Artform Boards FAQs

Artform Boards are formal Boards appointed through the NSW Public Service Commission to support the NSW Minister for the Arts to make good funding decisions. 

At Create NSW we refer to them as Artform Boards as board members review and assess funding proposals for competitive funding rounds (grants) in the Arts and Cultural Funding Program (ACFP).

Artform Board members are to submit individual assessment results via an online grant management system to be discussed at assessment meetings within set timeframes - during which time members must be available.  

Assessment outcomes made by the Artform Boards are recommended to the Arts Minister for approval by Create NSW.

The boards help ensure the arts sector is represented in the grants assessment process in a way that is delivered in alignment with the NSW Government Grants Management Guide to ensure funding outcomes that are:

• consistent
• high-quality
• inclusive.

Assessors are expected to share their professional insights to support a fair and equitable grant assessment process.  

Artform Board members represent the full spectrum of arts and culture practice including those that create, produce, distribute, and interpret cultural and creative works, as well as management.  

Diversity of experience is key and can range from emerging practitioners through to leaders of small to medium enterprises or major institutions from across NSW. 

The board membership usually includes:

• artists, arts and cultural practitioners
• leaders of small to medium sized organisations and major institutions from across NSW.

You do not need to be an experienced grant assessor to be eligible.  

To be eligible to apply to an Artform Board individuals must be/demonstrate:

• a thorough understanding of the NSW Arts and Cultural ecology
• an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident
• a NSW resident (for at least 12 months) or predominantly working in NSW
• a professional artist or arts/cultural leader or worker demonstrating employment in the NSW Art & Cultural sector
• age 18 or over

It is important to note that individuals who have not satisfactorily acquitted any prior Create NSW funding will be ineligible for consideration unless written approval has been received from Create NSW. 

There are 10 Artform Boards with up to 20 members on each board. Further descriptions can be found in the ACFP Glossary here.

The artforms are: 

• First Nations Arts and Culture 

  First Nations artistic and cultural expression is based on traditional and contemporary practice. Arts and culture are intrinsic to contemporary First Nations society and an important part of the social fabric of NSW’s First Nations communities.

• Classical Music, Opera, Choral, Art and Ensemble Music

             Classical Music:

  • This term most broadly refers to notated classical music in the western music tradition but may also extend to other non-western traditions.
  • Classical music is characterised by its emphasis on formal structure, balance, and sophisticated instrumental and vocal writing and performance.

  • It encompasses a wide range of genres including symphonies, concertos, sonatas, chamber music and solo works - both conducted and unconducted.

    Opera:

  • From the western classical music tradition, opera is a form of theatre in which music and particularly voice plays a fundamental role in storytelling.

  • It combines vocal and instrumental music with staging and dramatic elements such as direction, acting, sets, and costumes.

    Choral:

  • The term Choral relates to music designed for or performed by a choir, chorus or group of singers.

  • Choral music encompasses a wide range of styles and genres.

    Arts and Ensemble Music:

  • Art music encompasses contemporary classical music, contemporary jazz, improvised music, experimental music, and sound art.
  • Art music comprises music often with a more experimental bent, performed by a group of musicians often in an ensemble setting.
  • Ensemble music refers to music performed by a small to medium group of musicians. This can range from small groups, such as a percussion or string quartet (four musicians), to larger groups, such as a chamber orchestra.
  • Ensemble music can be found within many genres, including classical and jazz music.

• Community Arts and Cultural Development 

  Community arts and cultural development (CACD) activities/services are engagement with, and participation in, arts and culture at the local and community level, with community decision-making and input at the heart of the project/program. CACD activities/services focus on collaboration between arts and non-arts practitioners to deliver strong community and arts outcomes particularly for sectors of the community that may be disadvantaged.

• Dance and Physical Theatre 

  Dance includes all forms of dance from ballet to contemporary dance. Physical Theatre includes all forms of physical theatre from circus, acrobatics to storytelling through physical movement.

