Arts NSW
Encyclopedia
Arts NSW, an agency
of the Government of New South Wales
, is responsibile for arts funding and policy development that is committed to building stronger communities through the arts. Arts NSW aims to develop a culture of participation in the arts, a flourishing and innovative arts sector, and vibrant cultural places and spaces.
The agency is led by its Executive Director, currently Mary Darwell, who reports to the Director General of the Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services
, currently Mark Paterson AO. Both the Executive Director for Arts NSW and the Director General of the Department report to the Minister for the Arts
and Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing
, currently the Honourable George Souris
MP.
organisations that are internationally renowned and have have a commitment to excellence in performance, working in the fields of dance, theatre, opera, orchestra and chamber music, namely: The Australian Ballet, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
, Australian Chamber Orchestra
, Bangarra Dance Theatre
, Bell Shakespeare Company
, Belvoir, Musica Viva Australia
, Opera Australia
, Sydney Dance Company
, Sydney Symphony Orchestra
, and the Sydney Theatre Company
.
Arts NSW provides funding support and administration of major cultural institutions
in New South Wales that provide a unique and irreplaceable archive of historical and contemporary culture and engage with the community broadly through participation of visitors, equity of access (loans, travelling exhibitions, digital content), promoting artistic excellence (collections, exhibitions, performances, loans, awards and prizes) and sector development (fellowships and grants, mentoring and internships, programming and engagement). The six major cultural institutions supported by Arts NSW are: the Art Gallery of New South Wales
, the Australian Museum
, the Historic Houses Trust, the Powerhouse Museum
, the State Library
, and the Sydney Opera House
.
The agency also provides administrative oversight and funding for major cultural festivals including the Biennale of Sydney
, the Sydney Festival
, the Sydney Film Festival
, and the Sydney Writers' Festival
; and some of Australia’s leading visual arts organisations including the Artspace Visual Arts Centre, the Australian Centre for Photography, d/Lux/MediaArts, the Museum of Contemporary Art
, and Object – Australian Centre for Craft and Design.
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
of the Government of New South Wales
Government of New South Wales
The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then...
, is responsibile for arts funding and policy development that is committed to building stronger communities through the arts. Arts NSW aims to develop a culture of participation in the arts, a flourishing and innovative arts sector, and vibrant cultural places and spaces.
The agency is led by its Executive Director, currently Mary Darwell, who reports to the Director General of the Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services
New South Wales Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services
The New South Wales Department of Trade and Investment, Regional Infrastructure and Services, a department of the New South Wales Government, is responsibile for driving sustainable economic growth in New South Wales...
, currently Mark Paterson AO. Both the Executive Director for Arts NSW and the Director General of the Department report to the Minister for the Arts
Minister for the Arts (New South Wales)
The New South Wales Minister for the Arts has responsibilities which include the following areas:*Art Gallery of New South Wales*Arts NSW*Australian Museum*Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust*Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences...
and Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing
Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing (New South Wales)
-Ministers for Tourism:-Ministers for Gaming and Racing:-Ministers for Major Events:...
, currently the Honourable George Souris
George Souris
George Souris JP MP is an Australian politician and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. He is currently the Minister for Hospitality in the O'Farrell Liberal/National government. He was born at Gunnedah and was educated at The Armidale School and the University of New England...
MP.
Activities
The agency is responsible for the oversight of the State's eleven major performing artsPerforming arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
organisations that are internationally renowned and have have a commitment to excellence in performance, working in the fields of dance, theatre, opera, orchestra and chamber music, namely: The Australian Ballet, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
Australian Brandenburg Orchestra
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra is an Australian period instrument orchestra specialising in the performance of baroque and classical music.The musicians play from original edition scores on restored or reproduced instruments of the 18th century...
, Australian Chamber Orchestra
Australian Chamber Orchestra
The Australian Chamber Orchestra was founded by cellist John Painter in 1975. Richard Tognetti was appointed Lead Violin in 1989 and subsequently appointed Artistic Director....
, Bangarra Dance Theatre
Bangarra Dance Theatre
Bangarra Dance Theatre is an Indigenous Australian contemporary dance company founded in 1989 by Carole Johnson, an African-American and founding director of National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association . Bangarra is the Wiradjuri word meaning "to make fire".Stephen Page has been the...
