Editor’s welcome

THE Northern Rivers is a hub for arts and creativity. Outside of the major cities, there are probably more musicians, artists, actors, performers, sculptors, photographers, film makers and writers living here than anywhere else.

Our region hosts some of the country’s leading creative festivals including Bluesfest, the Byron Writers Festival and Splendour in the Grass; we have an incredible theatre company in NORPA; some of the best regional galleries in Australia, and world class art education facilities at SCU, TAFE and Byron Bay’s SAE.

The arts is a huge part of our identity and culture and is crucial to our local economy.

We put this issue together to celebrate arts and creativity in our region, but as I write this, the current Covid-19 outbreak has left things looking pretty grim for the sector. It’s difficult to know where things will go from here, but Lismore Regional Art

Gallery director Brett Adlington probably summed it up best in this recent Facebook post: “While our day to day lives are being impacted upon – please remember the power of the arts. Read, watch movies, play music, dance, share stories (and don’t forget to exercise!). Also think about those artists who will be dramatically affected by this situation. So many will be doing it tough in the coming months, so please assist where you can so that we can all bounce back to keep our culture alive.”