• Digital and Experimental, Immersive and Light Art
  • Digital & Experimental - Combining or involving two or more artforms using experimental approaches, artistic risk-taking, and including the development of cutting-edge contemporary practice. Encompasses new artform development, Sound Art and Experimental Music. Digital artforms includes application of new forms of technology and existing forms such as podcasts.
  • Immersive artforms - Artforms that envelop the participant in a total experience, engaging multiple senses and often blurring the lines between the artwork and the real world and could include virtual reality and Infinity rooms.
  • Light Art - A visual art form in which light is the main if not sole medium of creation. It includes projection mapping using projectors to create images and videos on surfaces, often buildings or landscapes. 

• Festivals 

  Festivals are an event that celebrates a program of a specific artform or various artforms through live performances, workshops, and exhibitions, often across multiple locations.

• Literature / Writing 

  Works of fiction, literary non-fiction, children’s and young adult literature, poetry, writing for  performance, graphic novels, and literary digital and new media work.

• Museums and History 

  A museum is a non-profit, permanent institution in the service of society and its development which acquires, conserves, research, and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment for the purposes of education, study, and enjoyment. History is the analysis and interpretation of the human past enabling us to study continuity and changes that are taking place over time.

• Theatre and Musical Theatre 

  Theatre: all forms of theatre from performance, playwriting, directing, new work, devising and adaption of the canon. 
  Musical Theatre: a genre of theatre in which singing, dancing, and composing play an essential role. 

• Visual Arts  

  Visual Arts includes design and craft. Applications submitted to the Visual Arts Board often include but are not limited to elements of sculpture, performance, painting, installation, ceramics, video, and printmaking.

The First Nations Board may also advise other artform boards on funding applications with First Nations content and may be able to seek advice from other First Nations people on other Artform boards.  

Create NSW is currently undertaking an open Expression of Interest (EOI) process.

The EOI process requires submission of an online application form. You can self-nominate or nominate others if they have agreed to be nominated. 

Create NSW staff will assess applications against experience and diversity criteria and provide recommendations for appointment to the Minister for the Arts. The Minister for the Arts approves the appointment of all Artform Board members.

Applications close 17 July 2024. 

Each of the 10 Artform Boards will have a Chair. 

The role of the Chair is to assist with moderating assessor results and discussion at the assessment meetings.  The Chair is required to read all applications, attend assessment meetings associated with their artform and support Artform Leads.  They will also work closely with Create NSW to assist with preparing final recommendations made to the Minister for the Arts.  

Depending upon the number of applications received for an individual artform, one or more assessment groups of 3-5 members will be formed from the membership of the corresponding Artform Board.  These assessment groups will each have a member assigned to lead them. 

Create NSW will coordinate the assessment process, support assessors, and facilitate the online assessment meetings.  Other roles include:

• informing eligibility and viability assessments (where applicable)
• providing sector knowledge
• facilitate all assessment meetings
• take assessment meeting minutes
• progressing Artform Board recommendations for approval by the Minister for the Arts 

A Code of Conduct  governs Board members’ participation.

All Board members will be required to declare their interests annually and again prior to the assessment of every application to ensure the management of any conflicts.

Each year, the membership of the Artform Boards is adjusted to ensure the Boards maintain an appropriate balance of diversity and regional representation and a range of expertise and experience across the artforms. 

All assessment meetings will be conducted online. 

This provides the most efficient and effective way to bring panel members together and ensures distance and travel are not a barrier for participation by regional and remote assessors. It also ensures an equitable approach to meeting processes with all participants contributing to the conversation via the same medium. 

There will be no travel requirement as an Artform Board member. 

Board members will be paid for the work that they do, and it will be in line with NSW Government standards. Full details of payment will be made directly with Artform Board members as part of the induction process. NSW Government employees cannot be paid to sit on Boards. 

You can find more information about what government boards are paid here: NSW Government Boards and Committees Classification and Remuneration Framework (See page 35 for C2 Classified Boards)