Annual Report 2018-19
There is enormous public value generated through the arts for the whole of civil society – the arts contribute significantly across our nation’s health, education, industry, global affairs and more. Sam Walsh AO
First Nations Contemporary Music Program: applications now open
The First Nations Contemporary Music program is one of five programs under the Australian Music Industry Package announced in the 2019-2020 Budget. Learn more about the 2 funding streams: Musicians and Band Support, and First Nations Music Industry Partnerships.
Cherish II Fund: applications now open
The Cherish II Fund is in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the disruption experienced by the First Nations arts and cultural sector and community. Learn more about the 4 funding streams: Living Libraries, Creative Practice, Creative Entrepreneur and Creative Workforce.
First Nations' Roundtables
The First Nations' Roundtables were an ongoing series of updates and discussions about the implications COVID-19 is having on the First Nations independent and small to medium sector, live performance and public gatherings.
2020 First Nations Arts Awards: Meet the recipients
Formerly the National Indigenous Arts Awards, the First Nations Arts Awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding creativity and lifetime achievements of First Nations artists. These significant awards are held each year on May 27 to mark the anniversary of the 1967 referendum.
Australia Council response
Learn more about Australia Council's Response Package to support
artists, arts practitioners, arts groups and arts organisations coping with the
impact of COVID-19.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts are a rich contribution to the world’s culture, and to Australia’s diverse contemporary culture and national identity.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts include classical, traditional and contemporary practice, including all new forms of cultural expression. This is applied across all art forms and in urban, regional and remote areas.
The Australia Council for the Arts regards Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures as living forces with their own strengths and influences, not as remnants of the past. We aim to make these cultural expressions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people a source of pride for all Australians.
The value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts activity to individuals, families and communities is significant culturally, socially and economically, and its potential is significant in all communities. Research by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and the Telstra Foundation about the role of Indigenous festivals highlighted not only the economic benefits but improved well-being, as people reported that they had an increase in cultural pride and self-esteem stemming from a sense of inclusion and cultural identity.
Protocols Working with Indigenous Artists
Applicants working with Indigenous Australian artists, who are funded by the grant assessment panels of the Australia Council, are required to adhere to the Indigenous Cultural protocol guides published by the Council as a condition funding.
The protocol guides are available free on the Council website:
Music: Protocols for Producing Indigenous Australian Music
Writing: Protocols for Producing Indigenous Australian Writing
Visual Arts: Protocols for Producing Indigenous Australian Visual Arts
Media Arts: Protocols for Producing Indigenous Australian Media Arts
Performing Arts: Protocols for Producing Indigenous Australian Performing Arts
Funding
Funding is dedicated to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, groups and organisations. This funding is assessed wholly by Indigenous peers.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, groups and organisations are welcome to make applications for activities with vibrancy in artistic and cultural expressions.
Need help with your application? Contact a Grants Officer now
Impacts of COVID-19 on First Nations arts and culture
This paper outlines the immediate and longer term needs, concerns and potentially catastrophic impacts for First Nations arts and culture in light of COVID-19. This includes potential for the most significant loss of arts, culture and language since the arrival of the First Fleet. Drawing on research and sector intelligence, the paper highlights opportunities for First Nations arts specific support and cross-portfolio advocacy and engagement.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts are a rich contribution to the world’s culture, and to Australia’s diverse contemporary culture and national identity.
Closing the Gap
The Australia Council’s submission to the Closing the Gap Refresh advocates for increased investment in First Nations arts and cultural expression, cultural maintenance, and First Nations-led culturally based solutions across portfolios. It draws on the growing body of evidence showing participation in arts and culture supports outcomes across the Closing the Gap framework.
Our submission was developed in collaboration with our First Nations stakeholders. First Nations peoples’ indivisible rights to culture and self-determination are central in our submission. For decades, First Nations peoples have advocated for the critical role of culture – as a necessary part of the solution to Indigenous disadvantage, and for the healing and strengthening of individuals and communities. However, culture has been the missing element from the Closing the Gap framework to date. Funding for First Nations culture made up just 1% of total direct government expenditure for Indigenous Australians in 2015–16, and cultural outcomes have not featured in the measurement framework.
Now is the moment to invest in the inherent value and foundational role of strong culture in the Closing the Gap agenda.
Click here to read more.
Highlights
Protocols for working with Indigenous artists
As primary guardians and interpreters of their cultures, Indigenous people have well-established protocols for interacting with their cultural material. New situations also require cultural protocols.
Strong success for First Nations artists in Australia Council Fellowships
Australia Council CEO Tony Grybowski congratulated all of the Fellowship recipients, saying they represented some of Australia’s most exceptional artistic talent.
Making Art Work
The Australia Council for the Arts has released new research which examines the economic conditions faced by practising professional artists in Australia and their increasing value to society and the future of work.
Jacob Boehme: Australia Council's new First Nations Arts Fellow
Jacob has a 20 year history working in contemporary and cultural Indigenous Arts sectors as a director, producer and theatre maker.