From the Townhall floor to the work ahead.
At last week’s Townhall, we shared an update on REWIRING – a process of ‘behind the scenes’ maintenance on an organisation that has been pumping out power for 45 years. A reset to make sure that in the years to come, we’re doing the right kind of work – and doing it well.
This work is guided by four key commitments, now starting to take shape.
Think of this as a check-in: on the commitments we set, the progress we’re making, and the direction we’re heading. What’s shifted, what’s underway, and what’s coming next.
REWIRING remains active, evolving, and shaped in conversation with artists.
1:MAKE METRO HOME
Not laneway to pass through. A place to return to.
- New free, low-pressure laneway gatherings with Imperfect Creatives, extended through April, weekly.
- 48 days of free studio and theatre space for artists, with 45% allocated to First Nations practitioners.
- New residencies for emerging and mid-career visual artists, supported with stipends and materials budgets.
- Weekly bar openings with free creative activity and affordable drinks.
We want Metro to be your home away from home.
2: FUEL FUTURE PRACTICE
Providing time to test, resources to develop, and permission to experiment.
- Development support for new performance works by Lily Potger and Counterpilot.
- A new program for quick-fire collaborative residencies with artists including Caitlin Franzman, Dom Chen, Tara Pattenden and Alycia Bennett.
- Two-day experimental workshop on public art and socially engaged practice with Dan Koop, alongside international provocateurs Claire Doherty (Situations, UK) and Alex Winters (Creative Time, NYC).
New works, new frameworks, and new skills and connections for Brisbane artists.
3: SECURE OUR FOUNDATIONS
Stable ground for ambitious work.
- $250,000+ secured from Creative Australia, Arts Queensland, Brisbane City Council and Copyright Agency; prioritising artist fees and project budgets.
- Metro Arts Future Fund stable and protected with Perpetual, and divideds feeding our artistic program.
- A new year-round program platform – START HERE – enabling more responsive programming, strategically aligned with upcoming funding rounds.
Stronger systems. Smarter pathways. More support to artists.
3: POWER THE CORE
People, partnerships and capacity.
- Expanded team capacity with a new Marketing & Development Manager (recently appointed) and Curator (currently recruiting).
- A new Program Advisory Group of artists and sector leaders with deep ties to Metro Arts and strategic national/international experience.
- New partnerships including Vitalstatistix, ACE, Ten Days on the Island and Firstdraft, alongside key Brisbane partners – building bridges for Queensland artists to present their work around the country.
Collaboration that connects artists beyond this city.
That’s the report. Four commitments, a lot of updates, and more change on the horizon. Metro Arts has always been nimble – evolving in response to artists and the sector.
We’ll end where this work begins – with you.
What do you want to make happen here? In our bar, our galleries, our theatre? We’re actively shaping collaborations for 2026 and 2027, and even further ahead.
What would actually move your practice forward? More time, more skills, more connection?
And in the longer term: what are the bigger structural challenges we need to face together?
This process only works if it’s shared.
Bring us your ideas, your questions, your ambitions – START HERE or email us at info@metroarts.com.au to get in touch.
