A survey from the peak body for WA's arts sector has painted a picture of an industry in crisis due to impacts of COVID restrictions.
The survey had 296 industry respondents from regional and metropolitan areas and was conducted by the Chamber of Arts and Culture.
Alarmingly, between 58 and 63 per cent of small to medium organisations reported they would be operating on reserves or would need to cease operating in the next 12 months.
While 75 per cent of all organisations said they would not be able to continue operating on current income streams if there were further restrictions forcing cancellations of shows and programs.
Regional musicians lose out
The chamber's executive director, Kim Jameson, said West Australian Music's (WAM) recent announcement that it was letting go of its regional team was evidence of the fallout.
Kyron Smithson runs a small business, KyzaPresents, which coordinates the majority of the music industry in Esperance on WA's south coast.
Mr Smithson said ticketed shows were the backbone of his business's financial sustainability, but recent restrictions meant he was unable to put on any this year, which led him to lose 90 per cent of his income compared to the same time last year.
He said he had been forced to dip into reserve funds.
Mr Smithson said WAM's decision to cut its regional team was a "massive" loss for the industry and regional officer Nigel Bird, who lost his job in the cuts, had supported Esperance musicians for years.
"He's just someone that I could turn to and talk to about all and everything and his work created a lot of opportunities for Esperance artists," Mr Smithson said.
Widespread mental health impacts
The survey also found that 8,000 independent artists, contractors and arts administrators were at risk of losing their jobs.
Perth-based singer songwriter Michael Dunstan has frequently toured Australia and regional WA in the past and ordinarily visits Esperance, Albany, Margaret River, Exmouth and his hometown of Northam.
But for the first time the 26-year-old has been unable to financially sustain himself through music and was forced to put his career on hold to work full-time in retail.
"Working hard isn't a problem, I just feel like with music it works towards something that brings me a lot of meaning and purpose in life," he said.
The survey found 58 per cent of respondents had experienced mental health issues over the past two years and 91 per cent of organisations were concerned about the wellbeing of staff and volunteers.
Mr Dunstan said the statistics did not surprise him.
Funding access challenging for some
In the Goldfields, Stage Left Theatre Troupe is a volunteer-run not-for-profit that operates out of a quaint old building in Kalgoorlie-Boulder.
Stage Left's vice president Kylie Ward said the most recent restrictions and audience hesitancy had forced them to cancel their first show of the year.
"We could only sell [tickets to] 50 per cent of our audience anyway and then we had very few pre-sales," she said.
Ms Ward said they had not been eligible for many government grants and they relied on ticket sales to pay for shows, which cost up to $7,000.
"We're not commercial and we're small so usually bigger groups like the big art centres are eligible for the funding, whereas smaller community-run ones, it's a bit harder to try and access some of the relief funding," she said.
Like Mr Smithson, cancellations had also forced the theatre to dip into reserves to keep up with bills and building maintenance.
Calls for support
Ms Jameson said the chamber had presented the survey to WA's Minister for Arts and Culture, David Templeman and asked for an immediate $30 million recovery package to help small organisations that cannot access financial support.
"We're also calling on local governments to support their local arts organisations," she said.
The chamber also asked for $23 million for a long-term recovery program and $5 million to support sole traders and artists.
A statement from the minister's office said the state government had provided several grants this year for community groups, independent artists and organisations.
These included the $5 million Creative Communities Program, the $77 million Safe Transition Industry Support Package, the $1.8 million Nightclub Assistance Program and the $1.3 million Performing Arts, Theatres and Cinemas Assistance Program.
The statement said the department was working with the chamber and other stakeholders to determine the best mechanisms for future support.
