Local arts initiatives have received $28,000 worth of funding from the council's Rotorua Creative Communities Scheme.

A total of $28,010 was awarded to 15 arts projects across the Rotorua district in the latest round of funding, says Rotorua Lakes Council Creative Communities Scheme administrator Julie Parsons.

Successful applicants have until March 31 next year to deliver on their projects.

'This round saw visual arts, music, performing arts, cultural arts and literature - through workshops; music and kapa haka festivals; a mural, photography exhibition, theatre, and an anthology of poetry," says Julie.

'It is exciting to see that projects in this round will involve the young and the elderly, the able and those with physical and mental challenges in a wide range of art practice."

Grants of $5000 went to the BOP Blues Club for its upcoming festival, $3000 to the Rotorua Boys' High School production of Saturday Night Fever, and $2600 for the National IHC kapa haka festival. (See full list of recipients below)

Of 22 eligible applications, seven withdrew due to issues relating to Covid-19 alert levels. The withdrawn applicants will be able to apply again in the next funding round.

Julie worked closely with applicants considering withdrawal to help them through this funding round with the unique restrictions the lockdown created.

'We were able to encourage some applicants to continue with their projects with revised delivery dates. Unfortunately, some projects were not able to continue due to their organisational commitments or the uncertainty about when people will be able to congregate again', she says.

Some of the projects from previous funding rounds have also been affected by the lockdown and project owners are demonstrating their creativity in the ways they have chosen to present their work.

"The launch and exhibition of Mixed: Creative Writing by Newcomers to Our Shores, a collaboration between writer Angie Belcher and artist Lucia Lemos M. Conceição, went ahead online instead of in gallery and has already been seen by 1900 viewers," says Julie.

The Creative Communities Scheme offers two opportunities for funding each year and is a partnership between Creative New Zealand and Rotorua Lakes Council. Its main focus is to contribute to the involvement of the community in local creative arts practice through stimulating and providing support to projects that:

· encourage community engagement and participation in the arts

· support the diversity and cultural traditions of local communities, enriching and promoting their uniqueness and cultural diversity

· enable and encourage young people to engage with and actively participate in the arts.

The next funding round will open August 1 and closes on September 26 this year.

The scheme is open to any New Zealand individual or group, with a well thought through creative project they need funding help within Rotorua.

Visit www.rotorualakescouncil.nz/creativecommunities for information and application forms or contact Julie Parsons at julie.parsons@rotorualc.nz.

Rotorua projects funded in the March 2020 grant round:

Aratika Cancer Trust Creative Art Workshops $465

BOP Blues Club Blues Festival 2020 $5,000

Essence of the Pacific Early Learning Centre Explore Like Ihenga $1,850

Geyserland Art Group Art is our ST-AGE $970

IHC New Zealand Inc National Kapa Haka Festival $2,600

Janet Keen Conservation of Wetlands $2,850

Katie Hoy 100 Women/Wahine: Rotorua $2,240

Lakes Charitable Trust Dance 4 Us $1,500

Nicola Wright Senior Art 3 $1,650

Rotorua Boys High School Saturday Night Fever $3,000

Rotorua Mad Poets Society I Am From $500

Rotorua UkeBox Workshop Series 2020 $2,000

Sophie Perry Boomerang Bags Rotorua $480

Tepora Emery The Written Word Ngati Pikiao $1,500

Western Heights High School Showquest 2020 $1,400