Arts South Australia (previously Arts SA) was responsible for managing the

South Australian Government The Government of South Australia, also referred to as the South Australian Government or the SA Government, is the executive branch of the state of South Australia. It is modelled on the Westminster system, meaning that the highest ranking mem ...

's funding for the arts and cultural heritage from about 1996 until late 2018, when it was progressively dismantled, a process complete by early 2019. Most of its functions were taken over by the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC) under Premier

Steven Marshall Steven Spence Marshall (born 21 January 1968) is a former Australian politician who served as the 46th premier of South Australia between 2018 and 2022. He was a member of the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia in the ...

, while some went to the

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for child protection, child services, education in England, educati ...

and others to the

Department for Innovation and Skills Government in South Australia is delivered by a number of agencies, grouped under areas of portfolio responsibility. Each portfolio is led by a government minister who is a member of the Parliament of South Australia, appointed by the Governor ...

. In September 2023, under the Malinauskas government, the arts were once again brought together under DPC.

History

Arts SA was created primarily as a funding body around 1996, at which time it fell under the Department of Transport, Urban Planning and the Arts (DTUPA). It was responsible for the development of and funding for the arts sector within South Australia, and was responsible for nine

statutory corporation A statutory corporation is a corporation, government entity created as a statutory body by statute. Their precise nature varies by jurisdiction, but they are corporations owned by a government or controlled by national or sub-national government ...

s and a number of

not-for-profit A not-for-profit or non-for-profit organization (NFPO) is a Legal Entity, legal entity that does not distribute surplus funds to its members and is formed to fulfill specific objectives. While not-for-profit organizations and Nonprofit organ ...

arts organisations. During the period of its existence, Ministers for the Arts were: *

Diana Laidlaw Diana Vivienne Laidlaw (born 2 September 1951), commonly referred to as Di Laidlaw, is a former Australian Liberal politician. She was a member of the South Australian Legislative Council (1982–2003) and held several ministerial posts. Ea ...

(1993–2002) *

Mike Rann Michael David Rann (born 5 January 1953) is an Australian former politician who was the 44th premier of South Australia from 2002 to 2011. He was later Australian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2013 to 2014, and List of Australi ...

(5 March 2002 – 21 October 2011), while also serving as

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

* John Hill (21 October 2011 – 21 January 2013) *

Jay Weatherill Jay Wilson Weatherill (born 3 April 1964) is an Australian former politician who was the 45th premier of South Australia, serving from 21 October 2011 until 19 March 2018. Weatherill represented the South Australian House of Assembly, House of ...

(21 January 2013 – 26 March 2014), while also serving as Premier *

Jack Snelling John James Snelling (born 8 November 1972) is an Australian former politician. He was the Labor member for the South Australian House of Assembly seat of Playford from the 1997 election until his retirement in 2018. Snelling left the Labor Part ...

(26 March 2014 – 17 September 2017) *

(18 September 2017 – 19 March 2018), while also serving as Premier * Premier

was responsible for the portfolio since being elected in March 2018. After August 2018, responsibilities were dispersed (see below). * Andrea Michaels is Minister for Arts in the

Malinauskas ministry The Malinauskas ministry is the 74th and current ministry (cabinet) of the Government of South Australia, led by Peter Malinauskas of the South Australian Labor Party. It was formed after Labor's victory at the 2022 state election and succee ...

since March 2022, along with the portfolios of Small and Family Business, and Consumer and Business Affairs she is still in the position.

Chief executives A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

included: *Timothy O'Loughlin (1997–2000) (afterwards promoted to CEO of DTUPA) *Kathie Massey (December 2000 – 2004) * Greg Mackie (2004–2008) *Alexandra Reid (2009–2015) *Peter Louca (2010–2018) In September 1997, Arts Minister Laidlaw and then new CEO O'Louglin completely restructured Arts SA. Previously, it had operated under art form divisions, but the new structure created three divisions: arts leadership, professional development and emerging artists; cultural tourism and export; and the development of new commissions, events and festivals. From 2015 until August 2018, Arts South Australia was headed by Peter Louca, former

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

to Minister

and one-time Labor Party candidate for the federal seat of Mayo. Peter Louca instigated the re-branding of Arts SA to Arts South Australia in 2016. In 2016, following significant federal funding cuts experienced by several South Australian small to medium arts organisations, Arts South Australia was criticised by Arts Industry Council for South Australia for not providing enough financial support to the independent arts sector. In 2016 Arts South Australia operated with a budget of $140 million, less than one percent of the state budget. It was then a division of the

Department of State Development The Department of State Development was a department of the Government of Western Australia. The department was formed on 1 January 2009, out of the former Department of Industry and Resources and Department of Consumer and Employment Protectio ...

