The Studio
Have you met our members?
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Launched in 2021, Studio Co!Lab was created by regionally-based artists for regionally-based artists - across NSW.
Time and time again, when we talk to our Studio Co!Lab members on and off the record, they say that being part of a network of artists, spending time with other creatives in residencies and conversation, connecting, exchanging information and learning from each other, cuts through the isolation. Then there’s the grants, residencies, professional development and more. See what our members do on Beyond the Studio, and hear more from of our members talking about their practice on The Studio page. Find out more about a Studio Co!Lab membership.
Keep scrolling to see what opportunities and activities we offer Studio Co!Lab members.
Read more about our Studio Co!Lab members in Beyond the Studios and on our Studio Co!Lab Happenings page.
Opportunities
* All Orana Arts generated opportunities are assessed internally and by a panel consisting of an Orana Arts board member, an Orana Arts staff member and, if applicable, a content specialist and/or project partner.
Residencies
Residency opportunities are offered to our Studio Co!Lab members each year. The next round will be in 2025.
Keep scrolling to find out more about Studio Co!Lab and the residencies we’ve offered over the past two years.
Grants.
*CLOSED - CREATE NSW ARTS & CULTURAL FUNDING PROGRAM 24/25
* OPEN -CREATE NSW ACFP GRANTS (ROUND 1 OPENS 23 OCTOBER 2024)
The first of the new Create NSW grants will open on 23 October , closing 2 December 2024. There are two key grants for individuals, covering professional and skills development and the creation of new work. Each has a different funding range. There is also a Cultural Access grant. Round 2 of these grants open 24 March 2025, closing 30 April 2025. MORE INFORMATION
* OPEN - REGIONAL ARTS NSW QUICK RESPONSE GRANTS
Open from February 2024, Quick Response Grants are delivered monthly from February to November and all applications will be competitively assessed at the end of each month. Individuals can apply for up to $3000, organisations can apply for up to $5000. There is no minimum grant amount. MORE INFORMATION
* OPEN - REGIONAL ARTS FUND PROJECT GRANTS (REGIONAL ARTS NSW)
The Project Grants will fund high-quality arts projects benefitting regional or remote artists, arts workers, audiences and communities. The focus of the project could include any area of creative practice, multiple art forms or cross-disciplinary practice. Apply for up to $30,000. MORE INFORMATION
* OPENS 3 SEPTEMBER - CREATIVE AUSTRALIA (ARTS PROJECTS FOR INDIVIDUALS + GROUPS)
This program funds a range of activities that deliver benefits to the arts sector and wider public, including national and international audiences and communities. Grants are available from $10,000 to $50,000. Supported activities must not last longer than two years from the proposed start date. Opens 3 September for projects beginning after 1 December 2024. MORE INFORMATION
* CLOSED - COUNTRY ARTS SUPPORT PROGRAM (CASP)
CASP is an annual small grants program funded by Create NSW and managed by the Regional Arts Development Organisations (RADOs). Details in full below.
* QUARTERLY STUDIO CO!LAB MEMBERS’ GRANT (Q4 NOW OPEN - CLOSING 29 OCTOBER 2024)
For Studio Co!Lab members only - details in Opportunities in the Members’ Lounge.
OTHER GRANT FUNDING LINKS
Other NSW arts and cultural funding
Check your local government websites for community funds
Residencies.
One of The Studio platform offerings is artist residencies. These come in a number of forms, with most of the residency opportunities being for our Studio Co!Lab members.. To apply for our residencies, make sure you’re a Studio Co!Lab member — open to artists anywhere in regional NSW, of all ages, stages and art forms, check out what a membership brings.
Ironbark Arts Residency
The Ironbark Arts Residency has been a partnership between Orana Arts and the Stuart Town Advancement Association (STAA), who have made the historic Railway Hotel, in Stuart Town, available as artist accommodation. It’s a beautiful old building just down the street from the railway station on the rail line from Sydney through to Dubbo
Since 2021, 10 artists have been part of the four Ironbark Arts Residency rounds, each 6 days/5 nights.
Stuart Town is in the Dubbo Local Government area. The Railway Hotel is owned by Dubbo Regional Council and managed by the STAA.
2024 Ironbark Arts Residency
In October 2024, three Studio Co!Lab artists came together for 6 days and 5 nights together in the historic Railway Hotel in Stuart Town. The artists were Sarah Randall (Orange), Susan Yaghjian (Dubbo) and Mick Davis (Dubbo). They had very different experiences, but all artists were united in their love of this residency and what it offers.
