New Picture For Indigenous Arts

The Ministry for Arts has announced improvements to the way the Government supports Indigenous arts, languages and culture.

 

Redesigned funding programs aim to provide greater security for funded organisations, streamline reporting, reduce red tape, improve flexibility and fund a broader range of art forms.

 

Minister for the Arts, Senator George Brandis said $40 million in funding would be available annually through two programs which merge the Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support, Indigenous Culture Support and Indigenous Languages Support programs and the Indigenous Employment Initiative.

“The Indigenous Languages and Arts program will fund organisations that support the revival and maintenance of Indigenous languages, and provide career opportunities and pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language workers,” Senator Brandis said.

“Funding programs to be ‘redesigned'”

 

“This program will also support projects that celebrate and promote Australia’s distinctive and diverse Indigenous culture and art, and contribute to a strong sense of cultural identity and pride through languages and the arts.”

The Indigenous Visual Arts Industry Support program would continue to support a national network of Indigenous-owned art centres and industry service organisations in the production, promotion and marketing of Indigenous visual art.

“The program will now also provide support for art centres to employ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts workers.

This investment will reinforce the ongoing development and growth of this internationally renowned sector,” the Minister said.

Operational funds for art and languages centres and service delivery organisations would be delivered through targeted grants from 1 July.

A competitive round for Indigenous Languages and Arts grants would open in mid-2015 for arts projects that celebrate Australia’s Indigenous cultural and artistic expressions.

The Minister said program guidelines were currently being finalised.