Arts Funding Reaches New Heights

The Space Between by Circa AustraliaAerial artists reached new heights reflecting the City’s record funding for arts and culture.

City of Gold Coast is investing nearly $12 million in culture this financial year.

Community and Cultural Development Committee Chair Cr Bob La Castra said the Gold Coast had entered a new era of opportunity for artists.

“This funding demonstrates our strong commitment to building a thriving cultural economy by growing our creative industries. We are supporting local artists to develop a contemporary program of leading edge creative ideas that are distinctly Gold Coast – creativity and work that you won’t see anywhere else in the country.

“And highlighting our city’s distinctive cultural identity is a key element of the $1.2 million allocation to support the development of local artists in the lead up to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth GamesTM,” Cr La Castra said.

Local aerial artist Darcy Grant is one of the first to benefit through a creative development grant offered to the circus and physical theatre sector.

Mr Grant received $10,000 to kick start a bold new performance piece. His work Sequins and Sinews performed in partnership with Aerial Angels is on the program for next year’s Bleach Festival.

Gold Coasters were given a sneak peek yesterday as Mr Grant performed from a crane at Broadwater Parklands. He said his performances start at the crossroads where dance and acrobatics meet.

“The sequins are a nod to the showgirl glitz and glamour of the Gold Coast while the sinew celebrates the human body in a hard edged, stripped back musing on femininity, muscle and bone.

“The piece is scalable, we could use 20 cranes. With this grant we’re supporting local talent, local ideas and festivals and we’re building creative partnerships which will lead to more interesting projects,” he said.

Mr Grant will also mentor local emerging performers at the upcoming Circus Incubator project.

City of Gold Coast is running the series of professional development workshops this September in partnership with the Australian Circus and Physical Theatre Association (ACAPTA) and Spaghetti Circus. Delivering an ‘art meets sport’ cultural experience, the workshops celebrate the distinctive character of the Gold Coast’s active, outdoor lifestyle.

Cr La Castra said the city’s cultural transformation was generating interest nationwide.

“Boosting investment has flow on effects. It builds a buzz within the sector and begins to position the Gold Coast as an incubator for emerging talent, in turn, attracting more talent and investment,” he said.

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