The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre
An innovative multi-arts hub in the heart of Blacktown City.
Powerhouse Parramatta Foundational Cultural Partnership
Powerhouse Parramatta Foundational Cultural Partnership
We are excited to announce our multi-year cultural partnership with Powerhouse Parramatta.
This foundational cultural partnership will strengthen and amplify the arts and creative industries in Western Sydney, providing further opportunities and avenues for the professional development of local creatives and expand creative and cultural practices already happening throughout the community.
At the media launch, NSW Arts Minister John Graham MLC said ‘The connecting thread across the key strategic pillars highlight the distinctive cultural practices of western Sydney, emerging from the history of the people and the area. It is important that these diverse and distinctive creative practices are documented, preserved and integrated into our cultural institutions – reflecting the realities of lives, stories and distinctive creativity of the region. The legacy of the partnership will have an impact on generations to come.’
‘I am particularly excited to collaborate with Blacktown Arts, the Vyva Entertainment team, 4ESydney, Garage Graphix and the many creatives that will be part of WE’VE who play important roles in the Western Sydney community, providing space for young people to explore and express their ideas, values and creativity and support social cohesion and mental health.’
– Lisa Havilah, Chief Executive, Powerhouse
Projects
Generations Western Sydney Music Fellowship
In partnership with Create NSW, Powerhouse Parramatta, and Vyva Entertainment, Blacktown Arts are supporting Western Sydney early career contemporary musicians and their development through the Generations Western Sydney Music Fellowship.
Over the 6 month residency, the artist-led professional development program connects each fellow with established industry leaders and mentors to pass on intergenerational knowledge and connections in the music industry.
They also receive $25,000 of funding, in-kind support, studio space in Blacktown and mentoring and networking facilitated by Vyva Entertainment.
Read more about the Generations Western Sydney Music Fellowship and previous fellows here
4ESydney
4ESydney specialises in the culture of HipHop and utilises music to foster artistic careers, professional development and industry sustainability. It empowers youth, artists and diverse communities and creates unique opportunities for the growth and preservation of HipHop culture.
Highlights from 4ESydney have included their annual conference and festival, hosted at The Leo Kelly Blacktown Arts Centre and, in 2023, Warrick Lane Blacktown CBD.
Powerhouse Parramatta has joined our partnership with Vyva Entertainment to expand the programs future and importance.
Learn more about 4ESydney here.
WE'VE
The new multi-year cultural program WE’VE will support the presentation and preservation of cultural weaving practices. Artists will present contemporary weaving works, a practice that has been and continues to be, embedded in the cultural histories of the Pacific and Indigenous communities.
The program will reach from Western Sydney across Australia and into the Pacific to connect weaving practice through international residencies, masterclasses, cultural programs, as well as the establishment of an Australian and Pacific First Nations Weaving Garden at Powerhouse Parramatta.
