AusArt Day: Australia’s first ever national giving day to arts and culture

Creative Australia’s inaugural national giving day is inviting people to support musicians, artists and cultural organisations in their local communities. AusArt Day, taking place on 23 October, will see more than 300 artists and arts organisations from across the nation rallying support for creativity.

From a DJ livestream, to a First Nations choir, to a coffee cabaret, the first AusArtDay is attracting a hugely diverse group of artists and art organisations. Participants are preparing celebratory performances and accompanying fundraising campaigns in their communities, asking Australians to make a donation – big or small – to support the creativity they love. 

The advisory body is also backing the initiative with $500,000 in microgrants, alongside resources, workshops, and advertising materials to help participants prepare fundraising campaigns.  Almost 520 participating artists and arts workers attended workshops between April and September on topics from effective marketing strategies to financial sustainability, providing the sector with valuable tools for success.

“As well as fundraising, one of the main objectives of AusArts Day is raising awareness of the importance of our arts,” said Creative Australia Chair Professor Wesley Enoch AM (pictured), who is an AusArt Day Ambassador. 

“We need to make sure that we maintain who we are, what our national identity is and our regional and hyperlocal identities within Australia through art.” 

“It was interesting in the 1970s when there was a belief that we needed to support Australian artists otherwise they would be swamped by influences from the US, UK and elsewhere. We’re at that same point again now because of streaming and online platforms,” said Wesley.

Wesley is joined by a growing list of well-known Australians backing the cause – from actor Rob Collins (Total Control, Top End Wedding, Glitch) and singer Kate Miller-Heidke (The Voice Australia, Eurovision), to Collingwood AFL captain Darcy Moore and rising Hollywood star Angourie Rice (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Mean Girls). Each will play their part in local campaigns and creative fundraisers around the country.

Collins will appear in an all-day telethon at Brown’s Mart Theatre in Darwin, while Miller-Heidke is supporting Woodford Folk Festival’s campaign to secure surrounding land for future generations. Moore and Rice are lending their profiles to the Melbourne International Film Festival’s push to expand regional screenings in 2026. 

AusArt Day is one of a number of initiatives from Creative Australia – the Australian Government’s principal arts investment and advisory body – supporting what it says is the significant cultural shift required to increase philanthropy to cultural charities. It reports that Australia’s cultural and creative industries contribute $21.8 billion to Australia’s GDP, yet only $204 million was donated to organisations advancing culture in 2021.  

Wesley said that there has been an increase in donations in the past few years through the Australian Cultural Fund, which provides artists and organisations a direct platform for fundraising. 

“We often promote the big donors in arts and culture, and we’re appreciative of them,” he said. “But everyday givers make a big difference and often they have a direct connection to the artists they support, which is very special.  

“On AusArt Day, we’re asking people to give within their means and be part of building a diverse arts sector that reflects our communities.”  

Wesley also said arts and culture are an antidote to the crisis in mental health and social isolation. 

“Through arts, we learn what we think is important about ourselves. We learn what other people like or value. Arts allows us to have a conversation that connects us – whether we agree, disagree, celebrate or commiserate – in a beautiful way to one another. 

“Backing people is an Australian tradition. I’m going to donate money on AusArt Day because I know I can make a difference.”  

Artists and organisations can learn more about AusArt Day here. Supporters can directly fund artists via the AusArts portal, or choose their preferred fundraising platform, with options including the Australian Cultural Fund, which provides for tax deductible donations.  

Main image: Savannah Jarvis, ‘Surgical Fantasies’ (2023). Outer Space Public Program Pealing Workshop. Photo by Louis Lim