2023 Ironbark Arts Residency artists (October)
In October 2023, Danja Derkenne (Little Forest) spent time during the Ironbark Arts Residency on a variety of projects including creating drawings of the various windows and other architectural features in and around Stuart Town, plus collecting and then weaving wire around animal bones. Jason Richardson (Leeton) created a zine using photographs he took in and around the area, and poetry he wrote during his residency, as well as a video set to music from local bird song. Tina Pech (Baradine) worked on improving her art practice documentation but also started work on a stitched book, reflecting the Railway Hotel building and its many previous occupants. The three artists also collaborated on a work that they presented to the Stuart Town Advancement Association.
Tina Pech, Jason Richardson and Danja Derkenne
2023 Ironbark Arts Residency artists (March)
In March 2023, Nicola Mason and Therese Gabriel Wilkins spent 6 night and 5 days at the historic Railway Hotel in Stuart Town as part of the Ironbark Arts Residency. Their time there together allowed each the time and space to explore, ideate, and share their practice with a fellow member, and the local community.
THERESE: The residency was really wonderful and it afforded the opportunity do all the things I thought would be possible thanks to the tour, insights from other artists and folk in the town. It certainly provided the stimulus for a new venture writing some poetry and performing the presentation—my first foray into combining the visual and performance.
NIC: I had a great experience with the welcome, hospitality, tour, structure and opportunity to stay, create and share in The Railway Hotel. It was also great sharing this time with Therese. I felt very enlivened and had a great creative time.
March 2023 Ironbark Arts Residency artists in conversation
Nicola Mason and Therese Gabriel Wilkins talk about the layers of history and connections made while on residency together in Stuart Town on the Ironbark Arts Residency. Nic and Therese are both Studio Co!Lab members but they had never met before spending a week together in March 2023. They talk about how they made the most of the historic location, the small community there, and their time with each other. It's moderated by Alicia Leggett.
This was recorded live on Zoom on 16 August.
2021 Ironbark Arts Residency artists
Orana Arts caught up with Inel Date and Linda Chat at the end of their week of printmaking with Tim Winters in his Kinkara Studios at Stuart Town, in 2021.
Co!Lab
@CORRIDOR AIR
2021 Co!Lab@CORRIDOR AIR artists: Stephan de Wit van der Merwe and Anna Glynn (with creative collaborator, Peter Dalmazzo)
2022 Co!Lab@CORRIDOR AIR artists: Jason Richardson, Inel Date and Shani Nottingham (image courtesy the CORRIDOR project)
The Co!Lab@CORRIDOR Artist-in-Residence was a partnership between Orana Arts’ Studio Co!Lab and the CORRIDOR project. The 2021 program was the first residency offering under this three-year partnership. Each year, a short residency is offered to a visual artist, performing artist and writer who is a member of Orana Arts’ Studio Co!Lab. The 2022 artists recently completed their stay on site.
Artists are selected for this paid residency by a panel through an EOI process. Chosen artists get to engage with tCp’s Creative Producer and, when appropriate, with other professional artists during their tCp residency. The Program supports peer-to-peer mentoring and enable connections with professional bodies, galleries and funding organisations.
2022 Co!Lab@CORRIDOR AIR artists
JASON: I didn't realise how much I needed the nurture in nature that was afforded to me and am grateful for the opportunity to discuss practices.There's now an optimism that our time together will translate into future opportunities in the region and beyond.
INEL: An intense, immersive experience in a spectacular setting. Thank you to my fellow artists for being such great companions in this creative space.
SHANI: A week of exploring ideas, thinking of process, playing with the thoughts in my head, reading, connecting to creativity, looking to future projects, finding inspiration. It is a magical place, with a special energy that pervades it...Very grateful for this time, space and opportunity.
2022 Co!Lab@CORRIDOR AIR artists in conversation
Studio Co!Lab members, Jason Richardson (Leeton), Inel Date and Shani Nottingham (both of Cowra) spent 5 days together at Cowra in 2022 as recipients of the Co!Lab@CORRIDOR AIR program, a partnership with the CORRIDOR project.
They arrived on site with no set idea of what their short, intensive time together would create other than it was expected there be an exchange between them, if not a collaboration. In this Studio Co!Lab Talk they discuss with fellow artist and Orana Arts team member, Kim V. Goldsmith, how they prepared and approached this residency, what needs to be considered when spending time in the company of other creatives, the collaborative generation of ideas, and how to still find your own path in an intensive collaborative environment.
This is an edited version of a 1-hour Residency series talk recorded on 14 June 2023.
