The Access All Areas: Arts Vouchers for Kids initiative is a $3.1 million election commitment by Western Australia’s Cook Government, announced in last month’s State Budget.
When quizzed in the Legislative Assembly Estimates Committee meeting last week by WA Labour Member for Bicton, Lisa O’Malley, for more information on when Western Australians will be able to access the vouchers, the Minister for the Creative Industries, Simone McGurk, responded, “The department is working hard to deliver these vouchers ready for the summer school holidays at the end of this calendar year.”
The Government has said that the vouchers will be able to be used in up to 120 venues right across WA, including the metropolitan, out of metro and regional areas.
McGurk confirmed that, to date, venues include Scitech, special events at the Western Australian Museum, the Western Australian Maritime Museum, the Albany Entertainment Centre and the State Theatre Centre of Western Australia, with more to be announced
She added, “The vouchers will fulfil our commitment to provide up to 50,000 $50 vouchers for young people aged from five to 15 years, so they can access and experience our culture, arts and creative industries all over the state.”
Minister McGurk addressed the Committee: “I want to emphasise that we are putting in quite a bit of work to make sure that there is good take-up and an even spread of take-up geographically and across different groups within our state. We want to ensure that not only will there be take-up from different groups, but also that the vouchers will be redeemable across a wide variety of arts and cultural experiences across the state, including theatre, dance, live music, comedy, circus and exhibitions.”
Read: How to get the most out of a visit to an art gallery with kids
The initiative was borne out of the WA Government’s 10-year vision to grow and sustain thriving culture, arts and creative industries in the state. “The vouchers will support families that need it and stimulate our creative industry sector by helping organisations that employ WA artists, performers and event staff in Perth and regional WA,” concluded McGurk.
According to the WA Government’s Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, every year the creative industries sector contributes over $3 billion to the WA economy.
Also on ArtsHub:
Glow: creative experiences designed for babies delivered to your doorstep
Have you ever heard of an exhibition that is delivered to your doorstep? Glow is an initiative created by award-winning Victorian company Threshold and funded by Creative Australia’s Playing Australia, which has been designed specifically for parents, carers and babies.
Life with a newborn can be challenging, especially bundling up and getting out. Glow offers a rare gift – a way to feel less alone and to connect with your newborn in the comfort of your home. A fully digital arts experience, Glow is audio-led and includes a suite of poetic, sensory rich engagements to share with a baby or infant. And the best part – it can be accessed 24/7 – the time dictated by a young child.
Threshold co-Director Sarah Lockwood says, “[Glow] honours the exhaustion, beauty and unpredictability of life with a new baby. We’re so excited to bring it to regional communities in a way that supports their rhythms, not ours.”
The program is currently being rolled out across five regional communities as part of the Glow digital tour.
The response to its pilot program was exceptional – 100% of surveyed parents said Glow made them feel more connected to their baby through the creative experience. The tour is a demonstration of how digital art can be locally embedded, widely accessible and emotionally meaningful.
Glow’s creators explain: “In a bold reimagining of what an arts tour can be, a new digital experience is meeting families where they are – not in theatres or galleries, but in living rooms and playgroups across regional Australia.” Read more…
