Annual Report 2017-18
The arts matter. They are intrinsic to the individual lives of all Australians, our communities, our society, our futures. 10,101 new artworks were created and 609 organisations were funded through the Australia Council in 2017–18. This investment is an investment in the future.
The significant contribution of my predecessor Rupert Myer AO to these ambitions is evidenced through the strong foundations of the Australia Council. On behalf of the Board, the Australia Council staff and the arts sector, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge Rupert’s commitment to fostering Australia’s cultural ambitions and his deep arts knowledge, leadership and vision.
The past six years have seen the transformation of the Council’s governance model to a skills-based Board; a new peer assessment model drawing on diverse expertise across the country; the major transformation of the Australia Council’s grants funding program to a streamlined and accessible model to support the creation and presentation of diverse and ambitious work; the delivery of a suite of strategic programs designed to develop and support the arts in Australia and internationally; and a new approach to the Council’s research, analysis and advocacy which has seen a growing body of evidence and knowledge about arts and culture now publicly available through the Council’s online Arts Nation research hub.
Sam Walsh AO
Chair, Australia Council
This year we funded:
