Tim Kurylowicz says the two funding grants are a “game changer” for the Ambo project. Photo: Chris Roe.
Eastern Riverina Arts executive director Tim Kurylowicz is the only regional advocate selected to be a part of the NSW Government’s Creative Communities Council.
The new advisory council will work with Arts Minister John Graham and Create NSW to design the government’s 10-year policy for arts, culture and creative industries.
The goal is to sustainably grow the state’s creative industries sector, which currently represents about 10 per cent of the state’s economy.
“The NSW Government did a whole bunch of consultation right across the state during 2023 and made a really significant reform to the arts and culture policy for this state, notably, it’s now an arts culture and creative industries policy,” Mr Kurylowicz said.
“So for the first time, we have an arts policy that actually looks at the people who make money from their art, who may have it as their day job in everything from the film industry to the gaming industry, graphic design, you name it.
“This advisory committee is made up of people who are on the ground in the arts to advise the rollout and to make sure that it’s implemented in a way that is informed by people who work in those jobs.”
The 11 members of the Creative Communities Council are industry stakeholders from across the spectrum of the arts industries.
“It’s a really diverse group of very eminent people and I’m really incredibly fortunate to be on that committee amongst some of the heads of major organisations across the arts, music, film and television, publishing, libraries, galleries and festivals,” Mr Kurylowicz said.
“There’s a real opportunity to make sure that Australia’s best creative minds are servicing and exporting to the world, and that’s something to be immensely proud of.”
As the only council member based outside Sydney, Mr Kurylowicz said his role would be to ensure that opportunities and support were available to regional and rural artists, institutions and communities across the state.
“I was pleased to see a real focus in this particular policy on getting both western Sydney and regional NSW on board and ensuring that the entirety of the arts isn’t just sitting on Bennelong Point or within 15 minutes of the Sydney CBD,” he said.
“The incredible work that councils and Regional Arts Development Organisations do in regional NSW, running art galleries, museums and cultural development projects, also needs to be recognised and supported.”
The 11 inaugural members of the Creative Communities Council are:
- Louise Herron, Sydney Opera House (chair)
- Anne Loxley, Arts and Cultural Exchange
- Benjamin Lee, Blowfish Studios
- Caroline Butler-Bowdon, State Library of NSW
- Darren Dale, Blackfella Films
- Elizabeth Mildwater, Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality & Sport
- Erin Madeley, Media, Entertainment & Arts Alliance
- Julia Robinson, ARIA
- Kerri Glasscock, Sydney Fringe (deputy chair)
- Nicholas Pickard, APRA AMCOS
- Tim Kurylowicz, Eastern Riverina Arts.
You can learn more through Create NSW.
Original Article published by Chris Roe on Region Riverina.
