state will come together for two days of collaboration and strategic planning. I’m looking forward to the collective wisdom that always emerges when we gather in person.

Funding News

Always an absolute delight to share the latest funding recipients so can’t miss this opportunity.

Congratulations to the seven incredible arts and cultural projects receiving a total of $200,381 through the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund. The selected initiatives celebrate First Nations voices, empower young artists, and build strong community connections through theatre, photography, and circus arts, from the Kimberley to the Great Southern.

Big congrats to Goolarri Media Enterprises, Southern Edge Arts Inc, Wheatbelt Arts and Events, Nic Duncan Photographer, Theatre Kimberley, Juluwarlu Group Aboriginal Corporation and Camera Story.

A Personal Note

I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the thoughtful comments and messages following our Refugee Week post sharing my personal story. The word ‘refugee’ indeed carries complex layers – it’s an identity shaped by both challenge and strength, displacement and belonging. Your responses reminded me of the power of personal storytelling through lived experience and the generosity of our arts community.

Finally, as June 30th approaches, I encourage those who can to consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our continued work in championing regional arts across Western Australia.

Go well,

Dr Pilar Kasat

*Feature image of the Kafta Runway Fashion Show held in Broome on June 1st. Image Credit: Garth Preece