Support the arts: Join Culture Bank Wollongong

Could you be a patron of the arts? Culture Bank Wollongong is calling for local arts enthusiasts and businesses to sign up as members ahead of the not-for-profit's next funding round.

The brainchild of community leader Jenny Briscoe-Hough, now the CEO of trailblazing non-profit funeral service Tender Funerals, Culture Bank is a grassroots initiative that uses a subscription crowdfunding model to support creative projects from Helensburgh to Nowra.

Each month, members contribute as little as $10 to a funding pool to be divvied up between several projects pitched by local creatives.

Port Kembla art therapist, day-one member and Jenny's friend, Lara Seresin has been Culture Bank's coordinator for the past 12 months. She’s excited to share that Culture Bank’s kitty is again nearing its $10,000 goal and new members are being invited to contribute the final donations.

“I'm a huge advocate for supporting the arts in any community, but this is where I live,” Lara said. “Life is very empty without the arts.

“Eleven years ago, we had a meeting at the library in Wollongong, and a good show of people turned up… We started off probably with that original 20 or 30 people as members; we've grown to about 80 members.

“The thrilling thing is that the more members we get, the more money we can give away, and it's all to do with the Illawarra.”

Over its 11-year run, Culture Bank’s members have given more than $100,000 to fund creative endeavours such as poetry slams, theatre performances, dance troupes, film screenings and arts festivals.

During each funding round, a revolving committee of members is invited to carefully pore over grant applications at a bring-a-plate-style dinner and decide how money should be allocated.

As Culture Bank’s reach grows, so does the quantity and calibre of applications received. This made the decisions in their most recent funding round in June especially difficult.

“We had 28 applications, which is the biggest that we've ever had,” Lara said.

“We funded six – if we had enough money, we would've probably funded at least 20 of those applications.

“It can be difficult. It can. But, in the end, it doesn't want to be too laboured. It's about fun, it's about joy, simplicity, cutting out the rigmarole of really having to go through the hoops to get funding for your creative idea.”

In its infancy, one of the first ventures to be supported by Culture Bank was Yours & Owls. Then it was an 80-person-capacity live music venue in Wollongong CBD; now it's a thriving live events company operating across three states and territories with an annual music festival held in Wollongong. Last weekend, October 14 and 15, the festival took place at Y&O's new home at the University of Wollongong, with international and local acts performing for 30,000 festival goers over two days.

This year, Yours & Owls have reconnected with Culture Bank, but this time as members hoping to help kickstart the Illawarra’s next big arts and culture venture.

“I remember sitting at the table at the decision dinner when Yours & Owls first applied for some help, and that was close to 10 years ago,” Lara said.

“I'm a huge supporter of live music, and I was a big, big yes for these guys [who] needed support.”

Lara hopes it’s full-circle moments like this that will inspire others to become members.

“In a perfect world, every neighbourhood should have a Culture Bank,” Lara said.

“It's open to everyone; businesses, individuals, families, one-off [payments], payments weekly, students.

“You'll be an active part of enriching your own community in more creativity, performances… you will be a philanthropist in your own community, keeping your neighbourhood and the Illawarra thriving.

“You're joining and you are supporting what you love in your life, and creating what you love in your life [by] supporting those artists.”

To join Culture Bank Wollongong or to submit a grant application, visit their website.