Can a new arts precinct put Karratha on the cultural map?

A major new arts precinct in the heart of the Pilbara demonstrates how the arts enrich community while also strengthening the WA touring circuit.

Image via www.wuyidoric.com.au

The value of a cultural centre is all too easily measured in monetary terms – $55 million in the case of the recently opened Red Earth Arts Precinct (REAP), a multi-function venue in Karratha, in the remote Pilbara region of Western Australia.

Of that $55 million, $26 million came directly from the City of Karratha, with additional funds supplied by the Australian Government’s National Stronger Regions Fund, the State Government’s Royalties for Regions program, corporate partners Woodside and Rio Tinto, and Lotterywest.

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Richard Watts is ArtsHub's National Performing Arts Editor; he also presents the weekly program SmartArts on Three Triple R FM, and serves as the Chair of La Mama Theatre's volunteer Committee of Management. Richard is a life member of the Melbourne Queer Film Festival, and was awarded the status of Melbourne Fringe Living Legend in 2017. In 2020 he was awarded the Sidney Myer Performing Arts Awards' Facilitator's Prize. Most recently, Richard was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Green Room Awards Association in June 2021. Follow him on Twitter: @richardthewatts