Member for Campbelltown Greg Warren announced that Campbelltown and Camden had won a slice of the $1.9M pie from the Western Sydney Culture Up Late initiative.
The Culture Up Late @ Campbelltown Arts Centre program, run by Campbelltown City Council, has been successful in its application for a share of the fund.
Council received $200,000 to present a program that will allow the Campbelltown Arts Centre to remain open from 5pm to 9pm on Thursday and selected Friday and Saturday evenings between November and January.
In this time multi-artform artist-led programs will be run aimed at extended engagement with artists, local communities and visitors under the banner ‘Sundown Sessions’.
And further to the ‘Sundown Sessions’ program, the Campbelltown Arts Centre will also be facilitating a series of talks, tours and workshops as well as arts markets and live performances.
Meanwhile, Camden's Cultural Fusion from The Council of Camden also gained part of the $1,9M.
It means once a month, Camden district residents and visitors between September and February will be able to head to Camden Civic Centre and its surrounding grounds to be immersed in a multi-faceted cultural extravaganza that combines live performance, inspiring art, bustling markets and soul-stirring music.
The Culture Up Late initiative supports local arts and cultural organisations in developing new programs, engage new audiences and create vibrant local precincts connecting local restaurants, bars, retailers, and transport providers, through activations targeted to an after 5pm audience.
It provides support for 11 programs involving parties, art shows, live music, walking tours and cuisine across local arts venues, museums, galleries and cultural centres.
MP Greg Warren said: “Campbelltown has a blossoming arts and cultural community, and this initiative will let us show us just how great they are.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Campbelltown to show its offerings in the arts and cultural spheres.”
Minister for the Arts John Graham is equally keen to get Western Sydney residents out and about on summer nights in 2023-24.
“We are declaring war on the lure of the couch with these nighttime cultural events. It is part of Sydney bouncing back after a tough decade after dark. The program ensures that culture up late funding extends to Western Sydney," he said.
"The Western Sydney Culture Up Late program showcases some of the most exciting cultural offerings Sydney has to offer. These precincts are already key cultural destinations, and this coming spring to summer they'll become undoubtedly Sydney's must-visit locations.
“As we are working on developing the first ever cultural strategy that includes the creative industries the initiatives in the Culture Up Late program are exactly the types of dynamic programming I want to see more of – programs that will enliven their regions and provide greater employment opportunities for performers, creatives and arts workers.”
The Grants - The 11 successful grant recipients sharing in $1.9M in funding are:
• ACE after Dusk: A new night-time cultural event series - Arts and Cultural Exchange Inc.
• Art Nights: Culture Alive @ Bankstown - Canterbury Bankstown Council.
• Blacktown After 5 - Blacktown Arts and Vyva Entertainment - Blacktown City Council.
• Camden's Cultural Fusion - The Council of Camden
• Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre Up Late Program - Liverpool City Council.
• Creative Penrith by Night: A Summer of Art for Everyone - Penrith Performing & Visual Arts.
• Culture Up Late @ Campbelltown Arts Centre - Campbelltown City Council.
• Culturvate: Exploring art, cuisine and culture - Powerhouse Youth Theatre Inc.
• Granville Centre Art Gallery presents a series of Late events - Cumberland City Council.
• Parramatta Up Late Program - City of Parramatta.
• TO YOUR DOOR Fairfield Nights - Think & DO Tank Foundation.
