Young artists take the Summit to the Next Level
Regional Arts WA
Country Arts WA was proud to host our three young, emerging artists at the 2017 WA Regional Arts Summit, giving them an opportunity for professional development while enriching the Summit for everyone with their fresh perspectives.
Mandurah theatre maker Ruby Liddelow, Denmark visual artist Samala Ghosh, and Albany dancer Rita Bush received professional development grants through the Next Level YCulture Regional program, presented by Country Arts WA and Drug Aware with support from Creative Regions. They participated in the four-day Summit as part of their grants, and had the opportunity to network with artists, artsworkers and peak organisations from across WA.
Rita had already begun building her network on the first day of the Summit.
Samala Ghosh and Ruby Liddelow of the YCulture Regional Next Level program enjoy their last day of the Summit. Picture by Matt Tomich
“This is really exciting because it’s a chance to really get to know all the people from the arts community in regional WA, from right up the top to all the way down the bottom,” she said.
Ruby was also keen to meet other regional arts practitioners and hear their stories. She said the professional development that she was undertaking through the Next Level program would all flow back to Mandurah, as she shared the skills she was learning with the Riptide youth theatre company.
“The 2017 WA Regional Arts Summit offered me a great opportunity to make in-roads with the artists and arts workers from all over regional WA, build connections, develop my practice and learn more about the amazing work happening in our regional communities.”
The Next Level YCulture Regional program provides emerging Western Australian artists and arts workers aged 18 to 26 years with a fantastic opportunity to take their creative careers to the next level through professional development initiatives, partnerships, networks and mentors.
‘I put everything into my artwork, my heart and soul,’ Samala said while talking at the Summit about developing her work for a solo exhibition next year.
Rita, Samala and Ruby will continue on with their professional development next year with regular support from Country Arts WA, each other and their professional regional artist mentors.
You can learn more about Next Level YCulture Regional here, and if you have a great idea to engage youth in your community with the arts you can see info on the Drug Aware YCulture Regional grant here.
Next Level Y Culture Regional is made possible by the State Government’s Royalties for Regions Creative Regions Program delivered through the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and presented by Drug Aware.
