First aired: 10 April 2020

After years of talking about diversity in the arts sector, it’s starting to feel like a monologue that only reaches an audience of our own communities, say Dr Paula Abood and Aseel Taya, a Palestinian creative director, and installation artist. Aseel says when applying for arts funding, the process is not tolerant of people from migrant backgrounds and is even less accommodating for those pitching art that is deemed not relevant for Australian audiences. Dr Paula Abood is a writer, creative producer and educator, and a leading figure in the space for 30 years. She’s calling for the entire funding regime to be restructured because currently, the major organisations take the bulk of the money while the small-to-medium sector, where diversity flourishes, is left with the crumbs.