Three community arts projects will receive funding through Penrith City Council's highly regarded 2026-27 Magnetic Places Grant Program, to magnify residents' stories, facilitate creative expression and celebrate neighbourhoods.
Magnetic Places supports professional artists and community organisations to work alongside residents to create meaningful, place-based projects. This round, projects will be delivered across Cambridge Park, Colyton, Cranebrook, North St Marys, St Marys and Werrington
The 3 projects will receive $43,270 in funding to engage young people, carers, mothers and grandmothers across Penrith's neighbourhoods, creating opportunities to connect, share stories and celebrate community identity through the arts.
The projects include:
Our Place, Our Story: Artist Diamando Koutsellis will work with senior students from Cambridge Park High School to co-design a public artwork that reflects the stories, identity and sense of place of the Cambridge Park community. The High School students will be mentored to lead workshops with students from a local primary school.
MyTime Community Development and Arts Exhibition: Home Stories - Creative Care: Led by artists Jenny Lai and Angela Sweeney-Bas in partnership with Playgroup NSW, this Cranebrook-based project will support carers of people with disability to explore creative expression through a series of arts workshops, celebrating carers' expertise as artists, advocates and community leaders.
Lullaby Circles: Voices of Penrith City Playgroups: North St Marys artist Dr Narjis Mirza will engage mothers and grandmothers attending playgroups in Colyton, North St Marys, St Marys and Werrington through a series of 20 community lullaby circles. Participants will share songs and stories from their cultures, recording lullabies and the stories behind them in their own languages as lasting family keepsakes and a public digital record.
Mayor Todd Carney said Magnetic Places continues to play an important role in building stronger, more connected neighbourhoods.
"Magnetic Places is one of Council's most successful and enduring community grants programs, empowering residents to tell their stories, share their experiences through creative expression and celebrate their neighbourhood," Cr Carney said.
"For almost 2 decades, the program has supported 119 projects and brought together 10,000 residents through creativity and collaboration. Magnetic Places creates an opportunity for residents to contribute to projects that leave a lasting legacy in their communities."
Find out more about the Magnetic Places Grants program at penrith.city/magneticplaces
