lismore city
creative heart of the northern rivers
NATSKY
The Northern Rivers has the highest number of creative practitioners and businesses outside the capital cities with the greatest concentration of these located in Lismore. This rich and diverse cultural profile places Lismore City at the heart of the region’s creative industries. Lifestyle
NATSKY
Lismore benefits from a rich creative ecology, which makes it an ideal place to live, work and create. The city is home to visual artists across every discipline; musicians, designers, writers, photographers, film-makers and new media specialists. An award winning city centre revitalisation initiative combined with a comprehensive program of events, festivals and activities attracts locals and visitors year-round. The creative programs of surrounding villages like Nimbin’s Spring Arts Exhibition adds to this rich cultural landscape.
Infrastructure
KURT PETERSEN
The renowned Northern Rivers Performing Arts Company (NORPA) operates from a refurbished performing arts centre venue and the new Lismore Regional Gallery sits at the heart of the city’s cultural hub – ‘The Quad’ and is joined by the Lismore Library and Northern Rivers Conservatorium. A creative link through the Lismore CBD is the acclaimed Back Alley Gallery featuring the mural art of local and international artists. Cinemas, theatres, artist run initiatives and commercial galleries further contribute to Lismore’s dynamic cultural infrastructure resources.
Products & Services
KATE HOLMES
KATE HOLMES
Design, advertising and marketing, software development, and writing continue to be the most significant areas of creative employment in Lismore. The creative industries continue to make a significant contribution to the local economy and provide multiple benefits to the wider community.
Aboriginal Art Lismore is also home to a diverse community of local Bundjalung and Aboriginal artists from across the country whose work reflects the rich ancient history and creativity of this cultural centre.
Education & Training Southern Cross University, TAFE Lismore and ACE College are key education providers offering comprehensive courses across the arts and creative industries. In addition a regular program of skills and professional development workshops are offered by peak arts and service organisations such as Arts Northern Rivers and NORPA.
SOME NUMBERS NORPA NORPA is Australia’s most celebrated regional theatre company. Famous for making new work with a strong physical aesthetic that reflects the people and place of the Northern Rivers • Engagement: 35,000 annually • Turnover: $1,800,000 • Employment: 19 (FTE) / 48 volunteers • Recognition: NORPA productions have been nominated for numerous Greenroom Awards and The Home Project was chosen to represent Australia at the Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space. LISMORE REGIONAL GALLERY Lismore Regional Gallery is a state-of-theart facility hosting world-class exhibitions, dynamic public programs and supporting local visual artists from across the region • Visitation: 100,000 annually • Turnover: $681,800 • Employment: 3.2 (FTE) / 5 casual / 30 volunteers • Recognition: Secured over $3.86M in grants, donations and pledges to create the new Lismore Regional Gallery ARTS NORTHERN RIVERS Arts Northern Rivers is the peak body for arts and cultural development and is part of a statewide network of 14 regional arts development organisations, providing strategic direction for sustainable arts and cultural development in the Northern Rivers.
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Engagement: 106,703 annually Turnover: $645,000 Employment: 4 (FTE) Recognition: NSW Local Government Arts & Culture Award. Southern Cross University Community Engagement Award
NORTHERN RIVERS CONSERVATORIUM
NATSKY
The Northern Rivers Conservatorium (NRC) is well known and well regarded as a key cultural, education and community organisation in the Northern Rivers. It delivers high quality music education programs to hundreds of students of all ages, abilities and aspirations across the region each week, with additional participation at workshops, immersion and extension programs and performance events. • Enrolment: 1,250 • Turnover:$1,040,000 • Employment: 73 staff & volunteers • Recognition: Student, the compositions of Tilly Jones - a 15-year-old composer and multi-instrumentalist living with disabilities, were used in the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s ACO Move 2017
CARL WARNER
SOUTHERN CROSS UNIVERSITY CREATIVE ARTS COURSES Bold, progressive and celebrating 25 years in 2019 – Southern Cross University is one of Asia-Pacific’s Top 100 Universities and one of the world’s Top 50 Generation Y Universities. With campuses in Lismore, Coffs Harbour, Gold Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, and other Asia Pacific regions, Southern Cross’ foundation campus in Lismore is a contemporary purpose-built, state-of-the-art campus with facilities which support exciting, high quality learning experiences. • Enrolment: 2,705 • Turnover: $237,000,000 • Employment: 800 (FTE) • Recognition: Named in world’s top 100 ‘Young Universities’. Named in Asia Pacific’s top 100. Rated above the national average in key areas of student experience, graduate satisfaction & graduate employment
NATSKY
NATSKY
LISMORE LANTERN PARADE The Lismore Lantern Parade is an annual community arts festival held on the Winter Solstice and involves participants from throughout the Northern Rivers and visitors to the region. The Lismore Lantern Parade has become one of Lismore’s signature attractions with more than 30,000 people attending each year • Engagement: 161,700 • Turnover $250,000 • Employment 3 (FTE) / 15 casual / 500 volunteers • Recognition: Lismore Business Award for Tourism. Northern Rivers Tourism Award. Prime: Regional Achievement & Community Award.
REBECCA RUSHBROOK
BRETT ADLINGTON
CITY OF THE ARTS The Northern Rivers, and Lismore especially, is home to a vibrant community of artists and arts organisations supported by dedicated audiences, donors and volunteers. KATE HOLMES
Local artists working from our region are celebrated nationally and internationally. One of the great opportunities for locals is to be the first to see that work, here, where it is made. An incredibly high number, 98%, of the community engages with the arts in some form: everything from visual arts, theatre, dance and literature to music. Bundjalung culture and language is still alive and vibrant and many Bundjalung artists are also renowned nationally.
KURT PETERSEN
The creative sector is growing rapidly; offering opportunities for local arts practitioners and audiences to experience and enjoy what would normally only be available in a major city. Cover image by Grant MacIntyre
NATSKY
FOR MORE ABOUT THESE INITIATIVES AND LISMORE’S CREATIVE INDUSTRIES... KURT PETERSEN
THE MANAGER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LISMORE CITY COUNCIL PO BOX 23A, LISMORE NSW 2480 43 OLIVER AVENUE, GOONELLABAH T: +61 2 6625 0458 M: 0427 003 645 council@lismore.nsw.gov.au lismore.nsw.gov.au
Katelyn -Jane Dunn