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Sculpture by the Sea in Cottesloe cancelled for next year after Federal funding application rejected

Perth’s iconic beachside art exhibition — Sculpture by the Sea at Cottesloe Beach — has been cancelled next year after Federal funding dried up for the popular event. The large-scale exhibition, which brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to Cottesloe each March, is known for its quirky sculptures including a massive goon bag, a large, curved mirror and last year’s two 2m-high candies. But a $700,000 shortfall — left by a denial of a four-year investment grant from the Federal Government’s arts body Creative Australia — led organisers to axe next year’s show. Sculpture by the Sea founder David Handley said he was flabbergasted the funding application had been rejected. Mr Handley said no funding could be secured despite pleas to Federal Minister Tony Burke and the Government. It was too late for new funding partners to be found to save the event. “You just can’t put on an exhibition of or an event of this scale when one of your main potential sources of income is not there,” he said. “If you look at the amount of money that goes to the Perth International Arts Festival, the amount of money that goes to Perth Fringe Festival, you’re talking very serious amounts of money. “The horse has bolted for March next year. We would have needed to have been preparing a month ago.” Due to celebrate its 20th year since the Cottesloe exhibition began in 2005, the event has showcased more than 1200 sculptures by more than 500 artists from 44 countries. It has been viewed by an estimated 3.5 million people in that time. Of the 159 successful grants announced last year for the 2025-2028 funding period, just 12 were for WA organisations — and none for visual arts. “That’s the issue, which comes up time and time again, that the federal arts money all goes to Sydney and Melbourne organisations,” Mr Handley said. “Now, Sculpture by the Sea is partially a Sydney organisation, but we’re as much Sydney as Perth — we’re not part of the inner sanctum that gets this money.” Fresh off of hosting the same event in Bondi, Mr Handley said the Sydney event managed to bring in more philanthropic contributions and was less reliant on Government support. Mr Burke, whose office referred questions to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts, praised Sculpture by the Sea in this year’s event brochure. “For 20 years Sculpture by the Sea has been a staple for arts lovers, tourists . . . making sure that there’s a place for every story and a story for every place is crucial. That’s why it’s a centrepiece of the Government’s National Cultural Policy ‘Revive’. It’s also exactly what this event does,” he wrote. A Department spokeswoman said the decision to award arts funding was made at arm’s length from Government. “Sculpture by the Sea received a one-off grant of $2 million from the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand Fund, which assisted organisations to reactivate following the COVID 19 pandemic,” she said. “The Government encourages ongoing engagement with Creative Australia to discuss funding opportunities.” A Creative Australia spokeswoman claimed Sculpture by the Sea had not made any further request for support since their previous application had been denied. Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said the event, which featured in WA’s pitch to tourists each year, had been a great community event for the State. “Our government has been a huge supporter of this event for many years, having doubled its funding this year and locked in support next year,” she said. “While it’s certainly disappointing that Sculpture by the Sea event organisers have made the decision to postpone next year’s event, we’re happy to continue to work to secure it again in the future if other local governments or partners want to help support it.”

The West Australian exclusiveSculpture by the Sea in Cottesloe cancelled for next year after Federal funding application rejected

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Sculpture by the Sea in Cottesloe cancelled for next year after Federal funding application rejected