$73 million for "the Arts" in WA

IGNITE Today the Premier, the Hon Alan Carpenter MLA with the Minister for Culture and the Arts the Hon Sheila McHale MLA, announced a new package for arts and culture in Western Australia - the biggest single State Government arts funding injection in the State’s history. The total package of $73million over four years includes $51million of new one-off and capital initiatives titled the Ignite Package. Ignite is a comprehensive and visionary package of arts and cultural initiatives designed to transform dance, theatre, music and visual arts as well as change the shape of WA’s cultural landscape. Ignite will deliver to Western Australia internationally significant arts events; more large scale performances; more national touring performances at key State venues; new cultural funding to regional Western Australia; transform the Premier’s Book Award; celebrate our indigenous artists; create sensational Australian television for and connect all Western Australians to, our arts, culture and entertainment. Ignite will change the public face of our State Library and improve the audience experience at our major performance venues and community facilities across the State. Ignite will also challenge our corporate sector and private individuals to recognise their role in investing in our cultural life as a return on investment for our community. It positions Western Australia as a leading international cultural centre and ensures that Western Australians experience the highest standards and quality in all activities, spaces and places. It will attract an international focus on the State and deliver on community expectations for arts and culture into the future. Delivery of Ignite will be managed through the Department for Culture and the Arts. The program will be delivered from 2008 and further details will be made available early next year. For further information please contact Corporate Affairs at the Department of Culture and the Arts - 9224 7300. To read the Media Statement To view the website IGNITE PACKAGE · Indigenous Art Award - The richest indigenous art awards program in the nation, more than $1.1million over four years will celebrate and honour indigenous art and culture. The prestigious annual awards will recognise individual artists, groups of artists and young artists and attract national and international attention. · Premier’s Australia-Asia Literary Award - This is a ground-breaking award and the richest of its kind in Australia. With $1.2million over four years to recognise excellence in literature, the award will be for a book-length work published in the preceding year, written by an author resident in Australia or Asia. · Art Gallery of WA - Up to $15million for a special Acquisition Fund. $10million of that will be provided in 2008-09. We are challenging the corporate sector to match the $10million dollar for dollar. If they do, the State Government will inject a further $5million. (The current State Government contribution to the gallery’s acquisition fund is $250,000 per year). · Arts Facilities - $12million over four years for capital spending on WA’s most used cultural facility, the State Library, as well as seat upgrades at Perth Concert Hall and a special Arts Capital Fund for facilities at professional arts organisations, clubs and community organisations. · Ballet and Symphony - to benefit from up to $8million to stage more performances, together with increased recurrent funding through indexation of grants. Opera will in turn be able to stage more performances given its increased access to the Symphony. · Regional Ignite - $5.6million over four years will see a 30 per cent increase to regional grants and touring programs, added support for regional literature festivals and extension of the ‘Out there’ project to target regional communities. · Major Production Fund - $5million over four years for a competitive program enabling artists and companies to think big to create exciting new large scale works. This is the first of its kind in Australia. · Sculpture Project - $1.5million over four years for a prestigious international competition to build two major sculptural works to enrich the Perth cityscape. Architects and artists will be invited to team up to submit concepts for one sculpture to be built in 2009 and one in 2011. · Philanthropy Incentive Program - $350,000 over three years to encourage individuals, trusts, organisations or foundations to donate to the arts. Also, a special WA Premier’s Arts Partnership Fund will inject $150,000 over three years for a new incentive program to encourage business to partner with WA arts organisations. · ScreenWest - $3.2million for WA’s screen production agency to create further sensational product and cement the State’s position as one of Australia’s biggest independent production centres. · Large scale international arts events - $3.5million to enable leading international artists to work with WA artists to create large scale public events. Cool... Nev It's the simple things stupid...