NORPA Opens the Floor for Bold New Works at Live Edge 2026

NORPA is calling on Northern Rivers artists to push creative boundaries, with expressions of interest now open for Live Edge 2026, a new multi-artform event set to transform The Joinery into a site of bold experimentation this November.

A new chapter in Northern Rivers creativity is taking shape, with NORPA launching Live Edge 2026 — an ambitious new annual event inviting local artists to create original works inside the industrial shell of The Joinery in Lismore.

Expressions of Interest are now open for artists, makers and creative practitioners working across performance, visual art, installation, music, sound, projection and interdisciplinary practice.

Set across two ticketed nights in November, Live Edge will transform The Joinery’s raw and evolving spaces into a living canvas for new work, with audiences moving through the site to experience an eclectic program of performance and installation.

According to NORPA Artistic Director Julian Louis, the initiative is designed to nurture the region’s thriving creative ecosystem while giving artists space to experiment.

Expressions of Interest are now open for artists to transform The Joinery through performance, installation and site-responsive art.

“Live Edge is a new initiative that will celebrate our region’s strong and diverse creative ecology,” Louis said. “It creates a supportive platform for local artists to take risks, develop new forms, and connect their ideas with audiences in a live context. Lismore has always been a place where creative practice thrives at the edges, and this initiative celebrates that spirit — bringing emerging and established artists together to imagine new and exciting contemporary performance.”

Once a working joinery factory, The Joinery is currently being reimagined as NORPA’s future 3,000-square-metre creative home — a place built for collaboration, experimentation and contemporary storytelling.

Live Edge extends that vision, inviting artists to respond directly to the building itself, using its textures, scale and industrial history as a springboard for original work.

Selected projects will receive cash support, venue access, marketing, producing and technical assistance, with opportunities ranging from small-scale micro-commissions through to larger interdisciplinary works.

Artists are encouraged to book a site tour and discuss ideas with the NORPA team before applying.

Supported by The Ian Potter Foundation and presentation partners Courtney Miller and Damian Kassagbi, the initiative aims to strengthen creative capacity across the Northern Rivers and further cement Lismore’s reputation as a hub for boundary-pushing art.

For more details, and to submit an application, visit norpa.org.au