Growing the Arts

Through funding, professional development, education, festivals, public art, live music, community participatory arts, youth arts, experimental and collaborative practise and digital technology.

The Arts and Cultural Strategy will see the City play a greater role in fostering creativity. This approach supports a growing understanding that creative and cultural expression and participation is not only an essential ingredient for community wellbeing but a strategic factor in our City's sustainable development.

Geelong's accreditation as a UNESCO City of Design and the connection this gives us into the UNESCO Creative Cities Network also provides a unique opportunity to set the direction for arts and culture in Geelong.


Photo: Blink Dance Theatre | Memory House | Creative Communities Grant recipients | Geelong Arts Centre Creative Engine recipients

This strategy will be supported by a 4 Year Action Plan which will itemise key actions against our commitments. It will include measurements and indicators to enable us to measure our success and report on what still needs to happen. Taking into account community feedback we will present Council with the 4 Year Action Plan together with the Arts and Cultural Strategy in July this year.

What we are already doing:

As we prioritise our actions it is important to recognise that much is already happening. This Strategy builds upon the work which the City's arts, culture and heritage team have been undertaking in recent years and most recently through COVID 19.These include for example:

- A major COVID recovery program for the arts and cultural sector in Geelong

- Ongoing grants program

- A new Arts Industry Commission initiative to support local artists through 17 individual commissions

- An extensive Public Art program