Today, the City of Melbourne have announced $800,000 worth of grants to support artists creating new work in 2018. As part of the Annual Arts Grants Program, sixty eight artists and organisations recieve up to $20,000 for projects involving theatre, dance, music, circus, craft, litereature and visual art.
The grants are designed to gift Melbournians with new artistic and cultural experiences, the majority of which will be free of charge. Arts, Culture and Heritage Portfolio Chair Councillor Rohan Leppert says,
“For more than 20 years, the City of Melbourne has fostered artistic talent and made an enormous contribution to Melbourne’s vibrant creative life through our investments in arts grants. 94% of artists told us their projects would not have been possible without financial support from programs such as our grants”
This year, the grants are more popular than ever with 384 applicants, 75% of which are first time applicants. 2018 recipients include Not Good Place, who installed ceramic tiles featuring Aboriginal stories in the Treasury Gardens, Sisteria, a podcast series about arts and culture created by or about women and Street Skeeters, an interactive theatre workshop involving puppeteered wheelchair creatures. The full list of grants and past recipients from the City of Melbourne can be found on their webiste.
Leppert says “I am also pleased to see artists pushing the boundaries to create works that explore issues such as diversity, disability, gender identity and Australian history that are sure to provoke thought and discussion.”