2021 Co!Lab@CORRIDOR AIR artists
Co!Lab@CORRIDOR AIR performing arts residency, 2021
Stephan de Wit van der Merwe has been working on a new audio/visual production called “My conversation with Lichen and the Stars”, that came from an unrelated residency undertaken at the CORRIDOR project in 2020. He was also successful in gaining an Arts Restart grant through Orana Arts for part of this project. His new work has been selected for an Orange Regional Gallery exhibition in 2022. During his week-long residency in November, Stephan worked on further developing the exhibition component of the project in the form of a performance work that is site-specific to the Corridor project.
Co!Lab@CORRIDOR AIR visual arts residency, 2021
Anna Glynn and her creative collaborator and partner, Peter Dalmazzo, have undertaken many residencies across Australia and overseas. Each residency offers the opportunity to learn something new about the environment and catch glimpses of what makes a particular place special. They talk about their process for working together on a residency and where this work might lead.
Inscribe writing program + residency
In 2021, five writers from across Regional NSW came together with mentor Roanna Gonsalves to craft prose around the theme of Centres & Peripheries. After several months and an on-site residency at the CORRIDOR project, near Cowra, they each produced a short story published by Orana Arts in a limited edition book. The writers were Sam Leah (Gelston Park near Wagga Wagga), Val Clark (Dubbo), Rob Salt (Dubbo), Catherine Moffat (Lake Munmorah) and Helen Pastor (Armidale).
Each story in the book was illustrated by a regional writer. They were Vicki Luke (Albury), Darren Blanch (Wellington), Amanda Donohue (Lake Macquarie), Shani Nottingham (Cowra) and Lachlan Naef (Dubbo). All the writers and illustrators are members of Orana Arts’ Studio Co!Lab.
Two versions of Centres & Peripheries were produced — one a hand-bound, hand-covered version created by Tina Pech (Baradine), gifted to each writer. The second, a softcover version available for purchase through our Shop. The book was launched in Wellington on 24 March 2022. The photos below are from the launch.
This project was proudly supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW, with support from Writing NSW.
What does the future hold for our regions?
A creative conversation led by artists
Regional Futures is a state-wide program of creative development and conversations that places artists at the centre of a dialogue exploring a future vision for the place where they live and create.
Orana Arts and Arts Mid North Coast are having a cross-region conversation in our exploration of what the future holds for the regions. Dubbo Regional Council is also a partner in the project, commissioning one of the four artists.
Artists from across regional NSW have been commissioned to develop creative responses to the prompt about the future. Each artist is undertaking a self-directed residency. The artists in our cross-region conversation are taking the prompt one step further to consider a post-carbon world. They are Allison Reynolds (Coonabarabran), Kit Kelen (Bulahdelah), Ronnie Grammatica (Crescent Head) and Kim V. Goldsmith (Dubbo). FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS
WATCH THE STUDIO CO!LAB ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION WITH OUR REGIONAL FUTURES ARTISTS — NOW ONLINE
Professional resources
For more industry and sector resources, keep scrolling down.
Regional Arts NSW and Finsura have developed Artsure by Finsura an insurance package tailored for individual artists not covered by Regional Arts NSW group insurance policies. Key features of Artsure include:
Individual cover
Comprehensive public liability & product liability coverage
Monthly installments with no fee, starting from $17.00
No limit on activities
To find out more go to www.artsure.com.au or call 1800 252 712.
Artsure is a business name of Finsura Insurance Broking (Aust) Pty Ltd ABN: 58 003 334 763 AFS Licence No. 243264. It is important you consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) before making a decision to acquire a product.
NFP groups who are affiliate members of Regional Arts NSW can also access discounted group insurance policies with Finsura.
READ MORE ABOUT THIS INSURANCE OFFER
Useful links
The organisations listed here - public, private, national and State-based - oversee programs, funding, residencies and more. It’s not a comprehensive list, but these are considered the major contemporary, multi-arts organisations. If you’re looking for professional practice info, professional development, or ideas to initiate or fund opportunities, use these sites in your research – and don’t hesitate to contact them directly. We’re also happy to talk to you about where to look and who to speak to. If you see something missing, let us know.
General
Arts Law Centre of Australia Arts Law is Australia’s independent national community legal centre for the arts, a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee. We provide free or low cost specialised legal advice, education and resources to Australian artists and arts organisations across all art forms, on a wide range of arts related legal and business matters. Arts Law’s Artists in the Black program delivers targeted services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists nationally.
Australia Council for the Arts Australia Council for the Arts is the Australian Government’s arts funding and advisory body.
Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance MEAA is the largest and most established union and industry advocate for Australia’s creative professionals.
Copyright Agency The Copyright Agency is an Australian not-for-profit organisation that has been standing up for creators for more than 40 years. We enable the reuse of copyright-protected words and images in return for fair payment to creators.
Australian Cultural Fund The Australian Cultural Fund is a fundraising platform for Australian artists. It is managed by Creative Partnerships Australia and was established by the Australian Government in 2003 to encourage donations to the arts.
