our history

Founded in the early 1980s, CAN WA evolved from a network of people committed to community arts practice, to its current undertaking of advocacy, training, funding and a range of support for community arts and cultural development. Incorporated in 1985, CAN WA has experienced considerable changes to its internal structure and the nature of its services. However, despite these changes since those early days, CAN WA remains true to its foundation of empowering communities through arts and cultural development.

Today CAN WA is an incorporated, not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, with a membership base. The organisation is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of a maximum of 12 individuals from diverse backgrounds of local government, community arts, academia, business, community development, planning, accounting and law.

CAN WA has been operating as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) since 1999, establishing the first and only nationally recognised training program in cultural planning in Western Australia. We run several nationally accredited training courses

Our commitment to social justice has seen CAN WA lead the way in working with Aboriginal communities. Specific programs aims at working with Aboriginal communities were first trialled in Roebourne with an Indigenous officer in its Perth office to work with local government. Following these experiences, CAN WA realised that a longer term, community determined approach was required. This led to the establishment of a  regional Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development Office in 2006 in the Eastern Wheatbelt town of Kellerberrin, located 200km east of Perth. In 2010, CAN WA opened a second office in the Southern Wheatbelt town of Narrogin.

Our Logo

The CAN WA logo symbolises people coming together around a campfire and sharing their culture free from discrimination, bias or hierarchy.

The logo was created in 2000 and emerged from brainstorms about how to capture the spirit of the organisation. For us the warm orange heart of the logo has come to be emblematic of our commitment to being a receptive, open organisation.