2 December 2014

Local artists supported by Creative Communities Fund

Hutt City will be well served for high-quality creative workshops in the next six months thanks to Creative Communities funding.

In total 19 groups applied for $76,511. The committee had $35,000 to award. Among the successful applicants were a number proposing to run workshops for the benefit of Lower Hutt residents, performers and artists.

Billy T James Award winner Mike Loader will use his $1,185 grant to present a comedy showcase and develop a public seminar for people wanting to learn stand-up comedy skills.

Lower Hutt Women’s Centre received $2,050 for a series of art workshops offered, at low cost, to women attending the centre.

MIX – Connecting Creating Living – will run basic ‘marketing your art’ workshops with their $1,200 grant.

Creative Communities funding encourages locals to actively participate in art-making in their community. Many of the events and workshops are free or low cost thanks to the funding received.

Claire Hewitt’s ‘Singing with Soul’ project was funded last round to provide services for people with intellectual disabilities.

She describes the project as, “a transformative experience for the song leader, musicians and the participants.

“Our workshop participants have been willing to work hard and have shown huge energy and enthusiasm for learning and singing each week.

“’Singing with Soul’ has made a huge difference to how these people are expressing their responses to music too, which we haven’t seen in the participants before.”

Unlike some other grants, Creative Communities allows individual artists and small groups to apply whereas most funding requires applicants to be a registered charitable trust.

All the projects funded will be staged between November 2014 and October 2015.

Creative Communities funding has two rounds each year. The next round will open in Feb 2015 for projects taking place from May onwards.

The Creative Communities Scheme is funded by Creative New Zealand, the government arts funding body, and administered by New Zealand city and district councils to support local community art activities.

FULL LIST OF SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS

Hutt City Lunchtime Concerts
$2,500 for a series of lunchtime musical concerts for the public at St Mark’s Church, winter 2015
Lower Hutt Women’s Centre
$2,050 for a series of art workshops offered at low cost to women attending the centre.

IHC NZ Inc.
$3,000 for Hutt Valley Playback Theatre Project 2015 – a workshop series over two terms at Arthouse Day Centre in High Street, Lower Hutt.

The Common Unity Project Aotearoa
$2,325 for Epuni Primary School Unity Garden murals and signage.

Hutt Valley Disabled Resource Trust
$1,906 for an exhibition of artists work at an About Space site in Lower Hutt CBD.

Team Naenae for the Naenae Festival
$2,300 to run the Naenae Festival on 29 Nov from 10am – 1pm.

Taiohi Morehu
$2,965 for a performance by young people about domestic violence and bullying staged at Little Theatre.

Mike Loder
$1,185 for a comedy showcase at Notre Dame des Missions Performing Arts Centre, and a public seminar for people wanting to learn stand-up comedy skills.

NZ Filifest Cultural Group
$4,846 for a festival held in Lower Hutt with performances by cultural groups, with food and craft stalls.

Sophie’s Creative Workshops
$1,654 for an art workshop in Wainuiomata to teach basics painting and drawing techniques.

MIX – Connecting Creating Living
$1,200 basic Marketing Your Art workshops, six sessions on presenting and marketing your artwork.

Pomare Community House and Social Services
$3,562 to pay for stage and sound hire and materials for art activities at Christmas in da Hood 2014.

ENDS

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