Festivals and Events

Ribbons of Steel
In 1998 Arts Hunter, in collaboration with the arts community of the Hunter Region, presented a large scale, visually spectacular performance commemorating and celebrating the 84 years of BHP steelmaking in Newcastle, marking the day of closure.

Co-directed by David Branson and Brian Joyce the performance included work by students from local and regional schools, local artists and performers, BHP employees and their families. The performance incorporated a 24-minute cantata featuring an 80 strong choir and a 28-piece brass band, stiltwalking, acrobatics, aerial work, fire sculptures and performance presented in processional and staged performance.

Themes and content were drawn from the corporate and community knowledge associated with the BHP allowing the performance to present cultural outcomes consistent with the history of steelmaking in Newcastle.

For further information or to view video footage visit: Ribbons of Steel

The NSW Youth Arts and Skills Festival – ARTstart
Artstart has been the single most effective program in encouraging broad collaboration between youth, government agencies, educational and training institutions and non-government organisations in N.S.W. Issues affecting young people have been raised, promoted and placed squarely on the national agenda.

The success of the program is directly related to its support of young people at a grass roots level in their local communities, and the flexibility of a grants program that provides “quick response” seeding grants which are subject to localised peer assessment.

The ongoing support for the Artstart program from the state government has enabled structures to be established, maintained and strengthened, and local Artstart projects to build on the activities of previous years. Thus producing more highly skilled, professional and dynamic results with each consecutive program.

For further information or to view presentations visit: ARTstart