Bondi’s Sculpture by the Sea offered $200,000 lifeline after financial woes

Sculpture by the Sea has been offered a $200,000 lifeline after organisers made an urgent plea for funding just weeks out from this year’s event.

The annual exhibition, which is held on the Bondi to Tamarama cliff walk, was facing cancellation ahead of its October 17 start date after failing to secure federal government funding.

Founder David Handley said the event relied on a combination of funding from the state government and Waverely Council, but had not received any federal money for the last two years, resulting in a $200,000 shortfall.

After a public appeal for donations, organisers announced on Friday morning that it had acquired a major partnership with NRMA Insurance and the event will now go ahead as planned.

Mr Handley told ABC Radio Sydney the $200,000 would go towards paying this year’s artists and safeguarding future operations.

“We’re going to be able to take time to reflect on how we try to set up Sculpture from the Sea as a more sustainable operation with a future fund,” he said.

In addition, the event also received more than $125,000 in public donations within the 30 hours of launching its appeal.

Mr Handley said the response had been “extraordinary”.

“We went right down to the wire, that’s why we had to do this desperate plea. We are not an organisation with cash reserves,” he said.

The annual sculpture walk, which attracts around 450,000 visitors each year, typically costs around $3 million with installation alone coming to $800,000.

Artists who exhibit at Sculpture by the Sea spend an average of $15,000 on each artwork, inclusive of materials, transportation and installation costs.

Mr Handley said artists are paid $3,000 and the remainder of the money goes towards holding the exhibition as a free-to-the public event.

“This year over $300,000 from our donors and sponsors is going directly into artists’ pockets to help them with their costs,” he said.

“We started this with volunteers working out of my lounge room with $100 in the bank.”

Organisers had criticised Creative Australia — the government’s peak arts body — for the shortfall in funding.

Creative Australia claimed the event had not submitted an application for funding, including from its recent arts project investments for organisations program.

“Funding does not automatically renew at the end of a funding cycle. To be considered for funding, organisations must apply for funding through an open and competitive process,” a spokesperson said.