Our Story

Orana Arts’ home region covers the Central West Orana region of New South Wales. We have two member local government areas — Dubbo Regional and Warrumbungle Shire LGAs. More broadly, we have an interest in the cultural activities of the surrounding LGAs of Gilgandra and Narromine, as well as individual artists from across Regional NSW, who we provide a fee-for-service offering to as members of our Studio Co!Lab network.

AUDIENCES + STAKEHOLDERS

* CENTRAL WEST ORANA COMMUNITIES: Diverse, creative communities, including those in non-member LGA communities of the region.

* REGIONAL ARTISTS: Artists and creatives interested in creative and professional development and networking.

* ORANA CENTRAL WEST ORGANISATIONS + COMMUNITY GROUPS: Local Government areas of Dubbo Regional, Warrumbungle, Gilgandra and Narromine Shires, Local Aboriginal Land Councils, and community arts organisations such as the Macquarie Conservatorium, Dubbo Ballet Studio, Studio 138 and others.

* PUBLIC + PRIVATE SECTOR ORGANISATIONS: Those keen to connect with communities and work in the regions. This has included organisations such as Australian Theatre for Young People, Taikoz, Percussion Australia, Writing NSW, Music NSW and Transport for NSW.

We have a skills-based board with experience and interests that cover artform practice, cultural development, First Nations advocacy, media promotions, governance, and financial management.

Led by Chair, Diane McArthur, our board’s contribution to the strategic direction of Orana Arts and oversight of the governance of the organisation comes from place of deep understanding of regional communities, how the regions are developing and the issues impacting our future. The board have a strong desire to not only develop and strengthen arts and culture in the regions, but to find opportunities to take our stories beyond the local, to the world.

2024 Board

Diane McArthur - facilitator + human resources
Greg Hall - media + communications
Fiona MacDonald - artist + museum curator
Kate Gaul - performing arts director, producer + writer
Nicola Chandler - regional sector executive
Aunty Ruth Carney - Wiradjuri Elder + cultural advisor
Alicia Rodriguez Leggett - Executive Director

MORE ABOUT OUR BOARD

Note: The Orana Arts AGM is on 23 May. There may be changes to our board.

We have a small, diverse and highly experienced team of full-time and part-time staff and contractors for special projects. Together, our team is committed to cultural equity, and ensuring that arts and cultural opportunities are accessible to all in the regions.

Our Executive Director, Alicia Rodriguez Leggett has been with the organisation for 14 years. Cuban-born and bilingual, Alicia brings a lifetime of multicultural experience to her role as ED. She is strongly connected to other multicultural communities of the Central West Orana and recently sat on the multicultural committee of Dubbo Regional Council (since dissolved).

Our Communications/ Content Producer, Kim V. Goldsmith has worked with Orana Arts for 6.5 years in communications, project management, and the development of professional development resources, as well as building a regionally-based international, multiarts practice.

Our Creative Producer, Camilla Ward has decades of experience working in the regions as an educator, arts worker and performing artist. She is very connected to the Dubbo region’s performing arts community.

Community Curator, Emah Guihot works very closely in consultation with the Wiradjuri community of the region, a community she is part of. She is also very committed to ensuring there are opportunities and career pathways for young people in the region.

The Studio is centred on the needs of regionally-based creatives from our home regions as well as those across Regional NSW. We believe in developing the skills and practices of regional artists and providing opportunities to share their stories beyond borders.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS + PARTNERS

* Regionally based artists in the Central West Orana region and beyond

* Community arts groups of the Central West Orana region

* Partner organisations including Dubbo Regional Council and Warrumbungle Shire Council

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Touring theatre and other performing arts shows in the Orana Arts home region, gives smaller communities an opportunity to view professional arts and cultural presentations, be they performances, installations, exhibitions or community engagement programs. This Orana Arts platform provides for touring within NSW, and potentially internationally—providing professional development opportunities for regional artists and creatives.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS + PARTNERS

* Local Government - Dubbo Regional Council and Warrumbungle Shire Council (contributing LGAs) and non-contributing LGAs, Narromine and Gilgandra Shire

* Regional audiences across the Central West Orana region

* Regional artists and creatives with touring product

* Professional touring creatives and organisations

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This is the fee-for-service arm of our offering. We work with organisations interested in the benefits and opportunities that come with tapping into OA’s expertise, creative talent pool of artists and designers, content producers and teachers, our networks, and experience in the regional arts sector over the past two decades. We work with organisations that see the value of new perspectives, creative problem solving, and storytelling.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS + PARTNERS

* Regional organisations keen to utilise our networks and experience on community-led initiatives.

* Public, private and NFP organisations and agencies wanting to creatively engage with the Central West Orana region.

