Government sources,who were not authorised to comment publicly,rejected the claims. NSW has not had a permanent arts minister since the resignation of Liberal MP Don Harwin from the job in late April.
Loading
The sources suggested Carriageworks was the"canary in the coal mine"of Sydney's arts sector because of its heavy reliance on performance grant funding. Other major arts companies have turned to online performances after public health orders closed venues and shelved new productions scheduled for this year.
In a statement,Carriageworks said the sudden cancellation or postponement of six months of activities due to restrictions on public gatherings had resulted in an"irreparable loss of income".
Chief executive Blair French said he hoped Carriageworks would be able to reopen to artists and the community once the state recovered from the effects of the pandemic.
“The Carriageworks board regret that this action has had to be taken. They are mindful of the impact of this situation upon independent artists and partner companies across the performing and visual arts at a time when the effects of COVID-19 related closures have made this sector so vulnerable,"Mr French,who replaced former director Lisa Havilah in 2019,said.