BY ISABEL EVERETT






Lake Macquarie City Council is providing grants of to $3000 for local musicians and creatives as part of their Creative Industry
Seed Grants program.






Four categories
of funding are available under the program.






Five emerging
musicians each year, over the age of 12, are


eligible


for grants of up to $500 to
help with development and support of emerging musicians from Lake Macquarie.






“This could be
used to create or deliver original performance works, upgrade instruments, make
recordings or participate in gigs,”


Manager Arts, Culture
and Tourism, Jacqui Hemsley said.






Five $1000
grants will be awarded for projects covering art exhibitions and installations,
theatre performances, literature, multimedia or film.


Ms Hemsley said
Council was also offering five $500 grants for people to develop their
professional creative skills through workshops, courses and other means.

“We’re also
offering two $2500 grants each year for research and development into creative
pursuits, whether it’s developing a script or publication, or preparing a
business case for large-scale arts activities in Lake Mac,” Ms Hemsley said.




The new Lake
Macquarie City Council Creative Industry Seed Grants program will provide a
total $15,000 a year to emerging artists and musicians as part of its
commitment to growing Lake Mac’s creative sector and supporting the creative
economy.






“We’re urging
talented applicants and emerging creatives to apply, to help them develop their
own creative practice, profession or cultural pursuit,” Ms Hemsley said.


Applications
close 5pm, 31 March, with funds distributed in June for projects in the 2021-22
financial year.



Information
sessions on the new program will be held 5.30-6.30pm on Monday 9 March at
Toronto Library, and 5.30-6.30pm on Thursday 19 March at Belmont Library.