Newcastle’s underground festival This Is Not Art will still go ahead this year thanks to community support after their funding from the council was cancelled. They also received support from Copyright Agency Limited who pledged $9,000 and Izilla Web Solutions who chipped in with $2,000 for the 2011 event.
Today they issued a statement: This Is Not Art and Octapod [not-for profit arts and media organisation] would like to express our heart-felt gratitude for the incredible community support that has not only raised a massive $8750 through the Pozible site but has created the catalyst for other much needed financial support.
Organiser’s of the festival also said that they were “overwhelmed by the amount of support shown; it has given us a renewed sense of relevance and boosted moral and confidence in a way that can not be described.”
This Is Not Art will run from Thursday 29 September – Monday 3 October.
After fearing for its future when they weren’t included in the grants by New South Wales’ Newcastle City Council, the festival posted an update today confirming that they’ve raised the money to continue.
The five-day event originally started as Electrofringe and the National Young Writers’ Festival before developing into the umbrella that is This Is Not Art.
Today’s post read, “This Is Not Art and Octapod [not-for profit arts and media organisation] would like to express our heart felt gratitude for the incredible community support that has not only raised a massive $8750 through the Pozible site but has created the catalyst for other much needed financial support.”
That other support as come from the Copyright Agency Limited, a not-for-profit member based organisation providing management for copyright issues for those in the creative industries, who have pledged $9,000 for the 2011 event. Izilla Web Solutions also weighed in with $2,000.
They also wrote that following a council meeting, “council decided to increase their financial support and include provisions for better planning and assistance for TINA into the future.”
Organisers said they were “overwhelmed by the amount of support shown, it has given us a renewed sense of relevance and boosted moral and confidence in a way that cannot be described.”
The event will happen Thursday 29 September – Monday 3 October.
