In 2012, the idea of an arts festival in the once booming regional town of Kandos – about three hours from Sydney – took root.
Taking its name from the town’s colossal cement works (operating 1914-2011), the Cementa Festival embraces a highly immersive, slow-burn approach, which aims to embed viewers in the heart of a regional arts community.
While the growth of any regional arts event over a decade deserves saluting, the ambition to ensure it’s sustainablity for the next decade and beyond – in this case by the purchase of a community hall – is an instructive story for any ARI (artist-run initiative).
