Creative Australia is...a celebration of arts and disability

Creative Australia is... a celebration and showcase of the people, projects and organisations that make up our rich and diverse cultural and creative industries.

This edition shares the stories of this year’s National Arts and Disability Awards recipients, and in recognition of the Australian Government's release of the Arts and Disability Associated Plan: Equity. 

Equity is a four-year roadmap of activities to build the foundations of equity for artists, arts workers and audiences with disability across Australia, with an $8.1 million investment from July 2025. To find out more, watch here.

Congratulations to visual effects studio Rising Sun Pictures for taking out the Creative Industries Award at the Australian Export Awards. Pictured above are Crystel Newman and Jennie Zeiher, with Creative Australia's Director, International, Zainab Syed. Please share this with your networks and encourage them to subscribe. If you want to unsubscribe, click here. 

Amanda Cachia

Curator, scholar and activist Professor Amanda Cachia specialises in disability arts activism and its intersections. We spoke to her about winning the National Arts and Disability Award (Established). Find out more.

Riana Head-Toussaint

Interdisciplinary artist Riana Head-Toussaint – founder of the acclaimed Crip Rave events – talks about receiving a National Arts and Disability Award (Early Career) for her multifaceted practice. Find out more.

Patrick Carter

A paragon of the West Australian arts and disability arts communities, Noongar artist and National Arts and Disability Award (Early Career) recipient, Patrick William Carter, has a big personality and an even bigger creative drive. Find out more.

Investing in arts and creativity

Check out some of our recent and upcoming funding outcomes below...

Congratulations to Walmatjarri elder and blues musician Kankawa Nagarra, winner of the $50,000 Australian Music prize (AMP) for her debut album Wirlmarni.

Dots+Loops: NONSTOP (7 December, Brisbane Powerhouse) presents six hours of wickedly wonderous post-genre artists. 

Celebrate the end of 2024 with La Mama’s exciting night Cabaretica on Friday 13 December in Melbourne. 

Multidisciplinary, site-responsive performance Feral explores the strange and wild nature of our island homes. From 22–25 January at Theatre Royal, Hobart.

Catch Bunyi Bunyi Bumi from 20- 23 February 2025, carrying the stories of shared kinships across the Asia-Pacific region, at Arts Centre Melbourne.

Nucleus, by celebrated and awarded playwright Alana Valentine, plays from 14 February – 15 March next year at the Seymour Centre, Sydney.

Perth Festival features Mahabharata महाभारतम्, an epic tale of rivalry and humanity you’ve waited 4,000 years to hear, 8–16 February 2025. 

Read Shapeshifting: First Nations Lyric Nonfiction over this summer break. This ground-breaking essay collection is edited by Jeanine Leane and Ellen van Neerven. 

Did you know?

The Widening the Lens: Social inequality and arts participation summary and final factsheet are now published.