Change is in the air

Regional Arts WA

Over the past 18 months, our Board of Directors has undertaken a significant review of the organisation to strengthen our capacity to respond faster and more effectively to the needs of the regional arts sector and the communities we serve. This planning has been guided by our membership, interviews, field trips and events, and we thank everyone who was part of this process.

As a result, our new 5 Year Strategic Plan includes new purpose and vision statements as well as five focused key strategies. The purpose statement has us “celebrating and strengthening a powerful regional arts sector,” to create the vision of “connected and creative regional communities.”

This new Plan also comes with a refreshed staffing structure and a new name.

As Chief Executive Officer Paul MacPhail continues to lead the organisation and liaise with key State and Federal Governments and regional partners. Program teams focussed on project delivery and regional arts sector development are led by Jessica Anderson, Weng-Si Cheang and Philippa Maughan. Our fantastic team of Officers includes Monique Boucher, Hannah Chambers, Fleur Hardy, Lorraine Sanders, Jon Solmundson, and the return of Hayley Dart, Gemma Robins and Carla Steele.

We are very proud of our 25 year history as Country Arts WA, but we’re also excited about our new direction and the next 25 years as Regional Arts WA (from 1 October 2019 onwards). We’ve made this decision for three key reasons:

Alignment with our colleagues in the national regional arts sector (Regional Arts Australia, Regional Arts Victoria and Regional Arts NSW)
Our interactions with the sector and our descriptive language all refer to regional arts as opposed to country arts
It’s a more contemporary brand reflective of a more contemporary organisation, and it positions us for the future

As Regional Arts WA, we believe we are taking a much stronger approach to serving the needs of regional communities. We believe the regional arts sector has, and always will, play a critical role in helping to ensure that the regions are connected and creative.

You can find more information on this website and follow us on Facebook for news and updates.