Pictured at the Moree Plains Gallery last Friday, artist mentor and volunteer Yvonne Rice, left, Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall, Gallery Director Vivien Thompson, artist and education officer Janelle Boyd and Moree TAFE’s Denise Jenkins.
FUNDING of $153,000 for the next three years has been secured for the Moree Plains Gallery with Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall announcing the windfall from state government today.
Mr Marshall was in Moree last Friday and met with gallery staff on to deliver the good news. He said the funding would enable the gallery to continue providing innovative arts and cultural experiences across the region for the next three years.
“The Moree Plains Art Gallery is a wonderful community asset and a pleasure to visit so I’m delighted this funding has been secured, and pleased the NSW Government has put its hand up to help fund our region’s valuable cultural and educational programs,” Mr Marshall said.
“It’s certainly a feather in the gallery’s cap to be recognised at a state level for the positive impact their programs have in the community. With this funding secured, they can now focus their attention on further developing their education programs and continue to meet the changing needs of the region.
“Their programs currently include workshops for people living with physical disabilities, adults recovering from mental illness, children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, as well as weekend art classes for adults and children.
“The funding secures the future of their current programs and extends their ability to deliver outreach programs to schools throughout the Moree Plains Shire.”
Moree Plains Art Gallery Director Vivien Thompson said they were very excited to be successful in their application to the State Government for Multi-Year Program funding.
“While we have received this funding before, this year we applied for a much larger sum of money. This reflects our plan to substantially increase the Gallery’s activities over the next three years,” Mrs Thompson said.
“Securing funding like this means gallery staff don’t have to worry as much about fundraising and marketing but can focus on better serving our community through cultural and education programs.
“It also shows that the work of our gallery is being recognized at a state level, placing us in the same standing as larger regional galleries throughout NSW. It’s fantastic for our staff to feel their work is making a difference and is appreciated.”
Mr Marshall said the government was committed to supporting artists and organisations which made such a valuable creative contributions to their local communities.
“Supporting arts in regional NSW is a key part of our Government’s new Create in NSW framework which guides investment and partnerships to grow a thriving arts and cultural sector for the people of NSW,” Mr Marshall said.
Almost $6 million will be provided to the State’s 14 Regional Arts Boards over the next three years from the NSW Government’s Arts and Cultural Development Program.