Southern Tablelands Regional Arts has been awarded $55,000 in the arts funding just announced by Premier of NSW and Minister for the Arts, Bob Carr.

Southern Tablelands Regional Arts Development Officer (RADO), Lizz Murphy said, “I am delighted that the Southern Tablelands Regional Arts program will continue to be supported at this high level. The Southern Tablelands Regional Arts Executive and myself as RADO, look forward to working in partnership with our eleven Local Governments, communities and artists in 2002, to promote quality of community life through arts and cultural development.”

The Southern Tablelands arts region covers Boorowa, Crookwell, Goulburn, Gunning, Mulwaree, Queanbeyan, Tallaganda, Wingecarribee, Wollondilly, Yarrowlumla and Yass.

Services provided to the region include advice and guidance on developing projects, sourcing funding and making funding applications, and promotion of arts and cultural activities through The Arts Page, which is also published in regional newspapers.

“We promote access to the arts for regional communities by encouraging and coordinating tours of theatre, visual arts, music and literature to the Southern Tablelands, while providing a balance of support for arts groups and activities within the region,” Ms Murphy said.

“In 2000 and 2001 Southern Tablelands Regional Arts has brought OzOpera’s Rigoletto, Theatre South’s Italian Stories, Milo and MacBeth, the Powerhouse Youth Theatre’s 2YP program of workshops and performances, and Shortis & Simpson’s Close your Eyes and Think of England, to communities around the region.”

The Small Town Kick Start project has seen Colo Vale celebrate 50 years through a heritage publication and Bigga take its first steps towards developing its area as a photographers’ paradise.

Gundillion held its historic photograph exhibition in conjunction with the Braidwood Airing of the Quilts in November, and other Kick Start small towns including Robertson and Hill Top are making excellent progress with their projects.

Southern Tablelands Regional Arts is assisted by the NSW Ministry for the Arts and participating Local Governments. It is managed by an executive of eleven members including councillors, arts practitioners and local arts council representatives.

The Executive Officers are: Cr Michael Coley of Gunning (President), Jennifer Lamb, Director of Goulburn Regional Art Gallery (Vice President), Cr Ann Rocca of Queanbeyan (Vice President) and Tony Trapnell of Mittagong (Secretary).