Next year’s OpenField Contemporary Art Festival at Berry will receive a $10,000 shot in the arm from the Federal Government.
Federal Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips said the second event would showcase a diverse range of contemporary artworks and performance pieces at venues and parks in and around Berry from 13 to 15 June 2025.
“I’m really proud to be able to support the OpenField Festival that provides a platform for local and visiting artists to share their work and engage with audiences in a beautiful heritage town,” she said.
“The inaugural festival kicked off in Berry in 2023 and the 2025 event promises a showcase of works, from conceptual contemporary performance art to vaudevillian burlesque to First Nations music and dance.
“The event will support local creatives and provide a great weekend of entertainment for locals and visitors to our region during the quieter winter period.
“It sounds absolutely fantastic, and I’m really looking forward to getting involved.”
The OpenField Contemporary Art Festival is one of 19 festivals in regional and remote parts of Australia that will benefit from fresh funding for projects celebrating music, dance, theatre, literature and visual arts.
Minister for the Arts, Tony Burke, said the $1.4 million Festivals Australia program supported community cultural events to tell Australian stories.
“I love festivals. I attend them all around the country and have for many years,” he said.
“Right now, they’re going through real challenges and need our support, that’s why the Albanese Labor Government is proud to deliver this next round of funding.”
This funding is providing regional and remote communities access to diverse, engaging and innovative experiences that encourage participation in the arts. It supports partnerships and encourages collaboration across the arts sector to benefit local communities.
It also delivers a key focus of Revive, Australia’s National Cultural Policy, by supporting festivals that connect communities and promote local talent.
Find out more about the OpenField Contemporary Art festival HERE.
Photo: Elyssa Sykes Smith, a Berry-based artist who will create a temporary sculpture extending from the School of Arts over the fence to the CWA using wood partly donated by the local community. (Photo - OpenField Festival)
Media contact: Katrina Condie 0437 662 967
