Five local arts projects boosted by more than $22k in grant funding
Five diverse projects, including a regional art trail, a sculptor residency, and funding for local Aboriginal artist, will share in the significant investment aimed at transforming the Whitsunday arts scene and attracting new cultural visitors.
From empowering Aboriginal artists with professional development to connecting women through fibre arts workshops, creativity across the Whitsundays has received a vital financial boost.
A partnership between local and state government, through the Regional Arts Development Fund, has committed more than $22,000 to five regional arts initiatives, ensuring local talent has the resources to grow, connect, and showcase their work.
Two-week sculptor residency
Artists Run Initiative Whitsundays are set to receive $5499 to host sculptor Peter Syndicas for a two-week residency featuring a masterclass and community forum.
ARI Whitsundays say Syndicas will explore the Gloucester and Hydeaway Bay areas, sharing his expertise in sculpture and public art.
The residency will also launch an Environmental Sculpture Program designed to build skills, encourage new creative work, and strengthen community connections by celebrating the natural environment.
It was noted ARI Whitsundays had a strong track record for delivering successful workshops in the region.
Whitsunday Art Trail
Artists Connect Inc., led by Margaret Burgess, secured $3060 for development of their 2026 – 2027 Whitsunday Art Trail.
The project will create a regional public directory of arts studios, galleries, artists and creative organisations, accessible via a dedicated website.
The plan also includes printing 3000 trail booklets to be made available at tourism locations across the Whitsundays promoting cultural tourism and local artists.
Exhibition development training
Local Aboriginal artist Felicity Chapman will receive $3850 to attend a two-day workshop in Brisbane.
Ms Chapman is an artist living with a disability in regional Queensland, and council recognised culturally safe and accessible professional development opportunities for artists like her were often limited.
The funding is said to allow Ms Chapman to gain skills in developing and pitching exhibition proposals, preparing touring projects, and navigating grant applications.
The Regional Arts Development Fund committee noted Ms Chapman intended to share what she learned with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists in the region.
Young adult fantasy manuscript
Emerging writer Holly Daniel is to be awarded $4300 to complete the final production steps for her Young Adult fantasy manuscript, The Light Unfound.
After previously funding a developmental edit herself, Daniel will now go through the process of copyediting, proofreading, cover design, formatting and ISBN registration to produce a polished manuscript ready for readers.
Fibre arts projects to build regional connections
Annette Oosterhof is set to receive $5500 toward Threads of Connection, a fibre arts project designed to bring women together to “create, connect and craft.”
The project is aimed at strengthening creative and social ties among women in the Whitsundays across North Queensland through workshops and social gatherings.
They say that by engaging in weaving, felting, and other fibre arts, women will build confidence, reduce isolation and enhance
mental health while also preserving and celebrating cultural and artistic traditions.
