2010 2high Festival Receives Funding Boost From Arts Queensland

Backbone Youth Arts announces that the annual 2high Festival has received $60,500 of government funding to help stage the multi-arts event in Novemeber 2010.

Queensland Premier and Minister for the Arts Anna Bligh said that the funding will allow the festival to continue to grow and achieve a new level of business maturity in line with its ongoing success.

“The 2high Festival has proven itself as a flagship event and serious training ground for young producers and entrepreneurs,” Ms Bligh said. “The funding will enable the festival to deliver targeted training workshops, further develop a festival model with the potential to be presented in other regions and strengthen their online resources.”

Each year, the festival is delivered to the public by a group of coordinators aged 18 to 26, who work with industry mentors and Backbone Youth Arts in all aspects of the development.

2high Festival’s impressive alumni are spread far and wide across Queensland’s arts scene and beyond, having gone on to work for flagship organisations as well as launching a myriad of self-developed projects. Past 2high coordinators can today be found working at Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC), Queensland Theatre Company, Brisbane Festival, Young People and the Arts Australia, Queensland Music Festival, Out of the Box Festival, the Judith Wright Centre for Contemporary Arts and Brisbane Powerhouse.

2high Festival was founded by Susan Richer, former Artistic Director of Backbone Youth Arts, back in 1993. Current Artistic Director Andrew Corey states that “after 17 years of providing an exceptional breeding ground for the state’s cultural producers and emerging artsworkers the 2high festival has itself finally emerged to go to the next level and become a nationally recognised youth arts event that will inspire the nation”.

Published: 16 Mar 2010 by Q Music Newsdesk