The funds come in a dollar-for-dollar grant via the latest NSW Government art funding round.

State Member for Cootamundra Katrina Hodgkinson said said she was proud to once again present funding to a local, passionate arts organisation working hard in the community to keep Cootamundra on the map as a go-to arts and cultural hot spot.

“Arts and cultural facilities are the lifeblood of many regional communities, providing opportunities for people to engage with a range of art forms and local history,” Ms Hodgkinson said. 

“This funding will enable The Arts Centre to be made available to the community year round for a range of arts and cultural activities including programs for Aboriginal people, young people and people with a disability,” she continued.

The Arts Centre’s Isabel Scott has welcomed the funding and is now looking to put the word out through the Community Arts Trust for people to come forward with tax-deductible donations which will be used in the dollar-for-dollar funding. 

The Tin Shed Theatre will benefit with a booster system to the current air conditioning, which should keep the theatre significantly cooler on very hot days and evenings.

Air conditioning will also be installed in the Exhibition Room and an existing wood heater in the Visual Arts Room will be replaced with a gas heater. 

Mrs Scott said artists were not able to use the dedicated space in the Exhibition Room last year during the height of winter, an issue which will be alleviated with the installation of the new heater. 

The Arts Centre committee will volunteer their time to help build the storage extension and this labour can be added to their dollar-for-dollar contribution. 

Should donations not be forthcoming to ensure the dollar-for-dollar contribution can be matched, Mrs Scott said the work will not be able to go ahead. 

A time frame for the work will be devised once all of the funding is in place.