Wednesday, 29 May 2024

Footscray Community Arts

Katie HALL (Footscray) (09:56): Footscray Community Arts is arguably the creative and cultural heart of Footscray in my electorate – an independent arts precinct that fosters creativity within my diverse community. This year Footscray Community Arts celebrates its 50th birthday, so it is timely that I pay tribute to this amazing organisation’s 50 years of strong support and development of contemporary arts in Melbourne’s west.

Footscray Community Arts started in a tin shed in 1974, in what is now Victoria University, when founders George Seelaf and Peter Green from the mighty meatworkers union envisioned a thriving arts hub to provide greater access and equity to the arts locally. George campaigned to save the nearby historic Henderson House, which became the lasting home of Footscray Community Arts, conserving the past and setting the scene for a vibrant new future. I am proud to have played a part with the Allan Labor government in that future too, securing $8.7 million for the Footscray Community Arts’ outdoor amphitheatre and creating a new venue for the inner west, with even more high-quality cultural experiences coming – hopefully for the next 50 years and beyond. Congratulations to the current co-CEOs Bec Cole and Daniel Santangeli and their team, who are overseeing this exciting next phase and 50th anniversary year. Happy birthday, Footscray Community Arts.