2 February 2016
The Government has announced the first projects to be funded under Catalyst, the new $12 million national arts and culture fund created late last year.
Catalyst funding is available in three streams: partnerships and collaborations; innovation and participation; and international and cultural diplomacy.
The first three successful projects were fast-tracked to allow these organisations to take up unexpected opportunities, as provided for under the Catalyst guidelines.
The three recipients are:
· The Hush Foundation based in Victoria produces music and theatre to improve the environment of hospitals and health-care settings. Funding of $50,000 for this project recognises the important role of the arts in improving the health and wellbeing of Australians. The foundation will perform a program of new Australian music and their play Hear Me, based on health issues, at the World Anaesthetic Congress Hong Kong 2016, one of the world’s largest medical congresses. The funding will also support performances at hospitals by Hush during the tour to China;
· Suzanne O’Connell Gallery and Associates in Queensland, in partnership with Girringun Aboriginal Corporation will showcase the traditional and contemporary work of Indigenous artists in Northern Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands to 500,000 European visitors. The funding of $485,450 will also cover public programs at the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco in 2016. The project will strengthen Australia’s reputation as a sophisticated and artistic nation and forge new relationships with French cultural institutions; and
· The Last Great Hunt Inc in Western Australia will perform a new Australian work tackling the issues of Alzheimers and dementia in a key international arts market. The theatre company will receive $14,840 to allow its award-winning production It’s Dark Outside to be performed at the 2016 International Performing Arts for Youth market in Montreal, Canada. In addition to profiling the quality of Australian performing arts, this will also give this small and young company the opportunity to learn from key performing arts leaders.
Catalyst is administered by the Ministry of Arts within the Department of Communication and the Arts with the assistance of independent assessors.
Applications can be made at any time and funding decisions are made quarterly. Guidelines on how to apply for Catalyst and FAQs are available on the Ministry of Arts website at www.arts.gov.au/catalyst or by calling 1800 590 577.