How many of your most memorable moments, highs and lows, have been soundtracked by music? We pick a wedding song for the all-important bridal waltz, and have a favourite track we stream time and again to help heal a broken heart. And it isn’t just music. Art in all its forms plays a crucial role in our lives, from the book that got your kids into reading to a painting that moved you immeasurably and never let go.
Last year, Australians showed just how much they appreciate artists and arts organisations, through generously donating $2.42 million to support the work of 323 local artists and arts organisations through the inaugural AusArt Day.
On October 22, we again have a chance to do just that, as AusArt Day, Australia’s national day of giving to the arts, returns for its second year, with more than 350 creatives sharing their vision and inviting Australians to show their support, no matter how small.
NSW singer-songwriter Sophie Payten (Gordi) lends her voice to AusArt Day 2026. Photo: Haley Min Young Kreofksy.
“Think about the value art adds to your life – how that album soundtracked your university years, how that painting provoked a lost memory, how you witnessed a theatrical performance that sparked a conversation and a breakthrough,” says ARIA-nominated indie pop singer-songwriter and medical doctor Gordi, a 2026 AusArt Day ambassador.
“We consume art in its final form and experience it as a fully realised vision. But it takes hours, days, years to be developed. AusArt Day is your opportunity to support the process – not just the product.”
Artists participating in this year’s AusArt Day range from established practitioners and organisations like Katie Noonan, Broome-based First Nations dance theatre company Marrugeku, Sydney’s Belvoir St Theatre, Western Australian Aboriginal-led theatre company Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company; through to immersive Melbourne play Art of Courage Ukraine and Tasmanian festival The Unconformity.
An initiative of Creative Australia, the federal government’s arts funding body, AusArt Day is open to all Australian artists and organisations. Registration is free and participants choose their preferred fundraising platform. Creative Australia contributes resources, workshops and advertising materials to help participants prepare their own campaigns, funded by $500,000 in microgrants.
“Our research shows that 97 per cent of Australians engage with the arts, often without necessarily thinking of it as ‘the arts’,” says Creative Australia CEO Adrian Collette.
Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company. Photo: Dana Weeks.
“AusArt Day is an opportunity to recognise the artists and organisations behind those experiences and directly support the work we value. A donation doesn’t have to be large to make a difference. Collectively, those acts of support help artists make new work, organisations reach communities and Australian creativity continue to thrive.”
A vibrant culture lies at the heart of why Alberts exists, dating back to the 1890s when founder Jacques Albert and his son Frank began selling instruments and sheet music. Today, we continue our support for a vibrant culture through The Tony Foundation. Alberts welcomes AusArt Day, a chance for all Australians to celebrate our incredible artists.
To support a project, artist or organisation visit ausartday.gov.au on AusArt Day, October 22.
(Feature image: Marrugeku artists during a creative development showing of Ngurragabu. Photo: Prudence Upton).
