Submissions close 10 January 2025. Bathurst Regional Council is seeking community feedback on the future of the Ngurang Arts Residency (BARN) project to inform future decision making regarding the facility.
Arts OutWest asks the community and arts sector to read about the plans and submit their feedback. Submissions close 10 January 2025.
The intent of planned facility in the Bathurst region is to be a place for creative development, rehearsal and training utilised by a range of specialist and community groups supporting the development of the performing arts in the Central West and acting as a creative hub.
“As the regional arts development organisation for the NSW Central West, Arts OutWest has been involved in the consultation process for this facility over many years and strongly supports Bathurst Regional Council in continuing to seek funding to make the project viable,” said Arts OutWest executive director Kylie Shead.
Background
The project was identified in the Bathurst Regional Council ‘Cultural Vision’ adopted by Council in June 2017. Between 2019 and 2021, consultation was undertaken with numerous local arts agencies and groups which developed the concept of a performing arts residency further. The project, initially titled the ‘Bathurst Arts Residency NSW’ (BARN), was successful in receiving grant funding from the NSW State Government in July 2022.
BRC has received a State Government grant of $4.78million to support the development of the Bathurst Arts Residency NSW (BARN) project. The outcome of a grant application with the Federal Government is pending. Council has a deadline of December 2026 to complete the project under the current funding agreement.
Council has to date spent $733,295 on the project.
Council has said it will only build BARN if it is fully grant funded. Additionally, it is expected to operate at a small surplus and to not place further financial pressure on Council’s finances with total annual operational and overhead costs of $157,656 and commercial revenue of $201,560 in year one of operation. Should the facility fail to achieve anticipated targets, any financial deficits would be funded via Council’s operational budgets.
‘Ngurang’, meaning “home, place, camp, nest”, was adopted in November 2023 as the final operational name for the facility reflecting First Nations cultural connection. ‘BARN’ continues to be used as the working project name.
Arts OutWest strongly supports the application for funding for Ngurang (B.A.R.N).
For these reasons:
✔️ This is an exciting opportunity to build an arts residency and centre for exploring performing arts practice as well as a community space.
✔️ This concept of the B.A.R.N as artistic residency/making space has been developing for many years and has had input from members of the arts industry both locally and from across the State. It presents an aspirational vision of a centre that will offer opportunities for people from all sorts of locations, from local arts practitioners through to international artists.
✔️ The site already offers some facilities, but the creation of a purpose-built studio, workshop and making space, with all the appropriate facilities alongside accommodation in a beautiful rural setting will enable a program of work offering opportunities that currently are very rare.
✔️ Arts OutWest supports the project and the opportunities it presents both to our regional arts practitioners and to ourselves. We work with numerous organisations and artists within the NSW Central West that have previously needed space such as this to develop work Arts OutWest has run several international programs such as working with Welsh storytellers, South African musicians and dancers and a cultural exchange program with artists from Derbyshire in the UK; Ngurang would have made those projects so much easier and effective. We have also had overnight training programs such as our Media Associates program of collaborative projects with people from across the region where we would welcome these facilities.
✔️ It is important that regional places offer facilities for our own arts practitioners and organisations. It is also immensely beneficial to have a rurally located site that has the advantage of proximity to a major regional centre that can attract people from other places both within Australia and beyond.
✔️ BMEC will be able to create an exciting program of work. The team at BMEC work closely with the Wiradyuri Elders, who have provided the name Ngurang: “home, camp, place, rest”, and the Elders will work closely with the programming team.
✔️ Local Stages, BMECs development arm is a program that brings people to the region, artists have chosen to return to Bathurst to live, or move to, or remain in Bathurst because of the opportunities that having such a program provides.
✔️ The Barn builds on BMEC’s reputation as a leader in regional theatre making and a hub of performing arts excellence.
have your say
Bathurst Regional Council is seeking broader community feedback on the project. Specific comments are requested regarding:
- Whether there is significant community support for the premise of the facility and its objectives
- The financial viability of Council operating the facility, with reference to the economic modelling provided and the project’s potential public value.
- Potential social and economic benefits to the community
The submissions page includes all associated funding and planning documents.
Submissions close 4pm Friday 10 January 2025.
Have your say on the project by completing the survey. Submissions can also be sent to
Bathurst Regional Council, PMB17, Bathurst 2795 or emailed to council@bathurst.nsw.gov.au(External link)