Supporting Arts and Creativity Across the Orana
Orana Arts is a Regional Arts Development Organisation (RADO) and part of the NSW Regional Arts Network. We support artists, communities and cultural activity across the Orana region of Central West NSW, working with our partner local government areas of Dubbo, Gilgandra, Narromine and Warrumbungle.
For more than two decades, Orana Arts has worked to strengthen regional creative practice, support cultural participation and connect communities through the arts.
Orana Arts is currently undertaking a period of organisational renewal, reviewing how we can best support artists and communities across the region in the years ahead. Working closely with Regional Arts NSW, Create NSW and our local partners, we are refining our strategic priorities and strengthening the organisation’s foundations for the future.
As this work progresses, Orana Arts remains committed to:
• supporting artists and creative practitioners across the Orana
• encouraging community participation in arts and culture
• advocating for the value of creativity in regional communities
• building partnerships that strengthen the cultural life of the region
We will continue to share updates and opportunities to contribute as we shape the next chapter of Orana Arts.
Orana Arts’ office is based on Wiradjuri Country in the Dubbo Regional Council area. Orana Arts acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands across the Orana region and recognises their continuing connection to land, waters, culture and community.
OUR BOARD (2026)
Steve Vidler (Chair)
Steve is a writer, director, and actor originally from the Central West (Coolah), expressing a keen interest in giving back to the region and facilitating connections for artists.
Kate Gaul (Vice- Chair)
Kate is a Theatre and Opera director, Producer, writer and designer. Originaly from Tasmania, Kate has a passion for regional arts and advocacy. WEBSITE
Fiona MacDonald (treasurer)
Fiona MacDonald is an artist from Ilford, known for her installations of bodies of work that draw on local cultural traditions, social and natural history. She’s been a curator at the Kandos Museum since 2014. She brings knowledge of the creative and professional opportunities regionally-based artists seek in their practices, along with the challenges they face. Prior to her appointment to the board, Fiona was one of the first Volunteers. Artists. Museums. Program (VAMP) artists in residence, working with the Henry Lawson Centre at Gulgong.
Pip Abbott (secretary)
Pip is a lawyer based in Sydney with experience in indigenous rights and governance who will be moving to the Central West and is committed to the arts and regional NSW.
Greg Hall
Greg is a seasoned media professional and project manager with extensive experience in journalism, documentary filmmaking, and digital communications. As a board member of Orana Arts, he leverages his expertise in engaging diverse communities and advancing regional arts. Greg is passionately committed to innovation and inclusive collaboration, fostering a vibrant arts culture in Central West NSW, and beyond.
Aunty Ruth Carney (CO-OPTED CULTURAL ADVISOR + ELDER-IN-RESIDENCE)
Narromine Elder, Ruth Carney is an advocate for community and heritage, integral in formalising a partnership with Narromine Council and the Ngarru Mayin Corporation for the development of the Narromine Museum. In partnership with Narromine Historical Society, Narromine Museum operated from 2011-2018. Working alongside Orana Arts on various projects, Aunty Ruth Carney, with her late husband Uncle Dick, supported Orana Arts’ initiative Staging Stories - a storytelling workshop initiative for Aboriginal youth. Their life story inspired the Orana Arts team, in 2016 the stage production, A Little Piece of Heaven was developed. It was directed by John Harvey, whose vision was to see the two Elders perform and share their life in a contemporary setting, creating a regional theatre production written, performed, and directed by First Nations people. The production toured regionally to sold out shows in NSW, and was one of the most successful events at the 2019 Yirramboi Festival in Melbourne.
Our values are to be:
BOLD. REAL. PASSIONATE. COLLABORATIVE. EXCELLENT.
Take risks, be entrepreneurial, experiment, reach beyond boundaries.
Open, honest, and ethical.
To use our drive and commitment to energise, engage and inspire others.
Leverage collective genius to achieve the best outcome.
What we do, we do well.
Our role is to:
Invest in regional artists, regional institutions, and their practice.
Broker partnerships and relationships with artists, cultural institutions, organisations, and agencies.
Create opportunities for artists and institutions in regional NSW to extend their practice and their audiences beyond the local.
Elevate public awareness, appreciation, and acquisition of culture, art, history, and heritage from regional NSW.
Advocate for our artists and cultural institutions, their needs, and challenges.
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Partnerships
Working creatively in partnership with:
Create NSW
Local Government
ATYP (Australian Theatre for Young People), Australian Government: Indigenous Languages and Arts, CPB Contractors, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Gilgandra Museum, Manning Regional Art Gallery, Music in the Regions, Create NSW, Music NSW, Department of Regional NSW, Transport for NSW, Regional Arts Network, Regional Arts NSW, Stuart Town Advancement Association, Taikoz, the CORRIDOR project, Wellington Arts, Wellington Local Aboriginal Land Council, Wellington Aboriginal Corporation Health Service, Western Plains Cultural Centre, Writing NSW, Wungunja Cultural Centre (Trangie)