Mr Farley has been a student at Charles Sturt University for several years and was awarded a NSW Government Create NSW Fellowships.

He grew up in Dubbo but currently lives and works in Wagga Wagga.

The $5000 Artist Support funding through the NSW Government’s Arts and Cultural Development Program (ACDP), will allow him to undertake a twelve-month curatorial mentorship with Isobel Parker Philip, Curator of Photographs at The Art Gallery of New South Wales

Mr Farley said the ACDP program supports a range of creative and professional development opportunities for artists across a broad range of backgrounds.

“I applied for this funding after discussing the mentorship opportunity with Isobel Parker Philip, which once agreed upon, was too good of an opportunity to pass up,” he said.

"The funding will help mitigate the significant financial burden associated with needing to travel between home and Sydney, allowing me to focus on making the most of my time working with Isobel at the Art Gallery of NSW.”

The avid photography curator will conduct at least four to five trips to Sydney over the next 12 months to work with and learn from Isobel Parker Philip.

“After meeting Isobel earlier this year and discussing some common interests in contemporary Australian photography, it was clear that some of our ideas and interests closely aligned,” Mr Farley said.

“I was very interested hearing Isobel’s process of connecting with artists and creating space for new ideas to emerge.

“I shared my interests in developing a curatorial practice based on a network of exchange between metropolitan and regional areas, with the hope that similar spaces for new ideas could emerge.”

This led to the idea of the mentorship, Mr Farley said, where he will work with Isobel on research and concept development, gain an insight into her practice at the AGNSW, and use the time in Sydney to conduct studio visits and expand his professional network of artists who he hopes to continue working with in the future.

Mr Farley completed his PhD in photography and ecological aesthetics and started as a Lecturer in Photography in 2017.

He has teached across the School of Communication and Creative Industries photography program, covering everything from analogue, film and experimental practice, high-end digital imaging, studio and commercial photography and critical theory.  

He said it was “so important” to continue to invest in regional arts.

“Anyone who is paying attention to the cultural landscape of Australia will realise that creative and cultural practice in regional areas is booming,” Mr Farley said.

“It is a field full of unlimited potential with huge economic, social and cultural benefits. Yet, for some reason, people still see regional artists as disadvantaged and think you need to be in a capital city to access (or create) contemporary and meaningful work.

“This is obviously not the case, but this pervasive idea continues to place regional communities at a disadvantage. It is only through bold and sustained investment that this culture will change and we will start to realise the full potential of regional arts across Australia.”