, Bell Shakespeare Company
Bell Shakespeare Company
Bell Shakespeare is an Australian theatre company specialising in the works of William Shakespeare. It was founded in 1990 by John Bell..Bell Shakespeare is Australia's only national touring theatre company. Its current practice is to tour three mainstage productions to each Australian state in...
, Belvoir, Musica Viva Australia
Musica Viva Australia
Musica Viva Australia is the oldest independent performing arts organisation in Australia and the world's largest entrepreneur of chamber music. It was formed in 1945 in Sydney by violist Richard Goldner...
, Opera Australia
Opera Australia
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent in the The Arts Centre in Melbourne...
, Sydney Dance Company
Sydney Dance Company
The Sydney Dance Company is one of Australia's most successful and well-known contemporary dance companies. The company was founded in 1969 as the dance-in-education group Ballet in a Nutshell by Suzanne Musitz , later changing its name to Athletes and Dancers, and Dance Company ...
, Sydney Symphony Orchestra
Sydney Symphony Orchestra
The Sydney Symphony Orchestra , commonly known as the Sydney Symphony, is an Australian symphony orchestra based in Sydney...
, and the Sydney Theatre Company
Sydney Theatre Company
The Sydney Theatre Company is one of Australia's best-known theatre companies operating from The Wharf Theatre near The Rocks area of Sydney, as well as the Sydney Theatre and the Sydney Opera House Drama Theatre....
.
Arts NSW provides funding support and administration of major cultural institutions
Cultural institutions
Cultural institutions are elements within a culture/sub-culture that are perceived to be important to, or traditionally valued among, its members for their own identity. Examples of cultural institutions in modern Western society are museums, churches, schools, work and the print media.Television...
in New South Wales that provide a unique and irreplaceable archive of historical and contemporary culture and engage with the community broadly through participation of visitors, equity of access (loans, travelling exhibitions, digital content), promoting artistic excellence (collections, exhibitions, performances, loans, awards and prizes) and sector development (fellowships and grants, mentoring and internships, programming and engagement). The six major cultural institutions supported by Arts NSW are: the Art Gallery of New South Wales
Art Gallery of New South Wales
The Art Gallery of New South Wales , located in The Domain in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, was established in 1897 and is the most important public gallery in Sydney and the fourth largest in Australia...
, the Australian Museum
Australian Museum
The Australian Museum is the oldest museum in Australia, with an international reputation in the fields of natural history and anthropology. It features collections of vertebrate and invertebrate zoology, as well as mineralogy, palaeontology, and anthropology...
, the Historic Houses Trust, the Powerhouse Museum
Powerhouse Museum
The Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney, the other being the historic Sydney Observatory...
, the State Library
State Library of New South Wales
The State Library of New South Wales is a large public library owned by the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located in Macquarie Street, Sydney near Shakespeare Place...
, and the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
.
The agency also provides administrative oversight and funding for major cultural festivals including the Biennale of Sydney
Biennale of Sydney
The Biennale of Sydney is an international festival of contemporary art, held every two years in Sydney, Australia. It is the largest and best-attended contemporary visual arts event in the country...
, the Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival
Sydney Festival is Australia's largest and most attended annual cultural event running every January since it was first held in 1977. Its program features around 80 events including contemporary and classical music, dance, circus, drama, visual arts and artist talks...
, the Sydney Film Festival
Sydney Film Festival
The Sydney Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the Australian city of Sydney and is held over 12 days in June. The competitive film festival draws international and local attention, with films being showcased in several venues across the city centre and includes features,...
, and the Sydney Writers' Festival
Sydney Writers' Festival
The Sydney Writers' Festival is an annual literary festival held in the Australian city of Sydney. The Festival's artistic director is Chip Rolley.-History:...
; and some of Australia’s leading visual arts organisations including the Artspace Visual Arts Centre, the Australian Centre for Photography, d/Lux/MediaArts, the Museum of Contemporary Art
Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
The Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia is an Australian museum solely dedicated to exhibiting, interpreting and collecting contemporary art, both from across Australia and around the world...
, and Object – Australian Centre for Craft and Design.