Artrage appeals to donors

Artrage, the parent company behind Fringe World Festival, has created a philanthropy program to support its activities year-round and provide more opportunities for artists.

The organisation has previously been supported by revenue from its events, including box office and bar sales, sponsorship, and some government funding, and is now looking to expand its impact with financial support from philanthropists.

The program consists of three parts: its Free Range initiative; a giving circle that requires a commitment of $10,000 over three years; and an annual giving program, ARTRAISE.

The first initiative is being launched today, with more information on the giving circle, Artrage Initiators, and ARTRAISE to be given later this year.

Free Range will support artists to create new work that will be shown in different locations, without the constraints and expectations of traditional theatre spaces. It will also provide mentorship and development opportunities for artists.

It will see pilot works developed later this year and performed in early 2023, before an expression of interest will open for new artists to take part.

The fund will be accepting donations on an ongoing basis, and no public goal has been set for the fund. 

Artrage chief executive Sharon Burgess said the Free Range program was important to help artists create new work, especially after the disruption the COVID-19 pandemic caused.

“There hasn’t been a lot of assistance about making new work and that’s something that’s going to be really important for the future of our creative sector to ensure artists have resources to enable them to be creative,” Ms Burgess told Business News.

She said the organisation would be seeking donations from people who had expressed an interest in supporting their activities, as well as the general public.

The three initiatives will work together to support Artrage to run events and performances all year-round, on top of its outdoor cinema program Rooftop Movies, and cement its financial sustainability.

“This [operating year-round] has always been part of the plan to ensure Artrage maintains the capacity to ensure that we can keep our team busy and creating opportunities for the independent artists and experiences for our fabulous audiences,” Ms Burgess said.

The establishment of the philanthropy program was funded by Woodside Energy, after the corporate giant ended its support of Fringe World Festival after backlash from artists.

The launch of the program comes after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the organisation’s last two festivals, reducing Artrage’s revenue.

According to its latest annual report, revenue fell from $25.1 million in 2019 to $24.2 million in 2020 and $14.5 million in 2022.