19 November 2025
With thanks to significant funding from the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund Project Grants, twelve new arts projects will take place in regional and remote Queensland in 2026. Flying Arts Alliance Inc. and Regional Arts Australia are pleased to announce the successful recipients of Regional Arts Fund Project Grants in Queensland totalling $258,625.68.
Australian Government Minister for the Arts, the Hon Tony Burke MP said,
“Where you live, shouldn’t dictate your level of involvement within Australia’s art sector. This funding will create over 850 jobs for regional artists and arts workers across Australia.
“From Mullumbimby, to Emerald, Warrnambool and Rapid Creek, audiences will get to experience some incredible projects across a range of different mediums.
“We know there’s a story for every place and a place for every story and this funding only further supports that.”
Projects include Reparative Threads: A Fibre-Based Act of Care and Connection, a fibre-based, community-embedded art project exploring the cultural and material residue of cotton in the Western Downs region of Queensland. A joint initiative between Dogwood Crossing (Miles), Lapunyah Art Gallery (Chinchilla), and Gallery 107 (Dalby), the project culminates in a multi-site community exhibition and the creation of a large-scale 3D relief wall work to be donated by the lead artist into the Chinchilla Community Collection. Using discarded cotton litter blown from trucks during harvest, community members will participate in traditional handwork processes such as ginning, scouring, eco-dyeing, spinning, transforming the cotton waste into thread for artmaking. This process honours overlooked labour, celebrates rural identity, and invites reflection on cotton’s complex legacy. Through workshops and drop-in sessions, the project fosters care, connection, conversation and pride across generations — offering a gentle act of reclamation that transforms waste into meaning and individual stories into collective memory.
Successful recipients will deliver strong arts projects in diverse locations across Queensland, including Atherton, Beechmont, Cairns City, Chinchilla, Danbulla, Emerald, Kuranda, Kearneys Spring, Ninderry, St Lawrence and Townsville City.
Projects cover a wide variety of artforms including theatre, cross artform, visual arts, community arts, music, and film. These diverse projects covered topics from social justice and self-determination to the tackling of grief and inter-generational trauma through art. The projects will present exciting opportunities for local artists and community members to engage with the arts and widen their creative skillset.
Flying Arts Alliance’s CEO, Toni Palmer, is excited by the diversity of art forms and inclusivity being developed across a variety of communities, as seen in this round’s applications:
“Flying Arts Alliance would like to thank regional Queensland’s incredible artists, arts workers and art organisations for their passion, dedication and continued fostering of arts culture. These projects will create the foundations for benefits to the arts across regional and remote Queensland.”
“The high quality of applications received demonstrates how arts and culture in regional Queensland continues to grow and evolve, to create a transformative arts community for our society. We want to thank everyone who applied for funding in this round, and we are looking forward to seeing the fruition of the successful projects funded as they begin their development across regional and remote Queensland.”
The Regional Arts Fund is an Australian Government program that supports sustainable cultural development in regional and remote communities in Australia. The program is managed by Regional Arts Australia and administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance.
For more information on the Regional Arts Fund in Queensland, including upcoming round dates and how to apply, please go to flyingarts.org.au/raf or phone 07 3216 1322.
Full descriptions of projects and recipients below.
Regional Arts Fund Project Grants – Round 2 2025 Recipients
| Applicant | Project Title | Project Description | Funded Amount | Applicant Location |
| JUTE Theatre Company | Creative Development of A New Theatre work, ‘Fearless’ by Indigenous Regional playwright, Charmaine ‘Dizzy’ Doolan | A five‑day, First Nations‑led creative development to advance “Fearless”, a contemporary, uplifting theatre work by Cairns‑based rapper and emerging playwright Charmaine “Dizzy” Doolan. Building on JUTE’s 2020 creative development of Fearless, this stage focuses on drafting, on‑floor dramaturgy, and music‑text integration (rap, spoken word, blues), culminating in a public reading and feedback session at Bulmba‑ja Arts Centre. The development is a key step towards a JUTE production and state and regional tour planning for 2027. The project supports regional First Nations artists to bring a new Aboriginal Australian family personal history to the stage. Prioritising a predominantly First Nations creative team, it will follow recognised First Nations arts best practice, ensuring self-determination. | $29,998 | Cairns City |
| Lapunyah Art Gallery Inc | Reparative Threads: A Fibre-Based Act of Care and Connection | Reparative Threads is a fibre-based, community-embedded art project exploring the cultural and material residue of cotton in the Western Downs region of Queensland. A joint initiative between Dogwood Crossing (Miles), Lapunyah Art Gallery (Chinchilla), and Gallery 107 (Dalby), the project culminates in a multi-site community exhibition and the creation of a large-scale 3D relief wall work to be donated by the lead artist into the Chinchilla Community Collection. Using discarded cotton litter blown from trucks during harvest, community members will participate in traditional handwork processes such as ginning, scouring, eco-dyeing, spinning, transforming the cotton waste into thread for artmaking. This process honours overlooked labour, celebrates rural identity, and invites reflection on cotton’s complex legacy. Through workshops and drop-ins, the project fosters care, connection, conversation and pride across generations — offering a gentle act of reclamation that transforms waste into meaning and individual stories into collective memory. | $15,176 | Chinchilla |
