The Australia Council for the Arts, informally known as the Australia Council, is the official arts council or arts funding body of the Government of Australia.
Function
It is responsible for funding arts projects around Australia, formulating and implementing policies to foster and promote the arts in Australia. The Council also advises governments and industry on arts-related issues. Each year, the Australia Council provides over 1700 grants to artists and arts organisations. In addition, it supports strategies to develop new audiences and markets for the arts both in Australia and overseas. The Australia Council itself, is funded by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts from 2007.
History
The Australia Council was formed in 1967 by Prime Minister Harold Holt as a body for the public funding of the arts and was given statutory authority in March 1975 by the Australia Council Act. The Council's predecessor, the Australian Council for the Arts was established in 1968 by Prime Minister John Gorton as a division of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. The Council then incorporated other government projects, such as the Commonwealth Literary Fund and the Commonwealth Art Advisory Board. It operates in co-ordination with the various state government agencies. Fee Plumley is the former director of the digital arts program.
Boards
The Australia Council is composed of seven boards; each board has seven members including a chair, except the Major Performing Arts Board, which has eight members.
The seven boards are:
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts
- Dance
- Literature
- Major Performing Arts
- Music
- Theatre
- Visual Arts
References
External links
- Australia Council for the Arts
- Culture and Recreation portal
- Australian Music Office - Australian Government organisation aimed at promoting export initiatives for Australian artists and music companies