To support to artists and other creative workers, the Australia Council for the Arts sets many grants. Arts projects for individuals and groups is one of the programs published by Australia Council for the Arts which has been running for several years. This program provides funds for a verity of art-relevant activities which has positive influence on the public and the development of art and can be finished within two years.
The policy is that individuals and groups can apply for the Arts projects for individuals and groups for a $10,000 to $50,000 grant. The applicants should be Australian citizens or Australian permanent residents. Most importantly, the applicants must do works relevant to art.
The activities the program fund include many ranges. For example, professional skills development, including mentoring and residencies, the creation of new work, practice-based research, activities that creatively engage communities and so on.
There are nine panels such as dance, literature and music for applicants to choose and they must choose one panel they would like to apply. But not all projects are suitable to apply for this program. Projects or activities that do not involve or benefit Australian practicing artists or arts professionals. And those projects which do not have a clearly defined arts component or have already taken place cannot apply as well.
Additionally, the Australia Council for the Arts list three assessment criteria. All criteria should be addressed in the project the applicants are applying for. The first criterion is quality. The project should be of high quality and the put more emphasis on cultural activities. The second criterion is viability. The viability of the project will be well considered.
The third criterion is to see if the outcome of the project meets the four optional goals provided by the council. The four options are “Australians are transformed by arts and creativity”, “Our arts reflect us”, “First Nations arts and culture are cherished” and “Arts and creativity are thriving”.
Once the proposal meets all the requirements, the applicants can pack all the materials needed for the application and submit them. Then they can wait for the result.
Since the policy came out, it has helped many people with their art ambitions. The Unconscious Collective (UnC) is a group which was benefit from this policy by receiving a fund of $14,163 in 2017. Their aim is to creatively develop an artistic/ecological intervention to reinvent the historic Lake Margaret Power Station on Tasmania’s west coast as a utopian center for personal and cultural renewal, with a focus on experimental architecture and live art practice. Till now, they have completed their first step of their proposal and they are planning to do a presentation at the Unconformity festival.
This policy is very benefit for the local artist in Australia. With the fund, they will be more motivated and their ideas will have sufficient economic support. However, there may be some problems as the proposals have to meet many criteria. This can affect people’s artistic creations as the first thing they think of may be how to meet the criteria instead of what they want to express. Also, the people who judge whether they meet the criteria are all from the council. As a result, in order to get the grant, the applicants may make their project more cater to the taste of the council.
