Funding shortfall sees regional galleries eyeing cuts

West Australian

4 hours ago

At one of Australia's foremost regional galleries, volunteers are helping carefully unpack artworks for an upcoming exhibition.
Armidale's New England Regional Art Museum (known as NERAM) stages more than 30 shows each year, with staff and volunteers installing Lost in Palm Springs, which celebrates the desert landscape and architecture of California.
But having missed out on state government funding, NERAM may be forced to cut back on shows like this.
The gallery has relied on about $80,000 in annual state funding over the last decade, but it's one of more than a dozen regional galleries in NSW that has recently missed out in the government's four year funding program.
While many of these art institutions are run by local councils, NERAM is independent, without local government money to fall back on.
Director Rachael Parsons is working out what to do if a last-ditch two-year funding round is unsuccessful.
"If we are unable to find a last minute donor or brilliant idea to bring in more revenue, we are looking at what we cut," she said.
The museum's collection of more than 5000 artworks provides an overview of Australian art history unmatched by any other regional gallery, with paintings by the likes of Arthur Streeton and Tom Roberts, Margaret Preston and Brett Whiteley.
Budget cuts would likely mean fewer exhibitions and reduced public programs at the gallery, which is a major tourist attraction and a hub for the town's cultural life, Parsons said.
"I think it's really important to remember that art galleries aren't just art on walls, they are spaces for community and socialisation," she said.
The gallery hosts regular sessions for people with dementia, workshops with local artists and a weekly program of art play for children.
Painter Angus Nivison describes regional galleries as "gold dust" for artists working outside the big cities, helping them build reputations and ultimately making careers in the regions possible.
Now aged 72, he remembers the Armidale community raising half the money to build the gallery which opened in 1983, and says it's now being treated with disdain.
"It just blows me away when you think back to the good old days when Labor used to champion culture, that they could be so destructive and arrogant," he said.
Mayor Sam Coupland has accused the NSW government of cost shifting and forcing the local council to become a funder of last resort.
"We cannot let the gallery fail, but government funding being yanked is just another kick in the pants for regional Australia," he said.
The state government will spend almost $1.4 billion on arts and culture in 2025, according to Create NSW.
Its most recent four-year funding round received 158 eligible applications, with regional galleries representing one-third of the successful visual arts applicants, according to a spokesperson.
Decisions on two-year funding assessments are expected in September, with this round expected to provide a fuller picture of funding for regional galleries, they said.
Parsons expects to see a large number of worthy applicants asking for two-year funding and is anxious about the outcome.
"It doesn't seem likely that the majority of those organisations, including NERAM on that list, will be able to be funded by the pot of money that's available," she said.
State government money plus just under $400,000 from the Armidale Regional Council makes up about a third of NERAM's revenue, with the rest coming from commercial operations and donations.
About another 14 regional galleries, including in Orange, Bathurst, Broken Hill, Goulburn, Tamworth, Tweed and Wagga Wagga also failed to secure program funding from Create NSW.