, overseen by the Minister for the Arts. In 2016 Arts South Australia established the campaign "Made In Adelaide" to export and promote South Australian artists at the

Edinburgh Fringe Festival The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

. In September 2023, under the Malinauskas government, the arts were once again brought together under DPC, in a "united arts portfolio", with Andrea Michaels as Minister for Arts (appointed March 2022). A new cultural policy was being developed at the same time, due to be released in mid-2024.

Responsibilities

Arts South Australia until 2018

Statutory Authorities reporting to the Arts South Australia were: * Adelaide Festival Corporation *

Adelaide Festival Centre Trust Adelaide Festival Centre, Australia's first capital city multi-purpose arts centre and the home of South Australia's performing arts, was built in the early 1970s and designed by Hassell Architects. The Festival Theatre opened in June 1973 wit ...

Art Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

Carrick Hill Carrick Hill is a publicly accessible historic property at the foot of the Adelaide Hills, in the suburb of Springfield, South Australia, Springfield, in South Australia. It was the Adelaide home of Edward Hayward, Sir Edward "Bill" Hayward an ...

Country Arts SA Country Arts SA is statutory corporation created by the South Australian government under the provisions of the ''South Australian Country Arts Trust Act (1992)'', for the purpose of delivering arts to regional South Australia. Responsibility for ...

History Trust of South Australia The History Trust of South Australia, sometimes referred to as History SA, was created as a statutory corporation by the ''History Trust of South Australia Act 1981'', to safeguard South Australia’s heritage and to encourage research and publi ...

South Australian Film Corporation South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) is a South Australian Government statutory corporation established in 1972 to engage in film production and promote the film industry, located in Adelaide, South Australia. The Adelaide Studios are managed ...

South Australian Museum The South Australian Museum is a natural history museum and research institution in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856 and owned by the Government of South Australia. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultur ...

State Library of South Australia The State Library of South Australia, or SLSA, formerly known as the Public Library of South Australia, located on North Terrace, Adelaide, is the official library of the Australian state of South Australia. It is the largest public research li ...

State Opera of South Australia State Opera South Australia (SOSA) is a professional opera company in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1976. History State Opera South Australia was established in 1976 as a statutory corporation under the ''State Opera of South Au ...

State Theatre Company of South Australia The State Theatre Company of South Australia (STCSA), branded State Theatre Company South Australia, formerly the South Australian Theatre Company (SATC), is South Australia's leading professional theatre company, and a statutory corporation. It ...

Other organisations under their umbrella included: *

Adelaide Film Festival The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF, formerly ADLFF) is a film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in movie theater, cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented wikt:Special:Search/biennial, biennially in March from 2 ...

* Carclew (centre for youth performing arts development) * JamFactory * Music SA (formerly AusMusicSA, established 23 July 1997) *The

Music Development Office Music of Adelaide includes music relating to the city of Adelaide, South Australia. It includes all genres of both live and recorded music by artists born or living in the city, live music events happening in the city, and other aspects of the ...

(MDO), responsible for the management of the Contemporary Music Grants Program and the Jon Lemon Artist-in-Residence Program, as well as a number of other grants. * Patch Theatre Company * Windmill Theatre Company Other responsibilities included: *The

South Australian Ruby Awards The South Australian Ruby Awards, also known as the Ruby Awards, are annual awards which recognise outstanding achievement in South Australia’s arts and culture sector. They were named in honour of arts champion Dame Ruby Litchfield (1912–2001 ...

(from 2006), which recognise outstanding achievement in South Australia's arts and culture sector. *Management of Australia's oldest intact mainland theatre, The Queens Theatre (2010–2018; then taken over by GWB McFarlane Theatres).

August 2018 transfers and creations

DoE

To the

: *Carclew *History Trust of South Australia *Patch Theatre Company *Windmill Theatre Company

Dept for Innovation & Skills

To the

(previously

): *South Australian Film Corporation *Adelaide Film Festival *JamFactory *Music SA *Music Development Office *GamePlus (new - for the

video game industry The video game industry is the tertiary industry, tertiary and quaternary industry, quaternary sectors of the entertainment industry that specialize in the video game development, development, marketing, distribution (marketing), distribution, ...

)

DPC

*Responsibility for the eleven statutory authorities (listed above) were transferred to the Arts and Culture section within the Department of the Premier and Cabinet (DPC). *DPC also provides funding to: **

Australian Dance Theatre Australian Dance Theatre (ADT), known as Meryl Tankard Australian Dance Theatre from 1993 to 1999, is a contemporary dance company based in Adelaide, South Australia, established in 1965 by Elizabeth Cameron Dalman . The ADT was the first moder ...

Adelaide Fringe Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is Australia’s biggest arts festival and is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between ...

Adelaide Symphony Orchestra The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a South Australian orchestra based in Adelaide, established in 1936. The orchestra's primary performance venue is the Adelaide Town Hall, but the ASO also performs in other venues. It provides the orchest ...

Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute The Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute, usually referred to as Tandanya, is an art museum located on Grenfell Street in Adelaide, South Australia. It specialises in promoting Indigenous Australian art, including visual art, music a ...

*Management of the following awards: **The Ruby Awards ** Made in Adelaide Awards (for Adelaide Fringe artists) The biennial

Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature The South Australian Literary Awards, until 2024 known as the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, comprise a group of biennially-granted literary awards established in 1986 by the Government of South Australia. Formerly announced during A ...

are managed by the State Library of South Australia (which is under the DPC).

Online grants portal

, the Arts South Australia online portal is still being used for managing grant applications.

Artlab Australia

Artlab Australia is a government agency that "provides expert services for the preservation, care and management of the state's cultural collections". It works mainly for and in collaboration with major South Australian collecting institutions, but also provides services and support for collections that are maintained by various communities around the country as well as internationally, on a

fee-for-service Fee-for-service (FFS) is a payment model where services are unbundled and paid for separately. In health care, it gives an incentive for physicians to provide more treatments because payment is dependent on the quantity of care, rather than qualit ...

basis. Text may have been copied from this source, which is available under
Attribution 3.0 Australia (CC BY 3.0 AU)
licence. Established as the State Conservation Centre of South Australia in 1985, the unit has been located in the North Terrace cultural precinct since its beginning, between the Migration Museum and the

(street address 70 Kintore Avenue). The specialist staff who work on the conservation of materials are mostly graduates of a

University of Canberra The University of Canberra (UC) is a public university, public research university with its main campus located in Bruce, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. The campus is from Belconnen Town Centre, and from Canberra's Civic, Australian ...

program on the Conservation of Cultural Materials. They are qualified to work on a range of materials, including paper, photographs, textiles, sculptures, and heritage building features in the laboratories, and also provide advice on optimum storage conditions for collections. Artlab serves libraries, museums, art galleries, Aboriginal art and craft centres, and many other clients. Artlab Australia is one of few rare book conservation services in Australia, and also cares for large technology items. Other conservation and restoration of other types include "

mural A mural is any piece of Graphic arts, graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' ...

s and decorative paintwork, historic interiors, mosaic and

terrazzo Terrazzo is a composite material, poured in place or precast, which is used for floor and wall treatments. It consists of chips of marble, quartz, granite, glass, or other suitable material, poured with a cementitious binder (for chemical bind ...

floors,

stained glass window Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

s, carved timberwork, carpets and curtains, furniture and other fittings such as lights,

balustrade A baluster () is an upright support, often a vertical moulded shaft, square, or lathe-turned form found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features. In furniture construction it is known as a spindle. Common materials used in its ...

s and decorative railings". Restoration projects have included the

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a Church (building), church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular a ...

St Peter's Cathedral, Adelaide St Peter's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Adelaide and Metropolitan of the Province of South Australia. The cathedral, a significant Adelaide landmark, is sit ...

and chapels at

New Norcia New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

monastery in

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. Artlab has also undertaken several projects outside of Australia, including cultural preservation in

Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...

in partnership with the

Indonesian Government The term Government of the Republic of Indonesia (, GOI, sometimes also referred to as Government of Indonesia or the Central Government () especially in laws) can have a number of different meanings. At its widest, it can refer collectively ...

and others, funded by the

World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and Grant (money), grants to the governments of Least developed countries, low- and Developing country, middle-income countries for the purposes of economic development ...

, and work in

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

and

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

. Artlab's services include disaster preparedness planning, environmental management of display and storage conditions in order to prevent deterioration, and research and analysis that contributes to both the development of conservation practice and to a greater knowledge and understanding of cultural artefacts and works of art. It also offers preventive conservation for collections, training of conservators through internships, conservation capacity building projects overseas, and education and advisory services to support communities in the preservation of their cultural heritage. Artlab has given courses in several Asian countries, and in 1999 developed a training package called reCollections. As of 2005, Artlab Australia employed 25 staff, which made it the largest conservation facility in Australia. It operated as a business enterprise within Arts SA, with initial investment made by the South Australian government and possessing the capability and policy to run a commercial service. At that time, Artlab warned of the "critical skills shortage...within the heritage industry", and the need for providing courses for people to become

stone mason In geology, rock (or stone) is any naturally occurring solid mass or aggregate of minerals or mineraloid matter. It is categorized by the minerals included, its chemical composition, and the way in which it is formed. Rocks form the Earth's ...

wheelwright A wheelwright is a Artisan, craftsman who builds or repairs wooden wheels. The word is the combination of "wheel" and the word "wright" (which comes from the Old English word "''wryhta''", meaning a worker - as also in shipbuilding, shipwright ...

s, carriage makers, and gilders.