Deadline looming for regional artists of tomorrow

Deadline looming for regional artists of tomorrow

Regional Arts WA

Emerging artists and artsworkers living in regional WA have just days left to apply for a grant that could help them to kick-start a career in the arts, or further their employment opportunities.

Next Level YCulture Regional provides up to four grants annually, valued up to $5,000, to artists and artsworkers aged between 18-26 to support professional development projects.

Designed to help build networks, increase skills and grow exposure, these grants have helped to open doors for young people passionate about working in the arts.

Last year’s recipients included aspiring visual and performance artists such as Mandurah-based Ruby Liddelow, an emerging theatre-maker who described the experience as “a massive confidence boost”.

Ruby Liddelow with Riptide Contemporary Youth Performance Company. Picture by Jamie Breen.

Ms Liddelow, who has been working and volunteering in the arts sector for the past six years, secured funding for a 4-week internship at the Australian Theatre for Young People in Sydney.

“I love living in Mandurah but in a smaller town you can feel a career in arts isn’t viable because it’s not a big sector – there just aren’t jobs available so the real challenge is gaining skills and feeling the confidence to do things yourself.

“I was so inspired while I was in Sydney meeting people, building my skills and gaining new experiences that I started formulating new project ideas immediately, and now I’m working on bringing them to life,” Ms Liddelow said.

The 23 year old believes that individually-focused grant schemes like Next Level YCulture Regional, which can be used to fund expenses such as art materials, accommodation, travel and insurance costs, marketing and venue hire, offer enormous value to young artists looking to build a career for themselves in their hometowns and would like to encourage others to apply for this year’s round of funding.

“There’s so much potential for art in our regional communities – we just need to support young artists to be able to identify the great opportunities available to empower them to start creating their own [opportunities],” she added.

Picture by Ruby Liddelow.

Applications will be accepted until 11:59pm on Friday 3 August 2018 and are open to any young person living in regional WA seeking to develop their careers in any form of the arts, including visual arts, theatre, creative writing, film and music.

In addition to the grant, successful applicants will have the opportunity to attend Artlands, an event run by Regional Arts Victoria in Bendigo and Castlemaine this October, with attendance costs covered as part of the program.

The Next Level YCulture Regional arts program, run by Country Arts WA, and presented by Drug Aware, is made possible by the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and the Department of Primary Industry and Regional Development, under the State Government’s Creative Regions investment into arts and culture across WA.

For more information on how to apply for Next Level YCulture Regional, head over to www.countryartswa.asn.au/nextlevel, contact an Investment Officer at Country Arts WA on regional free call 1800 811 883 or email info@countryartswa.asn.au.

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