Around 35,000 artists, participants and audience members engaged with arts programs and creative projects thanks to Sunshine Coast Council's Regional Arts Development Fund program last financial year.
Through the RADF partnership with the Queensland Government, council provided more than $265,000 to local arts and creative projects in the 2018/19 financial year.
Arts Portfolio Cr Rick Baberowski said the Sunshine Coast's creative sector was really starting to thrive and would continue to grow thanks to the Regional Arts Development Fund and council's Arts Plan.
"Through the RADF program we are continuing to promote the role and value of arts, culture and heritage as key drivers of our diverse, inclusive and creative community of communities," Cr Baberowski said.
"Council's vision is for our region to be healthy, smart and creative, and RADF is certainly delivering on that.
"Our RADF officer held almost 400 consultations with artists across the region during the financial year and almost 65% of them were new applicants which is extremely exciting and proves just how keen our local creative community is."
In the 2018/19 financial year, the RADF program created paid employment opportunities for 438 artists, provided meaningful arts engagement for 3226 direct participants, reached audiences exceeding 31,000, provided 196 arts experiences for Sunshine Coast communities, and supported the development of more than 200 new works.
The RADF program includes a competitive arts grants program, support for council-initiated projects including Horizon Festival, fabric and Creative Spaces, professional and industry development initiatives and industry partnerships.
The grants program awarded $170,179 to 55 successful creative projects including screen, dance, visual arts, literary, interdisciplinary and theatre.
RADF also supported the region's first creative industries incubator, The Refinery, in partnership with SunCentral Maroochydore and the Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance. In its inaugural year, The Refinery supported 15 creative businesses and delivered industry events for more than 1000 local creatives.
Partnerships are integral to the delivery of the RADF program and in 2018/19 council partnered with more than 30 Sunshine Coast-based organisations including Advance Queensland through SCRIPT, SunCentral Maroochydore, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast Environment Council, Experience Eumundi and Creative Enterprise Australia.
