Criena Gehrke, the CEO of HOTA (Home of the Arts) on the Gold Coast, has announced a new fund available to Gold Coast-based artists in recognition of the difficult time they are currently facing as a result of the coronavirus COVID-19.

Through its newly established The Rage Against the V(irus) Fund, HOTA is offering local artists $1000 cash for projects that take no more than one week to develop and deliver. The Fund is designed “to turn a down time into a spark for innovation, using digital technology as the medium”, said HOTA.

Criena Gehrke

The funding is available to Gold Coast-based artists, collectives and organisations, or artists who have a strong connection to the Gold Coast. In response to the need for social distancing, to try to stop the spread of the coronavirus, the projects must have an online outcome – be it a podcast, audio file, Facebook live event, video content, streaming, Instagram or a project on another digital platform.

“Artists are the lifeblood of HOTA, without artists there is no home of the arts,” said Gehrke.

“And now, more than ever, we want them to know that they’re important to us and we’re...