Carclew is very much a South Australian institution, as much a part of the cultural fabric of the state as the Library, Museum and Art Gallery, making it one of the most significant youth arts centres in the country. There is also a certain mystique and aura about Carclew that pervades the arts sector across the state, as the current Chair, Rachel Healy, notes:
‘One of the experiences that we all share at Carclew is that whenever you meet anyone in Adelaide, they all know Carclew and everyone has a memory of it. Support for youth arts when it is sustained over a long time, as with Carclew, means that it touches and has touched thousands of lives.’
