Indigenous dance among recipients of Rockhampton's Regional Arts Development Fund

A 'neon corroboree' Indigenous dance performance and a musical piece dedicated to miners lost at the Mount Morgan Mine are among seven projects which have received support through the most recent round of Rockhampton's Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF).

RADF is a partnership between the Queensland Government and Rockhampton Regional Council, supporting professional artists and arts practice in regional areas. It distributes approximately $60,000 of funding in Rockhampton Region each year.

Rockhampton Regional Council Communities and Heritage spokesperson, Councillor Drew Wickerson noted "the RADF Committee had a really good response to this funding round, in terms of the quantity and variety of projects.

"These are great examples of how RADF works. It's about grass roots funding support for local projects that will have a very positive and enduring effect on the local community.”

Advising that as part of this successful, long-term collaboration, the Queensland Government provided $2.13 million for RADF 2022/23 to a total of 59 local councils, who contributed a co-investment amount of over $1.9 million, Minister for the Arts, Leeanne Enoch added "established in 1991, RADF is a long-standing success story between the Queensland Government and regional councils, enabling local artists and arts workers to tell their rich and unique stories, boosting regional employment opportunities and other positive economic outcomes."

The projects which have received financial assistance are:

Blue Eagle Productions
Koch and Boules Season 2 - $9,910
To produce a locally made, follow up web series of “Koch and Boules” in Mount Morgan with local cast and crew members.

Dr Suzie May Camm
The Linda Memorial Mount Morgan - $2,500
The creation of a music composition for string quartet dedicated to the memory of miners lost at the Mount Morgan Gold Mine 1894-1909. 

Jacky Ming How Chan  
Portraits of Darumbal Elders - $10,000
Artist will create four portraits of Darumbal Elders. These paintings will then be gifted to Darumbal Enterprises for exhibition.      

Mount Morgan Promotion and Development Inc (MMPAD)  
Artistic Workshops as part of the Wattle Day Festival and 125 Year Mount Morgan Railway Celebrations - $6,236
MMPAD will host its annual Wattle Day Festival in conjunction with the 125 years of the Mount Morgan Railway Station on Saturday 2 September 2023. As a component of this festival, MMPAD plans to conduct a range of artistic and cultural workshops. These workshops include pottery and mosaic tiling, indigenous art techniques and other art techniques.      

Mundagatta Didgeridoos
Neon Corroboree - $9,035
A contemporary and traditional Indigenous dance performance with the use of neon and fluorescent ochre (body paint) to be performed at the Dreamtime Cultural Centre as part of NAIDOC Week.         

Rockhampton Symphony Orchestra     
Return of the Proms - $9,665
Collaborative professional workshops and a performance between the Rockhampton Symphony Orchestra and a community choir to celebrate the Rockhampton Symphony Orchestra’s 5th Anniversary.

Rockhampton Youth Orchestra Inc.   
Rockhampton Creative Bootcamps 2023 - $9,573
A four day creative bootcamp in Rockhampton with a community Performance outcome. 

For more information about Regional Arts Development Fund, visit www.rockhamptonregion.qld.gov.au/RADF