Creating an
inspired,
connected and
empowered
Arts & Cultural Sector
in Regional NSW.

Regional Arts NSW is a non-government, peak body organisation with the goal of creating a strong arts ecosystem across regional NSW.

We partner with the network of Regional Arts Development Organisations (RADOs) and other regionally-based arts organisations located across NSW. The RADOs provide direct support for the artists that live in their region and work to build resilient communities through arts and cultural development.

As their peak body, we support them in their work by focusing on three strategic pillars: Advocacy, Support and Leadership.

Help us nurture creative communities across regional NSW.

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WHAT WE DO

At Regional Arts NSW, we want to make sure that regional voices are at the heart of NSW’s arts ecosystem. 

Our work involves supporting individual creative practitioners, local communities and arts organisations in regional NSW. Some of the ways we do this are:

  • Designing and delivering strategic projects that build creative practice in the regions
  • Offering funding opportunities for artists and organisations
  • Providing professional development for creatives at all stages
  • Advocating for regional arts at local, state and federal government levels
  • Partnering with other organisations to create career opportunities for regional artists
  • Promoting regional arts events & opportunities

Our work is based on three strategic pillars of operation:

ADVOCATE

Promote and champion the arts and culture sector of regional  NSW.

SUPPORT

Strengthen and support the capacity of the arts and culture sector in Regional NSW.

LEAD

Lead the sector to drive investment in arts and culture through best practice operations at RANSW.

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Latest News

Conversations with the CEO: The Year of Dichotomy

5/8/2026 After all the uncertainty that last year brought to the arts in NSW, 2026 is a very different year. In my head I have been calling it The Year of Dichotomy. We have a set of conditions that are undeniably difficult including cost of living affecting...
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THE REGIONAL ARTS FUND: Wide Desert Listening

15/7/2026In May 2025, the Almiraj Sufi Centre presented Sufi Oz with Barkindji/Malyangapa songman Leroy Johnson in concert with a show called Wide Desert Listening. Funded by the Regional Arts Fund Project Grants, Wide Desert Listening was an interdisciplinary arts...
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In Place / In Practice: Author Shannon Barnes on how she found her creative voice

1/7/26My friends often tell me they’re ‘not talented enough’ to be artists, and every time they do, I tell them that it isn’t true. I believe that no one is born with an innate natural talent that makes being a career artist inevitable. Talent helps, sure. But really...
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DANCE DIALOGUES – OUTSIDE THE CITY: BEYOND THE LIMITS

1/07/2026Attention regional dancers! You’re invited to DANCE DIALOGUES OUTSIDE THE CITY: BEYOND THE LIMITS a one-day gathering focused on the future of the Regional NSW dance sector. Running concurrently to the IMPACT Festival 2026, the event shines a spotlight on...
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Mentorship with emerging artist Tori Ann Donnelly and contemporary artist Karla Dickens

18/06/2026 In January 2026, The Regional Arts Fund: Quick Response Grants funded a rare professional development opportunity between emerging artist Tori Ann Donnelly and fellow First Nations contemporary artist Karla Dickens.    Tori Ann Donnelly is...
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Maree Kelly on how she represents the emotional reality of place and community through landscape painting 

28/05/26 What is the role of landscape painting in a world where photography is so accessible? Why would we need to capture a scene through the slow and arduous process of oil painting when we could just whip out our phone and take a picture in less than 10 seconds?...
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RANSW Advisory Council appoints 3 new Board Directors

26/05/2026On Wednesday 20th May 2026, Regional Arts NSW held our annual in-person Advisory Council meeting, Annual General Meeting (AGM) and Annual Dinner at our office in The Rocks NSW. Our Advisory Council is made up of the Board Chairs of each member Regional Arts...
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Meet the new faces bringing fresh energy and new grants to Orana Arts

21/05/2026 Orana Arts is visiting communities across the Orana region from 1–3 June alongside Regional Arts NSW, Create NSW and neighbouring Regional Arts Development Organisations. The purpose is simple: to meet artists and creative communities where they are, find...
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REGIONAL ARTS FUND: Dinner Party at the End of the World

21/05/2026 Dinner Party at the End of the World was a multi-artform program held in 2025, inspired by stories of the Lismore floods. It was produced by Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA) and consisted of a team of artists that led creative development projects,...
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Help us shape the next National Cultural Policy

6/5/2026The Australian Government is currently developing a new National Cultural Policy to shape the future direction of the creative and cultural sector. They are currently seeking public submissions, which will be key in informing this new policy.  Building...
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Donate to RANSW

Regional Arts NSW has been working hard in arts and cultural development for nearly 80 years. If you’d like to help us continue making a difference and to make our program even more ambitious, consider a (tax-deductible) donation.

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