Perth will next week welcome an immersive art exhibition by acclaimed street artist Rone. Taking place at the Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) until Monday, 30 September, Rone will bring his TIME installation to Perth and AGWA's historical Centenary Galleries, including a new room and murals exclusively for local audiences.

It will be the first time both floors of the Centenary Galleries will be open in almost 20 years. This exhibition will be Rone's only showcase in 2024, expected to attract over 100,000 patrons to AGWA. The immersive art exhibition will take over 12 rooms at AGWA, across both floors in the historic Centenary Galleries building.

Find out more at www.artgallery.wa.gov.au​ and access Minister Templeman's full media statement here

New figures released by Tourism Research Australia show WA's tourism recovery has led to a spending increase of $200 million compared to YE December 2023, which is $4.4 billion or 32 per cent ahead of the 2019 pre-pandemic figure. International visitors surpassed the 2019 value for the first time, reaching $2.5 billion or three per cent greater than the pre-pandemic value.

Results have been fuelled by a boost in spend by visitors from China, with the country reclaiming its pre-pandemic position as the number one market for Western Australia when ranked by visitor spend. Results for WA also show it was the top performing state in Australia in terms of total visitor spend versus 2019, with growth of 32 per cent ahead of the total national growth of 25 per cent, and the top performing state in terms of overnight visitors compared to 2019.

The news comes amid continuing labour market pressures for the sector and can be expected to further drive demand for workers across the hospitality, travel, and tourism industries. Tourism Research Australia's International and National Visitor Survey results are the official sources of visitor statistics for Australia, and can be viewed here. 

​Minister Carey's full media statement may be accessed here.

The sport of artistic swimming has received a funding boost to employ a High Performance Manager and a Wellbeing Manager. The funding - $125,000 in 2023-24 and $100,000 in 2024-25 - will go towards the two staff members at Perth's Artistic Swimming National Centre of Excellence, based in Mount Claremont.
Artistic swimming - or synchronised swimming - is a hybrid of swimming, gymnastics and dance which requires strength, rhythm, flair and the ability to hold your breath underwater. Artistic swimming is one of only two sports to host a national high-performance program in Perth. The other is hockey.
A dozen athletes are part of the Team Australia Squad going to the Paris Olympics, which start on 26 July. Four members of the squad hail from WA - Hannah Burkhill, Natalia Caloiero, Raphaelle Gauthier and Alessandra Ho. Supported by Artistic Swimming WA, the sport's peak body in the State, the Artistic Swimming National Centre of Excellence has been in Perth for two years.

​Minister Templeman's full media statement may be accessed here.

A new program to improve creativity and wellbeing for young people across Western Australia will be trialled after the State Government approved $600,000 in funding for eight organisations to deliver culture and the arts projects with health benefits. The Creativity and Wellbeing for Young People Pilot Program is a partnership between the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries (DLGSC) and Healthway, with each agency contributing $300,000 for the one-year trial. The pilot program aims to increase the long-term sustainability of employment opportunities for artists delivering and creating work with young people. Other key aims include providing opportunities for participation and engagement in arts and creative activities for young people in Western Australia; building health outcomes for young people participating in arts and creative activities; and increasing accessibility and engagement of creative experiences for young people with a particular focus on those that identify as: Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CaLD), LGBTQIA+, or are impacted by a level of socio-economic disadvantage.

Minister Templeman's full media statement may be accessed here.

Think Digital is a self-assessment tool for arts and cultural organisations, that offers a digital capabilities overview and supports the development of a digital strategy. It has been designed to help Australian arts organisations assess their digital capabilities, form a digital strategy or identify key priorities, and thrive in the growing digital landscape.
Think Digital was commissioned by Creative Australia, the delivery against key priorities from the Digital Culture Strategy, to help organisations thrive in digital environments and increase literacy to embed digital transformation.

To get started pick a digital champion from your organisation and sign up here.

New Music advocates Tura have released their 2023 Program Report. The 35-year-old organisation saw over ten thousand people engage with their programs over the course of last year, with four major regional and remote engagement programs, nearly seventy school programs, twelve commissioned works and over forty performances.
Programs include the highly successful Sound FX initiative, now in its sixth year, where Tura collaborates with communities in the Fitzroy Valley to explore music, story, and cultural knowledge. The organisation reached 2700 school children last year, of which 70% were First Nations. 

​Explore the work of Tura and access the report here.

As part of the Arts Scoping Study highlighted in the National Cultural Policy ‘Revive’, Creative Australia and Service & Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA) are launching an employer survey to understand workforce issues and skills needs within the creative industry. The survey aims to gain a better understanding of labour and skills shortages, workforce challenges and skills needs across Australia’s creative workforce. Senior Leadership or Hiring Managers in organisations with a cultural / creative output are invited to participate in the survey, targeted to organisations in the following broad categories:
• Digital Games
• Literature organisations and publishing
• Visual Arts, Craft and Design (including Museums and Galleries)
• Music
• Screen
• Performing Arts

The survey may be accessed here and should be completed before Wednesday 19 June 2024.