News

Culture and the Arts Minister John Day launched the Perth Theatre Trust (PTT) strategic plan at Subiaco Arts Centre today.

The plan, entitled ‘Showtime’, sets the PTT’s strategic direction for 2009-14.

Read the Minister's statement.

Read the PTT strategic plan.

A Young People and the Arts International Scholarship of $30,000 from the Liberal-National Government will assist a Kalamunda artist to study for a Masters of Fine Arts in Sculpture at the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design in the USA.

Joshua Webb was one of 11 artists and arts organisations to receive a total of $159,286 through the latest funding round of the Young People and Arts Grants Program. Funding is awarded for new works or to bring established works to a wider audience.

Read the Minister's statement.

How will nerve cell activity in a Petri dish change when it is given an audience? This is just one of the questions posed by Phil Gamblen and Guy Ben-Ary, residents at SymbioticA, an artistic laboratory dedicated to the research, learning and critique of life sciences based at The University of Western Australia.

Their work entitled Silent Barrage, which involves 32 sculptural robotic objects connected to brain cells, has recently received an Honorary Mention in the Hybrid art category at the Prix Ars Electronica.

The Liberal-National Government today announced the latest round of Arts Development Grants and reiterated the important role of arts and culture in the community.

Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said a total of $638,124 had been made available to arts practitioners and organisations, it was the broader community which would reap the benefits from experiencing their future work.

Read the Minister's statement.

The jury for the situatecompetition - an international sculpture competition offering $1million for an art work to transform Perth’s Forrest Place - has narrowed down 202 entries received from 33 countries to five shortlisted entrants.

Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said five teams would be invited to develop their concept designs which would be publicly displayed before the final winner is chosen later this year.

Read the Minister's statement.

ARTBAR – the new after-dark season of events inside the Art Gallery of Western Australia, which brings together music, comedy, food, wine and beer, not to mention stunning art and the State Art Collection – begins this Thursday, 11 June.

ARTBAR Season One is comprised of a program of four events, each on a Thursday evening from 6.30 to 9.30pm.

Gary Dufour, Deputy Director and Chief Curator of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, hailed ARTBAR as “An innovative new cultural offering which, judging by ticket sales, has already attracted new and younger audiences to the Gallery. ARTBAR combines late night openings of key exhibitions with other art forms such as stand-up comedy and contemporary music, offering Perth an invigorating and stimulating program mix over the winter months.”

Precious Goldfields collections will be preserved for generations to enjoy and learn from thanks to a State Government partnership with The Collections Council of Australia and the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

Culture and the Arts Minister John Day said the CollectionsCare pilot project that will see the establishment of a regional hub for community collections in the Goldfields, is the first of its kind in Western Australia.

“Without support for these important historical facilities, there is a risk that we could lose valuable documents and artefacts,” Mr Day said.

Read the Minister's statement.

A permanent commemoration of the Royal Australian Navy’s WW1 submarine, HMAS AE2 will be unveiled at the Western Australian Museum – Maritime this afternoon.

AE2 Commemorative Foundation Chairman, Rear Admiral Peter Briggs RAN (Rtd) and Perth Consul General for Turkey, Dr Cahit Yesertener were joined by the Hon Phillip Edman MLC to remember the first Allied submarine to penetrate the Dardanelles Strait.

The vessel was scuttled on April 30, 1915 after being fatally damaged in battle by the Turkish Torpedo Boat, Sultanhisa.

Creative Education Partnerships: Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Initiative or AIR GRANTS PROGRAM – applications are now available online for STEAM 1!

Developed in conjunction with the Australia Council for Arts, the Department of Culture and the Arts and Department of Education, ArtsEdge presents a new pilot grant program, seeking applications in 2009, and initially open to all Western Australian public schools and teacher training institutions, professional artists, arts and cultural organisations.

The AIR GRANTS PROGRAM will give artists an opportunity to broaden their experiences and share their skills while providing students with greater access to the creative development process and encouraging them to consider the arts when making future career choices.

Each year the State Records Office (SRO) marks the release of State Cabinet records from their 30 year restricted access period, on or near Western Australia’s Foundation Day.

Director of State Records Cathrin Cassarchis, said the 1978 State Cabinet records reveal the concerns of Sir Charles Court’s Government about various issues.

“This was the time of serious health concerns over the effects of asbestos on Wittenoon residents and was when the decision was made to close the town forever.