26 October, 2020

TAFE NSW’s commitment to fostering creativity will be showcased at a marquee event at its Wagga Wagga campus next month aimed at shining a light on the diversity and excellence of the regional NSW arts scene.

Artstate Wagga Wagga 2020, to be held from November 5-8, will see leading arts figures from across NSW visit the city for  annual event, which in previous years has been held in Lismore, Bathurst and Tamworth.

TAFE NSW Wagga Wagga’s Gallery 43 will host an exhibition during Artstate, while TAFE NSW creative arts staff Andy Totman, Jane Fleming and Mary-Jane Griggs will headline a special forum at the Playhouse on November 7 titled “Creative Education Looking Forward”.

Mr Totman, the TAFE NSW Industry Lead for Art and Culture, said the Artstate event would reinforce the critical role TAFE NSW plays in training the next generation of art industry participants.

“The weight and breadth of what TAFE NSW does in the creative sector is staggering, from jewellery courses to interior design to animation and games design,” Mr Totman said.

“We have tens of thousands of active enrolments in creative subjects across TAFE NSW; more than any single tertiary institution in the state.

“The creative sector in TAFE NSW is alive and thriving.”

The Artstate program will include exhibitions at multiple venues, musical and theatrical performances, public installations, written and visual arts, traditional Wiradjuri practices, and more.

The event will also feature a two-day speaking program, with the theme of “Walking Together” on day one and “Shaping Tomorrow” on day two.

Mr Totman said the event will be livestreamed to encourage remote participation during COVID-19, and that despite the challenges presently facing the arts sector in the time of the coronavirus, he was confident it had the resilience to thrive into the future.

According to a report by the BYP Group titled NSW Creative Industries: An Economic Snapshot, NSW boasts 42 per cent of the nation’s creative jobs and produces 70 per cent of Australia’s creative industry exports.

It also found that over the past five years, employment growth in the NSW creative industries was almost double the average growth rate of other professions.

TAFE NSW Wagga Wagga is a major centre for training in the creative arts, with the Bachelor of Creative Practice launched in 2020.

Artstate is a four-year project by Regional Arts NSW and is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.

To find out more about studying the creative arts at TAFE NSW, phone 13 16 01 or visit www.tafensw.edu.au.

Media contact: Daniel Johns, TAFE NSW Media and Communications – Business Partner, 6938 1441, mobile 0477 722 428.