One of the Palaszczuk Government’s major arts funding programs has reached a milestone this month, and the Government is providing more than $400,000 to help support arts and cultural projects across Queensland under the Queensland Arts Showcase Program.
This grants program, now in its fourth year, has provided a total $12 million in funding to more than 360 vibrant arts and cultural projects across Queensland.
Minister for the Arts Leeanne Enoch said the Government was providing a more than $400,000 to 13 projects across Queensland.
“This latest round of projects highlights some amazing work being undertaken across a range of artistic disciplines, including visual arts, theatre, comedy and cabaret,” Minister Enoch said.
“These projects are connecting communities by telling rich stories and providing a way for people to explore and unpack complex issues.
“For example, Gold Coast artist Libby Harward Art is receiving more than $38,000 for her project, Deadstream-Dabilbung– Broken water.
“This isan immersive multimedia experience about the broken waters of the Murray-Darling centring on Australia’s First Peoples voices in sound, video and dialogues in a move to guide the restoration of this broken freshwater system.”
Libby Harward said being a recipient of the Queensland Arts Showcase Program funding is crucial to the making of this new work.
“I can now immerse myself in the development of an audio-visual work that aims to challenge and extend my artistic practice and address important political and environmental issues,” Ms Harward said.
“The Queensland Arts Showcase Program funding will allow me to travel country with a sound and film team connecting with Traditional custodians in rural and remote areas. Connections will be critical to the development of an immersive multi-media experience that will listen deeply to country that is suffering devastation and join the call for healing.”
Minister Enoch said Brisbane-based performer Clint Bolster is receiving $26,500 to develop a cabaret performance based on his clown persona Booff to perform in cabaret programs and festivals.
“I am extremely proud to be a Queensland-based actor, clown and producer with a wide network of local, regional, national and international clients, collaborators and agencies, with a strong track-record of commercial and artistic viability,” Mr Bolster said.
“This funding is the first invaluable step in developing a suite of five performance works for Booff that are scalable, robust and tourable, and can be adapted to suit many contexts such as festivals, corporate events, circuses, cabarets and variety shows in Australia and overseas.”
Other projects receiving funding include Benjamin Allmon, who is receiving $44,500 to oversee the production of a book, podcast and exhibition about the Scenic Rim from the perspective of its roads and trails where he will be walking, and $5,200 to Gympie’s 2019 Heart of Gold International Short Film Festival to engage mosaic artist Brett Campbell to run of workshops over four days to teach festival patrons how to create a mosaic tile based on a symbol meaningful to them.