| Kuweni Dias Mendis | Reverberations: a multisensory arts experience. | “Reverberations” is a multisensory arts experience presented in three parts: an autobiographical film projection as public art; a live autobiographical performance; and a participatory art installation where the community co-creates a large, collaborative, ephemeral work. This second iteration expands on the original version commissioned by BEMAC in 2024. Seeking to strengthen the artist’s professional networks and support mentorship with a renowned conceptual and performing artist, Queensland’s leading multicultural arts producer, and an international dancer/choreographer, this investment will position the artist, Kuweni Dias Mendis, for growth at a critical stage of her career, opening pathways for further commissions and employment. As a woman of colour, Kuweni aims to build social capital by establishing long-term trust with communities of colour. This work provides voice, space, and time for these communities to express themselves and access the arts. Through festivals and public installations, “Reverberations” encourages deeper participation and representation in the creative sector. | $29,821 | Beechmont |
| Shoba Sadler | The Accidental Bride – A New Intercultural Comedy | The Accidental Bride is a bold, Bollywood-inspired romantic comedy, flipping stereotypes and celebrating multicultural Australia. Featuring an Indian-Australian family in a joyful, genre-defying love story, this new work forms part of Cairns’ 150th anniversary celebrations, honouring the city’s vibrant cultural diversity with unapologetic laughter, love, and heart. As playwright and emerging producer, Shoba Sadler will co-produce a new Australian work that reflects the lived experiences of migrant families like her own, ‘The Accidental Bride’, with JUTE Theatre Company. As a Malaysian-Indian Australian based in regional Queensland, she rarely sees stories like hers on stage – stories that celebrate humour, identity, and connection rather than focusing solely on trauma or migration. With Bollywood flair and contemporary theatricality, this romantic comedy centres on an Indian-Australian family thrown into chaos after a bridal magazine photoshoot mistakenly casts an Anglo-Australian woman as the bride-to-be. The play explores cultural identity, modern love, and cultural misunderstandings. | $29,909 | Cairns City |
| Arts Nexus Inc | Tapestry of Yarns: Sharing our stories | TAPESTRY OF YARNS is a podcast series showcasing the people and stories of the Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland. The program combines mentoring, training, and production support to help participants share their stories on global platforms such as Spotify and YouTube. Building on three years of podcast training, it will re-engage past participants and develop new storytellers, guiding them through pilot episode creation and professional release. The project will culminate in the launch of an online catalogue and a region-wide summit, celebrating stories, achievements, and the unique cultural heritage of the region. ARTS NEXUS STUDIO is a “easy tech – high res” studio that is designed for the beginner through to the most experienced story teller / podcaster / live streamer, with audio and visual recording capacity. | $26,900 | Atherton |
| Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts | Creative Research Residencies | In an era where regional stories shape global conversations, Umbrella Studio Contemporary Arts presents the Creative Research Residencies: an initiative amplifying North Queensland’s voices, histories, and artistic expressions. With James Cook University’s partnership, the project supports Australian visual artists to undertake an immersive, month-long period of research and development in Gurambilbarra / Townsville. The residencies offer artists an opportunity to unearth, interpret and reimagine place-based narratives with a focus on North Queensland and its broader connections to Australian and cross-cultural perspectives. Undertaking research at JCU’s Special Collections Library, residency artists delve into archives of rare books, photographs and objects significant to the region. Working in The Studio at Umbrella, artists have access to specialised facilities to explore their discoveries and engage in creative practice. The Creative Research Residencies align with Umbrella’s mission to nourish curiosity, exploration, and more profound experiences with our rich and complex region and all its peoples. | $27,139.57 | Townsville City |
| Toshi Sakamoto | Toshi Sakamoto’s Second EP – Sung in Japanese with Touches of English, Enriched by FNQ Artists | Kuranda-based Japanese singer-songwriter Toshi Sakamoto is creating his second EP, featuring four of his most popular songs from recent concerts and blending Japanese and FNQ cultural influences. The project will involve collaborations with talented FNQ musicians, audio engineers, and visual artists who have inspired Toshi throughout his creative journey in the region. The project will be launched at two events in Kuranda and Cairns, bringing together local musicians, artists, and cultural food vendors to foster the area’s diverse artistic community and attract people into its vibrant art scene. With a global digital release, the EP will target Australian and Japanese markets, amplifying FNQ talent worldwide. A comprehensive marketing plan will promote the EP via social media, local partnerships, and media outlets. This project will support the professional growth of Toshi and participating artists, provide them with fairly paid work, promote cultural exchange, and strengthen community ties through original bilingual music. | $10,409.5 | Danbulla |