* Creatives and artists within our network with skills to undertake project work.

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Over the past 3.5 years we’ve worked closely with the Wiradjuri communities of the Dubbo Regional LGA and in neighbouring LGAs . Continuing to support and facilitate community-led initiatives will to be one of the key service delivery offerings of the organisation over the next two years.

We have a strong partnership with the Wellington Local Aboriginal Land Council, working with them to develop creative programming for the Maliyan Cultural Centre. This is a keeping place and space for Wiradjuri cultural expression.

MORE ABOUT MALIYAN

IMAGE: Wellington LALC, Orana Arts and Dubbo Regional Council representatives at the opening of the First Families exhibition at the Maliyan Cultural Centre in November 2024. This exhibition celebrated the stories and creativity of local Wiradjuri families and their allies.

Based on a survey of 91 artists in 2020, Orana Arts embarked on creating a network of regional artists of all ages, stages and artforms to address the gaps in supporting regional arts practices. This included gaps in short-stay regional residency opportunities, professional development support beyond generic workshop delivery, as well as creating opportunities for artists to build networks and harness opportunities beyond their backyard. This became Studio Co!Lab—part of The Studio platform. It’s been collegiate and collaborative.

This unique, fee-for-service offering for regionally-based artists — writers, performing artists and visual artists has had an an enormous impact in connecting artists, collaborative projects, boosting grant applications from the regions, and more recently, putting the work of 13 regional artists on the international stage in a collaborative multi-arts presentation of work in the USA.

MORE ABOUT THE STUDIO

IMAGE: Three regional artists at the Orana Arts run Ironbark Arts Residency in Stuart Town (Dubbo Regional Council), October 2024

Since 2023, we have been working with Warrumbungle Shire Council to bring touring productions to their community. Over this time, we have assisted bringing 8 performances in Coonabarabran and Dunedoo.

In 2026-27, we plan expand on this offering to facilitate touring product to other small, non-member LGAs in our region, such as Gilgandra and Narromine Shires. We have already done a venue audit to prepare for this and are in conversation with potential touring organisations.

There’s also an opportunity to assist regional arts organisations with outreach beyond Dubbo, by facilitating performances in the smaller LGAs. We have been in discussion with the Macquarie Conservatorium about this. We also see an opportunity to facilitate the exhibition of regional artists work in spaces around the region, expanding audiences for emerging regional artists.

Beyond audience development, these performances create vibrant communities and offer professional development opportunities to regional creatives.

MORE ABOUT TOURING

IMAGE: A puppet show performance in in the Coonabarabran Town Hall 2023.

Arts careers for young people from the region has been a major focus of our programming over the past four years, as well as a commitment with internal staff development. We will continue to do this within our three key platforms of The Studio, Touring and Creative Consultancy.

We have several initiatives in development that we plan to continue and build up on in 2026-27.

* Statement of Attainment in Arts Administration through TAFE NSW;

* IVAIS funded Open Now/ Exhibit Hereis a professional development program offering three unique entry points for Wiradjuri artists of the Central West Orana region to exhibit and sell their work — locally, regionally, and internationally.

MORE ABOUT FIRST NATIONS CAREER DEVELOPMENT

* We’re continuing our commitment to young people interested in the performing arts through a partnership with Ensemble Theatre and the Regional Arts Network. We’ve seen several young people who have gone through our camps and programs go on to careers in the arts.

MORE ON ENSEMBLE THEATRE CONNECTIONS

IMAGE: Wiradjuri digital media artist, Josh Yasserie mentoring young Wiradjuri artists from Wellington.

Working to fulfil our Equity Action Plan, we’re committed to building relationships with diverse communities within our region and facilitating community-led creative outcomes.

We have had a good relationship with Dubbo Regional Council’s Japanese Sister City program, who supported our taiko drumming program for young people. The ensemble was invited to perform for visiting Japanese delegations in 2023 and 2024.

We have an opportunity to work with other cultural groups in the region, many of whom are based in Dubbo City. Our relationships with Dubbo Regional Council, Dubbo’s Connecting Community Services, and individuals involved in ORISCON (Orana Residents of Indian Sub-Continental Heritage) will be central to developing opportunities for a range of social and cultural outcomes.

IMAGE: Dubbo Regional Councillor Minokomo Sister City officer, Daisy Wong with a print she created at the 2024 Diversity Day Print Exchange workshop in Dubbo.

Our organisation will benefit from increased diversity, hand-in-hand with building relationships with multi-cultural groups in the Central West Orana region.

We are seeking broader board representation at our next AGM, committed to increasing the diversity of our board.

Image: Cr Shibli Chowdhury participating in the 2024 Diversity Day Print Exchange in Dubbo.