CASP has been running for decades and is a vital support for regional arts, enabling community groups to hold small bespoke workshops, or create artworks, or have performances or exhibitions, that fit their local people and create further opportunities for artists.
“The applicants ranged across many artforms, across the whole of this region,” according to Arts Upper Hunter Acting Chair Robert Booth. “And it was very competitive too: the projects as well as the field of applicants was very strong this year, according to the assessors.”
Arts Upper Hunter is hoping to open the 2024 CASP grant applications later this year! Here’s this year’s list of successful applicants:
Dungog District Chamber of Commerce ($3,000)
Women’s Secret Notebook: Who doesn’t like a Secret!! Visitors to the Woman – Kind – Festival in May can use their creativity to make a notebook with pockets (Artist’s book) that they can take home, use and enjoy.
Kirkton Public School ($3,000)
Kirkton’s Drama Workshops & Community Performance: ‘Upstage Youth Theatre’ will provide a series of drama workshops in which the students will devise and create a theatrical performance, to be performed for the school community and beyond. All students will get the opportunity to participate.
Murrurundi & District Historical Society Inc ($3,000)
The Twins at Pioneer Cottage: A project to document, via video, the elderly twins Carmel and Gwen as they tell the story of the Pioneer Cottage, Murrurundi.
On Track Hunter ($3,000)
Who I am. Working with a photographer, young people will work on portraying themselves and other students as to who they are now and who they want to be in the future, through their own choice of photographic format.
Scone Neighbourhood Resource Centre ($3,000)
Art Trail in the Garden: Artist Dan Bianco will facilitate a workshop providing them insight into establishing a street art business. Participants will have the chance to draw a design and get artist feedback. And a final design will become a new mural at the Centre.
Singleton Potters ($3,000)
Play with Clay: A workshop so members and the wider community can learn the basics of pottery at our pottery studio at 74 George Street Singleton, including wheel turning. This project will bring fresh energy to this local creative group.
Singleton Council (3,000)
Singleton Youth Venue Indigenous Mural: Daniel Ellis, a local Aboriginal artist, will design and paint a large indigenous mural at the front of the venue with the goal of making the Youth Venue a more welcoming and inclusive place for the Aboriginal youth in Singleton.
If you’d like to know more, please contact the Executive Director of Arts Upper Hunter, John O’Brien on 0409 382 509 or rado@artsupperhunter.com.au
Photo Caption: Benjie Williams from Earthen Rhythms held African Drumming Workshops for all students at Muswellbrook South Public School last year. The project was supported by a CASP 2022 grant. Photo courtesy of MSPS.