When artist Anthony Romagnano was named a 2026 Archibald Prize finalist, it was a signal moment for his studio Arts Project Australia.
"We've spent 50 years advocating for artists with disability to be recognised in contemporary art, and it doesn't really get more high-profile than the Archibald," executive director Liz Nowell said.
The studio supports more than 150 neurodivergent artists and artists with intellectual disabilities, and it's the first time one of its painters has made the finalists' cut.
Romagnano is just one example of the studio's success: its artists have shown at New York galleries and art fairs and collaborated with fashion brands such as Wah-Wah and Gorman.
"Anthony absolutely deserves this accolade. It's a powerful example of what artists with disability are able to achieve when they're fully supported," Nowell told AAP.
Arts Project Australia is a registered provider for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, and most of its artists participate through NDIS funding.
But with new measures to rein in the growth of the $56 billion NDIS passing parliament in August, Australia's arts disability sector is worried about what the future holds.
Sweeping changes to the scheme include halving the overall funding for social, civic and community participation from October.
On top of this, individual budget allocations for capacity-building daily activities will be cut by 10 per cent.
"Obviously there is concern, and we're all just trying to understand what the impact will be and and what it will look like down the track," Nowell said.
NDIS participants will continue to have choice and control over the providers they choose to engage, the agency said in a statement to AAP.
In his Archibald portrait, Anthony Romagnano depicts fellow artist Fiona Longhurst, who he has worked alongside for more than two decades at the APA studio.
"The background has flowers. There are patterns and Fiona likes patterns," Romagnano said.
His mother Rubina said she was incredibly proud of her son, who genuinely loved making art.
"He finds creating art very relaxing, and it gives him a sense of calm when his world can sometimes feel stressful or overwhelming," she said.
"He may not always be able to express himself easily through words, but ... he has this wonderful ability to express himself through art."
The uncertainty and concern about the NDIS cuts is broadly shared by arts disability organisations nationwide.
It's a fast-moving situation, according to Arts and Disability Network Australia.
"This ecosystem provides supports no one else does, and if this is changed in a very quick fashion, who is going to support the artists we work with?" national director Sarah-Mace Dennis said.
Arts disability organisations are run by specialist workers who have spent decades building trust with families, Karen Stace from National Disability Services said.
The peak body for disability service providers says the cuts could reduce capacity at long-running organisations such as Arts Project Australia.
"If they're not implemented well, we will lose some of that capability from the system and once it's gone, it's very difficult to get back."
