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COMMUNITY
Boost for Blacktown Arts by Christine Rau
Ritika Gilfedder had‘ sort of given up’. After years of directing and choreographing Bollywood-inspired musical theatre in schools for free, she no longer had the time or resources to continue; she had her own students to teach and a family to care for.
That changed two years ago when she received a $ 2,500 Blacktown Council Creative Arts grant. It enabled her to produce two Bollywood-style Shakespeare plays, A Midsummer Night’ s Dream at St Patrick’ s Primary and Romeo and Juliet at Marayong Public, involving 150 children from kindergarten to Year 4. Scripts were reworked, set to Bollywood scores, and performed in glittering costumes.
“ That funding made it possible to foster relationships with schools, with young people, and to use art as a platform to serve the community,” Ritika says.
She has secured a second grant of $ 5,000 for her Monsoon Celebration project. Over six weeks, she will teach three groups Hindi songs and rain dances, culminating in YouTube performances.
Art pieces displayed at Blacktown Arts Centre.
Tuition is free, thanks to the funding. Ritika migrated from India at 12. Her friend and collaborator, Shabnam Manocha, arrived in Australia just 18 months ago.
“ Shabnam was able to transition much more easily into the community through her involvement in the arts,” Ritika explains.“ She sees how art how brings school communities together.”
Ritika believes the grants empower emerging artists and help local creatives connect.
For a decade, Blacktown Council has supported artists through its Creative Arts Fund. In August, ten new recipients shared $ 45,347 for projects ranging from Persian poetry and Aboriginal documentarymaking to youth-based visual arts in Mount Druitt, a sustainable photography darkroom, and a coming of age horror film.
Artists in multi-cultural Blacktown range from poets to puppeteers, sculptors to saxophonists, filmmakers to multimedia practitioner.
Sarah Gurich, Blacktown Council’ s
Manager of Arts and Cultural Development, says the city is“ a crucible of culture.” She points to hip-hops influence on Australian music as an example.“ We have this fantastic, diverse community. These grants give Blacktown creatives the chance to tell Blacktown stories. This year’ s projects also include a strong focus on Dharug and First Nations initiatives.”
The broader Western Sydney arts scene received its biggest boost in 25 years when the State Government announced a $ 5 million fund in July. While details are still emerging, $ 500,000 has been earmarked for First Nations arts and $ 350,000 for micro grants to individual artists.
For many a few thousand dollars can mean access to materials, instruments or studio space.
Meanwhile, Blacktown Council continues to run residencies and programs through the Leo Kelly Arts Centre, offering Main Street studios, sound studios in Kelso Lane, and partnerships with institutions such as the Powerhouse Museum. A consistent theme is the role of art in building belonging and community among migrant and Indigenous populations.
Among this year’ s grant recipients is Pankaj Upadhayay of Euphony Xpressions. The filmmaker and screenwriter, originally from India, has previously worked with NSW Police and the Migrant Resource Centre on domestic violence awareness films. His new project is a four part audio visual podcast teaching artists how to combine poetry, music, visual art and film, while overcoming creative blocks and learning studio design.
“ There are very senior artists in Blacktown who deserve respect and applause,” he says.
“ Australia embraced me unconditionally, and I want to give back through my arts practice.”
For dancer and choreographer Shobana Suresh, the grant is helping her realise Echoes of Home, a performance blending the 2,000-year-old Bharathanatyam tradition with voiceovers and music. Migrating from Sri Lanka at 14, she found belonging through study and the arts.“ Without the grant, I couldn’ t afford to produce this,” she says.
Screenwriter and director Angela Blake is using her grant to launch the“ Smartphone Flick Fest.” She will teach aspiring filmmakers in Blacktown how to use smartphones to create affordable, professional quality films.
“ Smartphones cut down barriers
Ritika Gilfedder( in blue) with Shabnam Manocha for Monsoon Bollywood performing at Blacktown Arts Centre.
to filmmaking and are less intrusive than Hollywood-style cameras,” Angela explains. Techniques include attaching phones to poles for crane shots or taping them to ceilings for bird’ s-eye views.“ We’ ll shoot documentaries in and around Blacktown and show people how to turn their phones or tablets into professional cameras.”
Places will be limited to 50 participants. Angela, a former actor, has long been involved in community projects, including Bus Stop Films and MilkCrate Theatre for the homeless.
From Bollywood Shakespeare to smartphone documentaries, the Creative Arts Fund shows how even modest grants can ignite creativity and foster community spirit. For Ritika Gilfedder and many others, the support has been lifechanging, turning ideas once abandoned into works that celebrate culture, belonging and diversity in Blacktown.
For information about current projects or future grant applications, contact the Blacktown Arts Centre on( 02) 9839 6558, 78 Flushcombe Road, Blacktown.
The difference is the music
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16 ISSUE 54 // SEPTEMBER 2025 theindependentmagazine. com. au BLACKTOWN CITY INDEPENDENT