Increasing the global reach of Australia’s arts and culture sector

Nine arts and culture projects will share in more than $760,000 to support overseas opportunities under the Morrison Government’s International Cultural Diplomacy Arts Fund.

Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, the Hon Paul Fletcher MP, said the funding will promote international arts and cultural engagement and enhance Australia’s international partnerships.

“I’m pleased to see these nine recipients share in over $760,000 under the International Cultural Diplomacy Arts Fund, which will support them in promoting Australia on the international stage,” Minister Fletcher said.

“This funding will enable these organisations and individuals to re-establish cultural linkages in person following major disruptions from COVID-19, support education and employment pathways, and strengthen the capabilities of our creative economy.”

The Fund will support Belvoir Street Theatre and contemporary circus company, Gravity and Other Myths to take centre stage at the 75th Edinburgh International Festival, one of the world’s preeminent performing arts events, sharing in over $240,000 in support.

It will also support Sheldon Riley at the 2022 Eurovision Song Contest in Italy. Sheldon was selected to represent Australia with his song Not the Same, which he will perform to an estimated audience of over 200 million people.

The Fund will also provide combined support of more than $187,000 to the Australian National Academy of Music and the Australian Film Television and Radio School to take part in the UK/Australia Season, Poetry in Action’s tour of New Zealand, and the re-establishment of the Australian Publishers Association’s presence at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair.

The Fund will play an important role in showcasing and promoting the diversity and creativity of Australia’s Indigenous art and culture through $275,000 combined support for the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair’s International Development Program and the touring of rare Aboriginal bark paintings to the United States as part of Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection’s Madayin: Eight Decades of Aboriginal Australian Bark Painting from Yirrkala exhibition.

The Morrison Government is investing over $1 billion into the arts and creative sector in 2021-22.