Arts Hub A membership-based organisation (jobs and premium product), ArtsHub is a resource for arts jobs, grants, industry news, reviews and data.
Creative Recovery Network The Creative Recovery Network works with professional artists, cultural workers, community members, arts and non-arts organisations, community-based workers, humanitarian workers and those interested in the power of the arts to positively change communities, to develop high level and locally relevant projects and activities to build capacity and drive social change.
Accessible Arts (NSW) Accessible Arts aims to make art accessible to all, believing all artists, art workers and art lovers deserve every opportunity to experience arts how they so choose. Through experience in working with a diverse range of audiences with specific needs, Accessible Arts has established programs that enable people with disability to follow their passion, and also enable organisations to ensure their venues are accessible for all to visit.
Arts Access Australia Arts Access Australia (AAA) is the national peak body for arts and disability in Australia. We work to increase national and international opportunities and access to the arts for people with disability as artists, arts-workers, participants and audiences.
Regional Arts Australia RAA programming supports high quality arts practice and champions best practice, through the Regional Arts Fund and programs such as Artlands (Australia’s biennial regional arts event), the Regional Arts Network (a free, member-based network) a national fellowship initiative and professional development opportunities.
Create NSW Create NSW is the NSW Government’s arts and cultural driver, which brings together arts, screen and culture functions in an integrated entity, and includes cultural infrastructure. Provides research, resources and advice for creative practitioners and small to medium organisations.
Regional Arts NSW Regional Arts NSW is the peak body and service agency for arts and cultural development in regional NSW. We are an independent not-for-profit organisation governed by our regional membership of 14 Regional Arts Development Organisations.
Visual Arts
National Association for the Visual Arts The National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) leads advocacy, policy and action for a contemporary Australian arts sector that's ambitious and fair. Membership provides access to Codes of Practice (fees and wages), insurance, discounts (galleries, magazines, art supplies) + more. NAVA also oversee several grants.
Print Council of Australia The Print Council of Australia is the peak body representing and connecting our national communities in printmaking and works on paper.
Digital Arts and Film
Screenworks Screenworks is a registered charity that provides support, leadership and vision for the regional screen industries in Australia. The principal object is to promote and advance the screen industry in regional, rural and remote Australia, with a focus on the industry cluster in the Northern Rivers region of NSW. Principal activities provide screen-related development and networking opportunities, programs and initiatives specifically designed to support people living in regional, rural and remote Australia.
Screen NSW Resources for filmmakers (also see Create NSW)
Australian Film Television and Radio School AFTRS is the nation’s premier screen arts and broadcast school. We empower Australian talent to shape and share their stories with the world by delivering the most future-focused education, research and training.
Australian Network for Art and Technology ANAT expedites experimentation and innovation across art, science and technology by identifying opportunities and delivering projects that enable artists to contribute meaningfully to Australia’s reputation for creativity, diversity and innovation. We forge relationships across industry, academia, the community and government to create unique opportunities for artists. We deliver residencies, symposia, workshops and other professional pathways, supported by robust national and international networks.
dLux DLUX MEDIAARTS is one of Australia's key screen and media arts organisations committed to supporting the development, engagement and experience of contemporary screen and digital media culture.
Music and Performance
Music Australia Music Australia is a not for profit national umbrella body and champion for all music. We work independently and with members and partners to stimulate and promote the value of music, school music education, sector professional development and public engagement. We provide advocacy and information services to strengthen music in Australia, and run projects including Australia’s largest school music program Music: Count Us In.
APRA AMCOS APRA AMCOS help music creators get paid for their work and give music users easy ways to legally play and copy what they like.
Writing and Theatre
Playwriting Australia Playwriting Australia seek, develop and champion Australian stories for the stage, offering development through programs.
Australian Writers’ Guild The Australian Writers’ Guild is the professional association representing writers for stage, screen, radio and online and has protected and promoted their creative and professional interests for more than 50 years.
Writing NSW Writing NSW exists to promote writing-based culture and the rights and interests of writers in NSW.
Grants/Residencies/Exchanges
Grants (via Regional Arts NSW)
Grants (via Australia Council)
AsiaLink Arts Asialink Arts elevates the agency and capability of the Australian arts sector to engage with Asia through insight, connections, and capability development. They work as a cultural enabler, capacity builder, and conduit to the Indo-Pacific region for Australian artists and institutions.
The Arts Territory Exchange The Arts Territory Exchange (aTE) comprises of a global network of artists and art practices which respond to the geography of their territory of production through paired remote exchanges.
Residencies in Australia (via NAVA)
Residencies overseas (via Australia Council)