It's a bright day for artists and creatives across the region as Tamworth council agrees to quadruple the annual budget for public artworks.
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At its most recent meeting, Tamworth Regional Council voted to provide an extra $75,000 to its Public Art Fund, bringing this year's budget from $24,720 up to nearly $100,000.
Councillors also resolved to investigate a permanent increase to the fund in future budgets.
The move for permanent public arts funding is the first of its kind since similar attempts fizzled in 2017 and the one-off injection is the first major increase council has put into the fund since it was established in 2015.
![Councillor Marc Sutherland says he's excited to see Tamworth council stepping up for arts in the region. File picture by Peter Hardin Councillor Marc Sutherland says he's excited to see Tamworth council stepping up for arts in the region. File picture by Peter Hardin](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/200003594/a63bcb27-b1e6-43a2-9361-55237c398f79.jpg/r0_0_5105_3403_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Councillor and chair of the Tamworth Region Arts Advisory Committee Marc Sutherland said he's been advocating for the funding since getting elected as he sees a need for more "soft" or "social" infrastructure to help "bind our community".
"One of the big conversations we had throughout the campaign and when elected is the need for Tamworth Regional Council to commit to public art," Cr Sutherland said.
The councillor says the increased budget puts Tamworth "on par" with other regional areas.
"Quadrupling our budget from $24,000 to nearly $100,000 will now give us a lot more capacity to attract more public art and commit to a standard of public art being maintained at a higher standard than ever before," Cr Sutherland said.
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Councillors Phil Betts, Brooke Southwell, and Judy Coates all spoke in support of the growth of public art in Tamworth at the most recent council meeting.
"With how that $24,000 budget has been stretched by volunteers and grant funding and other assistance, we've achieved a lot. I think we'll find that with that additional $75,000 we'll be able to achieve a significant amount more and be able to engage with our art community," Cr Betts said.
The move comes as residents call on the local council to get a move on with plans for a multi-million dollar performing arts centre and cultural precinct which have been on its agenda for six years.
Progress on the plans has been slowed by funding cuts.
However, arts across the region continue to surge as the Frost Over Barraba art show returns from a three-year hiatus, the Tamworth gallery's National Textile Collection celebrates its 50th anniversary, and the recently-adopted Tamworth Entrance Strategy lays out plans for public artworks designed by local artists.
Cr Sutherland said the one-off $75,000 injection will mostly be used for maintenance of existing artworks, but the "big win" is council resolving to consider a permanent increase in the Public Art Fund in 2024 and beyond.
"Maintaining that allocation in future budgets is implied in the decision [council] made, but any change to our budgets will have to be re-committed to in the next financial year so it's hard to give it an exact dollar amount," Cr Sutherland said.
"There's always room to grow, and I think this is a really good step forward in that direction."
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