Shire gives green light to Arts Development Seed Fund

THE Surf Coast Shire council’s Arts Development Seed Fund – Creative Action for the Climate Emergency is going ahead, with applications to close on April 9.

The shire’s arts development officer Harriet Gaffney sent an email to applicants and those who had expressed interest in the fund on Wednesday last week to assure them the opportunity was available, and that submissions would soon be assessed.

Ms Gaffney said while the council’s arts team could not indicate when any non-digital work could have a public viewing, the funding would be granted in June.

She said projects that had already begun would not be eligible for this particular grant stream.

“I believe that our restricted circumstances give us increased opportunity for creativity, and I would love to see how you all respond to the challenge,” she said in her email.

“I hope too that this funding may help you continue with your work to support you and yours for the duration. It is a very tough time for those artists whose work relies on being seen, heard (and) physically expressed in (a) space – this is one avenue to bring some income in for your work.

“If your work would not usually, perhaps, fall into the public art realm, I encourage you to think about how you might get your ideas and work out into the public realm as it stands now.”

Ms Gaffney asked artists to be candid about how much funding they needed to complete their project, noting the amount could be the difference between “getting to do the project or not, or someone else getting to deliver a project”.

She also said she was surprised by the lack of response to the fund from writers, and that she encouraged cross collaborations between artists and multidisciplinary approaches to the brief.

Funding is available for art projects that:
• Encourage creative collaborations between local artists, organisations and businesses
• Encourage climate action by the community for the preservation and safe-keeping of the Surf Coast’s flora and fauna
• Activate public places to create vibrant, creative spaces that encourage community interaction and engagement and deter vandalism
• Encourage and enable groups or individuals across the shire to collaborate and share knowledge, skills and resources.

Grants between $1,000-$5,000 are up for grabs. For more information, head to surfcoast.vic.gov.au.