| Central Highlands Music Festival Inc. | Central Highlands Festival of Bands and Choirs 2026 | This project will present a series of wind band and choir workshops along with school and community performances, providing an opportunity for wind, brass, percussion and choral musicians in the Central Highlands region to develop music skills, culminating in a gala concert which will feature the music prepared in the workshops as well as a performance by two chamber wind, brass or choral ensembles. The aim of the festival is twofold. The first aim of the festival is to develop the musical understanding of wind, brass, percussion and choral musicians in the Central Highlands. In developing the musical understanding within the community, the festival aims to provide wind band an choral musicians with an opportunity to access instrumental and choral directors that are of a higher calibre than those in the local area. | $19,462 | Emerald |
| Lizzy Stanfield Flore | The Bear Truth School Tour | The Bear Truth is a powerful verbatim theatre production designed for secondary school audiences across the Toowoomba and Lockyer Valley regions. This innovative touring performance explores real Queenslanders’ experiences with gender-based discrimination, societal expectations, and empowerment, using the viral online question “Would you rather be trapped in the woods with a man or a bear?” as its launch point. After a successful season as part of the Anywhere Festival Brisbane led by Lizzy Stanfield Flores and Cherish Zimmerle, The Bear Truth is returning to its regional roots and being adapted for high school audiences. This touring production uses real regional voices to create a safe, inclusive space for regional students to critically engage with issues of gender, mental health, respect, and community. Through truth-telling, respectful dialogue, and a message of hopeful, empowerment, The Bear Truth encourages students to reflect on, imagine, and create a future built on empathy and understanding. | $12,955.45 | Kearneys Spring |
| Aaron Lenden | Ouroboros | “Ouroboros” is a 15-minute short film exploring unresolved grief, inspired by a train accident that occurred in 1958. Based on personal experiences and conversations with the filmmaker’s grandfather—a survivor of the tragedy—the film delves into the lasting impact of trauma over six decades. Blending psychological thriller and drama, the film constructs emotionally charged scenes with darker tones, mirroring the protagonist’s inner turmoil. As the story unfolds, the audience is drawn into his pain while also challenged to question the weight and longevity of his suffering. The narrative gradually moves from darkness to light, symbolising the protagonist’s journey toward some form of resolution. Yet, the final shot leaves viewers with an open question: can grief truly be resolved, or is it something we ultimately face alone—even in the presence of support. | $20,000 | Ninderry |
| Artists Connect Incorporated | St Lawrence Artists Retreat 2026 | In September 2026, 50 regional artists and participating community members will gather on Koinmerburra Country for the St Lawrence Artists Retreat. The St Lawrence Artists Retreat brings together artists and community members from the Mackay MM2, Isaac MM5 & MM6, and Whitsunday MM5 & MM6 regions for four days to skill share, network and collaborate. All artists and community members attending the St Lawrence Artists Retreat will have the opportunity to participate in creative workshops and arts business workshops. This project is very important for cultural capacity building in the Isaac, Mackay and Whitsunday regions as it brings together the isolated to skill share, network and collaborate. The St Lawrence Artists retreat inspires creativity which reinvigorates the small communities with new skills, concepts and collaborations. Artists attending the retreat will return to their home towns and share the new skills learnt, continuing the ongoing impact of this event. | $16,855.16 | St Lawrence |
| Kuranda Conservation Community Nursery Inc | Big Cassowary, Four Metre Painted Statue | This project will create an iconic landmark, peculiar to Kuranda, akin to other Big Things for which Australia is famous. Big Cassowary will support local Australia’s First Nation’s People’s culture and story in art and raise awareness about the cassowary and its environment. The project will promote tropical North Queensland as a must-see destination, thereby creating and sustaining jobs. The Big Cassowary Cultural Art Project brings together a diverse group of 5-6 local artists, including both Indigenous and non-Indigenous community members, to create a large-scale public artwork that celebrates local storytelling, Indigenous culture and rainforest conservation. Through collaborative workshops and community engagement, this project will transform the Big Cassowary fiberglass sculpture into a vibrant canvas that preserves cultural heritage while fostering environmental awareness. | $20,000 | Kuranda |
The Regional Arts Fund is an Australian Government program designed to benefit regional and remote arts practitioners, arts workers, audiences and communities. The fund is provided through Regional Arts Australia and is administered in Queensland by Flying Arts Alliance.
Flying Arts Alliance acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands and seas on which we work, live and create. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
Flying Arts Alliance is honoured to acknowledge the Governor of Queensland, Her Excellency, the Honourable Dr Jeannette Young PSM as our Patron. We also acknowledge Mr Tim Fairfax AC and Mrs Gina Fairfax as our Cultural Patrons.
Flying Arts is a not-for-profit organisation inspiring the appreciation, practice and professional development of the visual and creative arts as a lifetime interest or career throughout regional and remote Queensland.
Flying Arts is supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland. Flying Arts is supported by the Tim Fairfax Family Foundation and receives funds from Creative Australia through the Australian Cultural Fund. Flying Arts is supported by corporate partners and benefactors.
Flying Arts is the administrator in Queensland of the Regional Arts Fund, an Australian Government program managed through Regional Arts Australia.