Warmun Art Centre secures $50,000 grant to support Gija community’s cultural legacy
Warmun Art Centre will receive $50,000 in funding from the WA Government to help the community-led business continue its work into the future.
The 26-year-old art centre is one of five Aboriginal cultural groups to share in $500,000 to go towards developing new works and to build capacity within the organisations
Warmun Art Centre is owned and government by the Gija people with all income going back into the community.
The grant money will go towards developing organisational skills, systems, policies and planning documents for community members who manage the art centre.
The funding is part of the first round of Regional Aboriginal Arts Development grants from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.
The grants are designed to support the development of Aboriginal artists and the cultural sector in regional Western Australia.
The funding is awarded in two categories. Either creative development with grants up $150,000 for the production of new, large-scale Aboriginal artworks in regional WA, or for business development.
The grants panel, made up of Western Australian Aboriginal people specialising in the arts, awarded grants to two other Kimberley organisations.
They were, Marrugeku, which received $150,000 for research and development of a new major work in the Kimberley, and Goolarri Media Enterprises which received $149,624 for the creation of Because We’re Blak, a new Aboriginal theatre work in Broome.
Culture and the Arts Minister David Templeman said it was important to support works which the public see, but it’s equally important to support the processes which go on behind the scenes in the arts.
“I look forward to seeing what kind of exciting work comes as a result of these grants,” he said.
Kimberley MLA Divina D’Anna said she was pleased to see three of the five recipients were from the North West.
“We really do have some world-class artists here. By supporting their work, it helps them to tell their stories, which in turn leads to greater understanding and stronger partnerships.”
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