Art grant set to dazzle Carnarvon and Geraldton with local stories

History, colour and regional culture — this year’s federal regional arts spending will breathe life into the Mid West and Gascoyne.

The Federal Government’s Regional Arts Fund, administered by Regional Arts WA, will inject almost $30,000 into the local arts industry bringing vivid murals to Carnarvon and cultural tours to Geraldton.

Carnarvon artist Miranda Plum received $15,000 for a street art mentorship program with veteran muralist Sobrane Simcock. The pair will design and create three public works around the Gascoyne town in the next 12 months.

The work will centre on themes of abundance and forgiveness, featuring iconography drawn from the region’s abundant offerings.

“Mango trees and wildlife; whales and the ocean — this area is so beautifully abundant,” Plum said.

The murals will brighten the side of Carnarvon’s Bankwest, bring colour to the airport, and decorate a chiropractor’s office in the centre of town.

“Art acts as a portal where people sync up to and connect with the messages in the art,” Plum said.

Kalgoorlie writer and producer Sarah-Jayne Eeles, below, received $13,307 for a series of performance-based historical ghost walks in Geraldton.

Having already completed a similar project in Kalgoorlie, she will work with local outfit Euphorium to ensure the project reflects local stories and local people.

Eeles will travel to Geraldton and begin her research in August, hoping to put on a series of tours before the end of the year.

Although the funding only covers seven or eight shows, she hopes ticket sales will make the project viable long-term, providing paid positions for local performers. She is calling for locals with stories to tell, saying she is interested in hearing about every facet of local history — from Indigenous history to tales of shipwrecks and early settlement.

Contact Sarah-Jane Eeles at SJ@Euphorium.com.au.