The Blacktown City Creative Arts Fund supports local arts and cultural projects

On Thursday 14 August, Blacktown City Council awarded $45,000 worth of grant funding to 10 outstanding organisations and artists.

Commencing their projects in Blacktown, each project supports the creative growth and professional artistic and cultural development of local artists, creatives, groups and organisations.

Ranging from podcasts, music, photography, film, dance and creative therapy workshops, many of which supporting First Nations projects and culturally diverse artists and organisations.

The Mayor of Blacktown City, Brad Bunting said, ‘Seeing the creativity and passion of our local artists as I presented these cheques was truly inspiring. Each project shows the incredible diversity that thrives in Blacktown City, from film and dance to photography and First Nations storytelling. Council is proud to support our local creatives as they develop their skills and share their stories with the wider community.’

Each of the recipients show the depth of creative talent we have in Blacktown City.

Grant funding was awarded to the following artists and organisations:

Babayaan Aboriginal Corporation
Exhibition Mini Documentary
Filming a mini documentary to capture the development of an exhibition and encourage First Nations artists to continue exploring their creative development, confidence, self-esteem, spirituality and cultural knowledge.

Behzad Ansari
Echoes of Rumi in the Strings of Tar
Using traditional Persian composition on the Tar, the project draws from Rumi’s poetry and is expressed through live performance, recording, and creative sound exploration.

Emma Depares
Darkroom Diaries: The Sustainable Darkroom
Building a sustainable darkroom and photographic garden to develop their professional practice.

Euphony Xpressions
Creative Journeys: Blacktown Artists in Focus – Mastering Creative Blocks and Achieving Success in the Arts
Audio Visual Podcast showcasing Blacktown’s artists, inspiring creatives, and fostering engagement through storytelling, social media, YouTube and an in-person launch.

‘Grateful for the Blacktown City Creative Arts Fund support for Creative Journeys Podcast,  empowering local artists’ voices and inspiring us to rise above creative blocks together’

Luke Agius
The Bad Luck Bunch Trailer
A short proof of concept trailer for a coming of age horror film, about a group of friends that descend into the forest to find their missing friend and the Wirri Wirri Man. The project prioritises First Nations storytelling, cast and crew.

‘I’m deeply grateful to Blacktown Arts and Blacktown City Council for awarding me the Creative Arts Fund grant. I look forward to making The Bad Luck Bunch with a great team and filming it right here in Blacktown’

Mount Druitt Ethnic Communities Agency
Future Visions: Artistic Expression for Social Change
A transformative arts program led by local artist Emmanuel Asante to empower Mount Druitt youth to create alternative social imaginaries through visual storytelling. Young participants will explore identity, culture, and the future through the workshop program.

Ritika Gilfedder
Monsoon Celebration
A Bollywood dance celebration A series of Bollywood dance workshops with mothers, children and disability groups. Depicting the joy of the monsoon in South-East Asia, participants will learn a dance routine to Bollywood ‘rain’ songs.

Samarpana Institute of Dance
Echoes of Home
The project, “Echoes of Home” is a Bharathanatyam dance production which explores home, belonging and displacement through movement, spoken word, and music, culminating in a work-in-progress showing.

Smartfone Flick Fest
Smartphone Filmmaking Masterclass Series + Documentary Shoot
A series of free classes aiming to empower local Blacktown City residents of all ages to learn basic and assessable filmmaking skills and craft a documentary that encapsulate the essence of community life in Western Sydney.

‘Receiving this grant from the Blacktown City Creative Arts Fund is such an incredible honour and we are so thrilled to have the opportunity to bring our world-class smartphone filmmaking workshops to Blacktown and help local creatives – of all ages – shoot documentaries on the local area and its people, all on the devices in their pockets. We couldn’t do it without the support this grant provides us and we cannot wait to see what we create in Blacktown.’

SydWest Multicultural Services
Beyond Words: Art as a Tool for Men’s Behaviour Change
A creative therapy program using art to support men’s behaviour change, fostering self-reflection, accountability, and emotional expression for healthier relationships and violence-free communities. Led by professional artist and educator, Abdullah M I Syed.

Media enquiries
Contact our Communications Unit:
Emma Kouretas, Blacktown Arts, 9839 6307 or 0477 045 688
Colin Henderson 9839 6409 or 0409 341 440 mediaunit@blacktown.nsw.gov.au