After 10 years as curator and director of Bermagui’s Sculpture on the Edge (SOTE), festival creator Jan Ireland has announced she will be reluctantly stepping down from the role.

“I quite frankly don’t feel happy about it, but it would be good to have young people take the event forward,” Ms Ireland said.

This year over 8000 visitors soaked up the diverse works along the scenic coastline of the town of around 1500 people.

“I’ve never wanted this to be a parochial event,” she warned.

“To bring talent in is important because it raises the bar for everybody else.”

Federal government cuts to the Australia Council in the Abbott government’s 2015 budget are still being felt in the Australian art world, Ms Ireland said.

“Arts funding is in diabolical trouble,” she said ahead of the festival’s annual general meeting on August 10.

“I don’t think it’s going to get any better under [Prime Minister Malcolm] Turnbull, which is a shame because he and his wife Lucy are patrons of the arts.”

She says access to funding is becoming more complicated each year.

“It’s not a level playing field either,” she said.

Ms Ireland also criticised the state government’s cuts to TAFE, a place many artists found valuable employment opportunities.

“TAFE closures mean many artists don’t have jobs anymore and the artists of the future don’t have access to the resources they did in the past,” Ms Ireland said. 

“Everyone is being so short-sighted about it.

“My feeling has always been that if we don’t have artists our society suffers, which is why I’ve really tried to encourage emerging artists through the festival which is very important.”

Ms Ireland said SOTE’s inability to offer paid positions has meant some interested parties have turned down the opportunity.

“I’m at the point now where I’m broke and would need to know I had real support from a high calibre committee, council and the Bermagui Chamber of Commerce,” she said.

“I would really like a successor who is younger, au fait with technology and feels strongly about arts.

“You have to feel it in your gut and love it.

“The artists, the art and the children involved are the most important part.”