What is Arts NSW?
Arts NSW is the NSW Government’s arts policy and funding body.
Arts NSW aims to foster a spirited arts and cultural environment, which values our artists and our heritage, which builds community, excites our imagination and inspires our future.
The Hon Frank Sartor, MP is the Minister for the Arts.
How do we assist the arts in NSW?
We fund key arts organisations, manage a portfolio of properties used for cultural activities and advise the Government and arts sector on effective support for the arts. We also encourage participation in, and broader access to, the arts and support our artists and cultural organisations to create and present exciting and innovative work.
Our advice, projects, properties, grants and capital funding support key arts organisations, the state’s major cultural institutions, community and industry development, social inclusion, arts education, strong and innovative arts practice and expressions of celebration.
In 2007-08 we are investing $258 million to support the arts in NSW, including $212 million for the seven state cultural institutions. Our priorities include:
- improving services to Indigenous communities;
- extending the ConnectEd arts education partnership with the NSW Department of Education and Training;
- closer collaboration with local and state government agencies to improve arts facilities;
- promoting on-line access to the state’s cultural collections.
What does our support for the arts mean for the people of NSW?
The arts are important in the lives of the people of NSW. Over 80% of the adult population attend cultural venues and events. Almost 70% of children aged 5-14 attend cultural venues and events outside of school hours.
The arts promote a culture of learning, innovation and creativity, as well as assisting social cohesion and economic strength.
The Government’s investment of $258 million in the arts in NSW leverages some $2.2 billion each year in economic activity. Nearly one million people in NSW work in culture and leisure activities, helping to make NSW the premier arts state in Australia.
The arts bring diverse communities together, respecting their distinct traditions, strengthening understanding and cohesion and re-engaging marginalised individuals and communities. Cultural planning promotes regional development and helps to provide facilities in areas of urban consolidation.
Giving children and young people access to the arts and to cultural collections improves education and encourages lifelong learning. Our museums, galleries, theatres, concert halls and libraries encourage young people to improve their skills, knowledge, ideas and creativity. Experimenting with new ideas, challenging artists and audiences and experiencing new ways of working are central to the arts and can encourage innovation in other areas of life.