Stories from Local Arts Councils
Arts cooperation pays off in Childers
Information contributed by Alice McLaughlin, President, Childers Arts Council
Community generated visual arts is thriving in Childers, thanks to four years of facilitation and support from Childers Arts Council (CAC) and their highly successful navigation of council amalgamations.
President Alice McLaughlin hosts the CAC Arts Group of 25 visual artists on a weekly basis at her personal studio on her property in Apple Tree Creek, providing workspace, technical guidance and coordination of their regular events. Alongside their passion for making art, their motivation and success stems from outstanding co-operative ventures and strong relationships with local council.
The group holds an annual retreat and regular Art in the Park events, setting up an outdoors studio to involve the public in their art making. Art in the Park was recently included at major festivals Childers Festival of Cultures, Bundaberg Multicultural Festival and Gin-Gin.
Through a series of meetings with key arts and tourism councillors on the new Bundaberg Regional Council, CAC is now negotiating support for a freely accessible designated art space and collaborative ventures between local artists working in different artforms.
Recently, Bundaberg Regional Gallery invited the group to join with other artists in the region to develop an exhibition in March 2008, celebrating the anniversary of Council amalgamation through artwork themed on community collaboration.
McLaughlin is a great advocate of getting art into the community, ‘There’s no point in creating art in isolation, or feeling a sense of competition with other arts organisations. In recent years we’ve really worked hard on expanding our network. By getting more involved we’re now so much better placed to contribute really worthwhile activities.’
Building community partnerships and positive relationships with local government, two keystones of successful community arts development, are paying off for Childers Arts Council.
Image credit: Childers Arts Council Art Group conducting an Art in the Park event INSERT IMAGE
Green Scenes in Gladstone
Information contributed by Crystal Johnson , Secretary, Gladstone Arts Council
Gladstone Arts Council used some creativity to raise environmental awareness when it partnered with Gladstone’s 10th Anniversary ECOfest organisers for Green Scenes 2008, the city’s first environmentally focussed film competition for schools, individuals, community groups and local organisations in the Central Queensland region.
The inaugural 2008 competition accepted entries on the World Environment Day theme ‘CO₂ Kick the Habit – Towards a Low Carbon Economy’, in any genre or film format. Eligible films were required to include the key words ‘carbon dioxide’ ‘greenhouse’ and ‘climate’ which could be written, spoken or performed.
1st prize, a $1000 gift voucher from Harvey Norman, went to The Good, The Bad & The Ugly... & Hope by the The Green & Healthy Club of Boyne Island State School.
The project encouraged innovative use of new media in the Gladstone region and also provide the local schools with skills to participate in the competition next year. Gladstone Arts Council was successful in receiving a RADF grant to employ Jode Bonney, a new media artist, to conduct a series of workshops in local primary and secondary schools.
Queensland Alumina Ltd. and the Gladstone Regional Council's Art Gallery and Museum also came on board as supporters of this inspiring short film competition.
To find out how it was done, download the project overview or visit the Green Scenes MySpace website for more information: www.myspace.com/greenscenes or call Melissa Case on 0438 749 830