The ACT’s creative industries, arts and culture are a strength and unique to our region, built on:
- our First Nations peoples’ enduring connections through their care and creations,
- design excellence exhibited in realising a city from a concept,
- our institutions, organisations, venues and spaces—and the artists, arts workers, producers, visionaries and creatives who have founded, contributed to and enhanced them, and
- the individuals and communities which generate the passion, foresight, drive and belief which result in exquisite, challenging and emotive creations.
Canberra has always been a place for people who embrace arts, culture and creativity. This nourishes our individual and collective wellbeing, and connects our emotions, ideas, stories and heritage.
This strength provides a platform and motivation to further improve our standing; our reach; and what we can achieve: an ambition for Canberra to be recognised as Australia’s arts capital.
It’s as simple as this: no matter who you are, no matter where you are, you will want to be creating, participating or engaging in the arts in Canberra.
This is a bold step, but it is not a leap.
We will become recognised as Australia’s arts capital through three strategies:
1. CREATE amazing art and culture—everywhere, at any time, for everyone.
2. DEVELOP arts, cultural and creative industry, practice, and facilities—supporting creation and culture at all levels, via any path.
3. PROMOTE our arts and culture—to attract artists and creators, arts workers, visitors and investment.
These are distinct but related; each strategy supports the others: Creation of amazing art and culture is supported through investing in artistic capacity and capability, and in our arts and cultural facilities.
By relentlessly and proudly promoting our arts and culture, we attract artists, creators, arts workers, visitors and investors—and they in turn enhance and increase our industry, practices, and creations.
This ambition and the strategies which support it will be the lenses through which our short- and medium-term decisions will be made.
Read the statement of ambition
- Canberra: Australia's Arts Capital - a statement of ambition for the Arts [PDF 6.2 MB]
- Canberra: Australia's Arts Capital - a statement of ambition for the Arts [Word Document 50.5 KB]
- Statement of Ambition on a page [PDF 198.4 KB]
- 2021-22 Arts Expenditure
- 2021-22 Arts Expenditure on a page [PDF 196.0 KB]
Statement of ambition on a page
