Cultural Plan 2036

Council is developing a new Cultural Plan for The Clarence Valley. This Plan will guide us in supporting arts, heritage, and culture in our region. We are inviting our community to share their thoughts for the Plan via a survey, or attending a workshop.

Why is Arts & Culture Important?

• Arts and culture plays a valuable role in keeping our community connected.
• It enhances community wellbeing
• It contributes to our identity, livability and sustainability.

Council recognises that arts and culture can mean different things to different people and that this will change over time. We invite the community to be a part of developing the Cultural Plan 2036.

Arts & Culture Statistics for our region:

• The Northern Rivers has the largest population of cultural workers in NSW outside of Sydney.
• 8 in 10 artists in the Northern Rivers region are working cross-industry with practices intersecting with fields such as environment (47%), health (32%) and access and inclusion (26%).*
• 2,109 cultural and creative businesses are actively operating in the Northern Rivers Region*
• There were an estimated 5.8 million cultural tourism visitors to regional NSW in 2023 **

How can you get involved:

• Complete the survey – open until 9 November 2025.
• Here’s What You’ve Told Us About Arts and Culture – give a thumbs up or add a comment to the feedback already shared.

* Who We Are, 2024 Sector Mapping Project, Arts Northern Rivers, Patternmakers
** Cultural Tourism in Regional NSW Report: 2024. Regional Arts Network, Create NSW, Patternmakers