Media Release
15 June 2026
Ten regional arts and culture projects will share in $261,596 through the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, delivered in Western Australia by Regional Arts WA.
From First Nations-led initiatives grounded in healing and truth-telling, to contemporary dance works exploring mental health, and rarely heard stories from the shearing sheds of the outback, the first round of 2026 Regional Arts Fund Project Grants showcases the extraordinary breadth and diversity of creative practice across the State.
Together, these projects bring powerful local stories to life and strengthen cultural connections within regional communities.
Australian Government Minister for the Arts, the Hon Tony Burke MP congratulated the recipients, saying,
“There’s a place for every story and a story for every place and our regional artists are critical in ensuring Australian stories are told across the country.
“Boosting the cultural infrastructure of those communities means regional arts will go from strength to strength.
“This funding shines a light on projects across the country, helping regional artists reach new audiences within their communities and beyond.”
Skills development is a defining feature of this funding round. From Neville Talbot’s Conducting Mentoring Program in the Great Southern, which will nurture a new generation of regional conductors, to Broome Circle’s specialist training in artwork documentation for First Nations arts workers, these initiatives provide valuable, hands-on experience that builds long-term creative capacity.
The Assessment Panel commended the high calibre of applications in this round, including a notable cohort of first-time applicants, four of whom secured funding, reinforcing the Fund’s continued commitment to supporting emerging talent.
Regional Arts WA CEO Dr Pilar Kasat said the funded projects reflect both the strength and the heart of regional communities.
“These projects speak to the resilience, creativity and lived experiences of people across regional Western Australia. We are particularly encouraged to see so many emerging artists and first-time applicants step forward with such powerful stories. Supporting their voices is not just about funding art, it’s about recognising people and their stories; fostering connection, cultural understanding and a sense of belonging through sharing these within and across communities.”
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Projects funded in this round of the Regional Arts Fund are:
Country Music Club of Boyup Brook WA Inc (South West) | $30,000 Boyup Brook Country Music Muster 2027
The 40th celebration of WA’s longest running country music festival will showcase original live music, emerging talent and regional pride. The 3-day Boyup Brook Country Music Muster event will attract over 5000 visitors and feature the WA Country Music Awards, street carnival, bush poetry and artist development workshops, bringing this South West town to life through music.
Emily O’Brien (Great Southern) | $30,000 | The Girl with the Colourful Mind
A new dance production will explore Emily’s lived experience of autism and mental health, and its impact on those around her. Developed through Regional Arts WA’s Next Level Youth Fellowship program funded by the WA Government, The Girl with a Colourful Mind will premiere at Albany Town Hall in April 2027, with Emily directing, choreographing and producing under the mentorship of award-winning creative producer, Annette Carmichael and long-time choreographic mentor, Jessica Ruggera.
Broome Community Information Resource Centre and Learning Exchange Incorporated – Broome CIRCLE (Kimberley) | $26,490 | Strengthening Artwork Documentation and Story Collection Processes
Broome CIRCLE’s Artists Away from Home (AAFH) program supports First Nations artists from remote community art centres across the Kimberley and Pilbara to continue painting while in Broome. This project will strengthen story collection and artwork documentation processes within AAFH through targeted training for First Nations arts workers – including story recording, transcription, photography and filmmaking – benefiting art centres throughout the Kimberley and Pilbara.
Camera Story Ltd (Kimberley) | $30,000 | The Next Step: A Level Up
Kimberley-based First Nations artists Mary-Lou Orliyarli Divilli and Nuriah Jadai will develop ambitious new bodies of work for their first solo exhibitions. Led by Camera Story, a Broome-based arts organisation, the project includes On-Country residencies in Kupungarri and Mangala Country alongside mentoring and professional development across regional Western Australia. The project will also support Orliyarli Divilli and Jadai to exhibit in group exhibitions in both Boorloo (Perth) and Narm (Melbourne).
Wagyl Kaip Southern Noongar Aboriginal Corporation (Great Southern) | $30,000 |Every Stitch Holds Country: A First Nations Community Quilt for Carrolup
A First Nations-led, community-driven project across the Great Southern region that will honour truth-telling about the Carrolup children of the Stolen Generation through storytelling and on-Country creativity. Workshops in painting, drawing, cloth dying and embroidery will foster intergenerational knowledge-sharing and cultural connection, culminating in a public exhibition of artworks, and a community quilt that educates and engages the wider community.
Southern Forest Arts (SouthWest) | $30,000 | 2026 WA Regional Visual Arts Summit – Travel Busaries
Funding will support 40 regional artists to attend the 2026 WA Regional Visual Arts Summit – ‘Radical Futures’ – to be held from 17–20 September at the John Curtin Gallery, Perth. The Summit builds on the success of the third iteration of the WA Regional Arts Triennial, which saw 13 locally curated regional exhibitions foster ambition, skill and confidence, resulting in more than 160 new artworks by 137 artists and 30 curators. This momentum will culminate in a four-day conference and survey exhibition, providing a major platform for the 40 selected artists to present their work to new and diverse audiences in one of Western Australia’s most prestigious gallery spaces.
Geraldton Open Studios & Surrounds (MidWest) | $30,000 | GOSS Artist Exchange & Engagement Program 2026
The GOSS Artist Exchange & Engagement Program 2026 is a year-round initiative supporting artists participating in Geraldton Open Studios & Surrounds (GOSS) in Western Australia’s Mid West. Developed in response to artist survey feedback, the program creates opportunities for artists to connect, share their work and engage with audiences throughout the year, including quarterly artist slide nights, “In Conversation” gatherings, a temporary GOSS Pop-Up Hub exhibition space, and an Emerging Artist Market.
Leith Alexander (Wheatbelt) | $19,306 | Sheds: Stories from the Shearing Shed
A documentary-led arts project by Narrogin filmmaker Leith Alexander, drawing on her lived experience growing up on a sheep farm and deep connections with the shearing community. Through interviews with shearers, wool handlers and farmers across the Southern Wheatbelt – alongside immersive field recordings – the project will preserve stories and rarely documented sounds, forming the basis for a cross-disciplinary performance combining film and live music, composed and directed by award-winning composer Corrina Bonshekwith.
Yinhawangka Foundation (Pilbara) | $30,000 | From Earth to Art : Yinhawangka Emergence
The Yinhawangka Emergence Residency is a one-week, on-Country program supporting Yinhawangka artists to create exhibition-ready works grounded in cultural strength, ancestral knowledge and connection to Country. Through mentorship, skills development and engagement with Elders, the residency culminates in a curated exhibition that celebrates contemporary Yinhawangka identity while strengthening cultural visibility, pride and pathways for artists to share their stories.
Neville Talbot (Great Southern) | $5,800 | Conducting Mentoring Program
A pilot development program for aspiring conductors in the Great Southern Region will build the skills needed to lead community music groups across a range of genres, combining structured coursework with practical, on-the-podium experience. The initiative offers a hands-on pathway to strengthen regional music leadership and capacity.
About the Regional Arts Fund
The Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund supports sustainable cultural development in regional and remote communities. This program is managed by Regional Arts Australia and administered in Western Australia by Regional Arts WA. The program provides funding for grants, including quick response and project grants, professional development for artists and arts workers, and community capacity building projects. www.arts.gov.au/funding-and-support/regional-arts-fund
Banner Image: Past RAF recipient, Members of the Yindjibarndi Community performing at Yindjibarndi Nyinart at Wendy’s Garden Installation, Biennale of Sydney Opening Weekend. Photo: Maja Baska.
Regional Arts WA
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