Arts news and opportunities
We help members of our creative communities to access relevant, sector-wide opportunities as they arise via our fortnightly arts e-bulletin and via our Facebook page and website. News about exhibitions, opportunities, funding, resources, education and experiences is listed regularly.
To subscribe to the e-bulletin email: arts.info@bendigo.vic.gov.au

CONNECT Greater Bendigo is a community website where you can find, join and connect with a range of local community clubs, groups, organisations and events. It’s easy and it’s free to use!
www.connectgreaterbendigo.com.au
Grants
Community grants
Support for artists is available through the City of Greater Bendigo Community Grants program.
To find out about grant categories, applications, assessment and funding agreements go to City of Greater Bendigo: community grants
Other grant programs
Grant programs that may suit local art projects include:
- Regional Arts Victoria
Regional Arts Victoria offer several funding opportunities for artists, arts organisations and presenters of arts projects throughout the state. Funded projects stimulate creative activity for regional audiences, and creative development for regional artists. - Creative Victoria
Creative Victoria's funding and support programs are designed to stimulate high quality, diverse creative activity across the state; strengthen Victoria's reputation as a centre for creative excellence; and ensure that all Victorians have opportunities to enjoy, participate in and benefit from a rich creative ecosystem. - Australia Council
The Australia Council invests in Australian arts through grants, initiatives, programmes and opportunities that foster and develop Australia’s arts sector and raise the profile of Australian art, nationally and internationally. - The Ulumbarra Foundation
The Ulumbarra Foundation was established to benefit the development of performing arts at Bendigo’s unique arts venues, notably Ulumbarra Theatre, The Capital, Bendigo Town Hall and the Old Fire Station (Engine Room). The Foundation’s activities also support performing arts organisations, artists and the wider regional community through programs and funding initiatives.
Mentors and Support
These organisations can provide mentoring, auspicing and other support for your arts practice:
- Auspicious Arts Projects - auspicious.com.au
A not-for-profit creative community management organisation providing independent artists with a secure and accessible framework to assist them with creative developments and producing work. - Emporium Creative Hub - www.emporiumcreativehub.com.au
Emporium Creative Hub in Bendigo provides a range of services including (but not limited to) coworking spaces, mentoring and an incubator program for creatives. - Popup Art - popupart.com.au
Pop Up Art supports professional and emerging artists, as the cornerstone to creativity and innovation for healthy communities. - Punctum - www.punctum.com.au
Punctum is an artist-led live arts organisation on Dja Dja Wurrung Country and based in Castlemaine, Australia.
Other Support
Other organisations that support those working in and for the arts include:
- Australian Copyright Council (ACC) - www.copyright.org.au
The ACC is an independent, not-for-profit organisation dedicated to promoting an understanding of copyright law and its application. - Australasian Performing Right Association and the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners Society (APRA AMCOS) - apraamcos.com.au
APRA AMCOS helps music creators get paid for their work and give people an easy way to legally play and copy music. - Arts Wellbeing Collective - www.artswellbeingcollective.com.au
The Arts Wellbeing Collective offers resources and services that support positive mental health for people working in the performing arts. - Arts Access Victoria - www.artsaccess.com.au
Arts Access Victoria started in 1974 and is the peak body for arts and disability in Victoria. - Arts Law - www.artslaw.com.au
Arts Law is an independent national community legal centre for the arts, providing free or low cost specialised legal advice, education and resources to Australian artists and arts organisations. - Ausdance - ausdance.org.au
Ausdance is Australia's peak body for dance, with a 44-year history of designing and delivering accessible and sustainable services to support Australian dance. - Australian Museums and Galleries Association Victoria(AMaGA Victoria) amagavic.org.au
AMaGA supports the development of quality museums, collections care, knowledge, and specialised skills for museum work. - Australian Music Centre (AMC) www.australianmusiccentre.com.au
The Australian Music Centre is the national service organisation dedicated to the promotion and support of art music in Australia. - Craft Victoria - craft.org.au
Craft Victoria is dedicated to supporting, presenting, and producing craft and design-focused creative practices. - Film Victoria - www.film.vic.gov.au
Film Victoria is the State Government agency that provides strategic leadership and assistance to the film, television and digital media sectors of Victoria. - Koorie Heritage Trust - koorieheritagetrust.com.au
The Koorie Heritage Trust at Federation Square takes Koorie peoples, cultures and communities from the literal and figurative fringes of Melbourne to a place that is a central meeting and gathering place for all Victorians. - Multicultural Arts Victoria (MAV) - www.mav.org.au
MAV champions culturally diverse artists and communities to create systems of cultural production and participation that uphold equity and self-determination. - Music Victoria - www.musicvictoria.com.au
Contemporary Music Victoria Inc. (Music Victoria) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation and the state peak body for contemporary music. - National Association for the Visual Arts (NAVA) - visualarts.net.au
NAVA leads advocacy, policy and action for a contemporary Australian arts sector that's ambitious and fair. - Victorian Association of Performing Arts Centres (VAPAC) - vapac.org.au
The peak body representing performing arts venues and theatre professionals across Victoria and Tasmania. - Victorian Drama League (VDL) - vdl.org.au
The VDL’s mission is to support community theatre in Victoria and act as a hub for bringing like-minded theatre people together. - Writers Victoria - writersvictoria.org.au
Writers Victoria is all about writing. With members throughout Victoria (and beyond), they are the state’s largest organisation supporting Victorian writers.>
Online Resources
- The Artists Essential Toolkit (by ArtsHub and Creative Victoria)
The Artists Essential Toolkit video series covers the fundamentals of getting your work online so it’s accessible to as wide an audience as possible. - Arts ACTION (by Popup Art)
Arts ACTION is a free upskilling and professional development program for creatives. - Support Act Wellbeing Helpline
The Support Act Wellbeing Helpline is a free, confidential phone counselling service, available to anyone who works in Australian music, the performing arts or other creative industries. - Indigenous Art Code
The indigenous Art Code is a system to preserve and promote ethical trading in Indigenous art.
Creative Spaces
There are a number of creative spaces operating within the City of Greater Bendigo, including spaces managed by the City, Temporary Art Spaces, Community and Educational Spaces and Commercial Galleries.
The Creative Spaces page has information about spaces managed by the Creative Communities Team, as well as Creative Spaces in Greater Bendigo, a compilation of creative spaces found in Greater Bendigo.
CELL 26
Hear the story of a former prison cell on the Ulumbarra site. Open 1 hour prior to any performance and on select dates.
More Information