In Sept 2011, Esperance Community Arts' Executive Officer, Amber Perryman received funding from Department of Culture and the Arts 'Artflight' grant to attend the 'Open Your Eye's State Regional Arts Conference.
The conference was organised by Country Arts WA with contributions from keynote speakers such as Carmen Lawrence and a whole host of presenters representing arts organisations, community groups, state and federal government.
One of the purposes of 'Open Your Eyes' was to bring the WA Arts sector together to present and debate around a number of key themes and topics, aiming to bring the Arts into the centre of contemporary societal issues affecting Western Australia. Topics varying from 'Environment, Climate Change, Water and Lifestyle' to; 'Elitism, The Bogan Within, Sports and Media' were hosted by Country Arts WA board members and hotly discussed by delegates over a number of sessions. The ideas and opportunities arising from these discussions were distilled to create achievable and tangible statements to form part of a 2029 Manifesto that the Arts sector will present to Parliament House following the conference.
Opportunities to enjoy arts and cultural activity in breakaway sessions provided excellent downtime. Time for networking with other delegates was provided during the Conference Dinner and in between sessions. 'The Alice Agendas' offered a space for any delegate to lobby or advocate for any agenda they were passionate about and we heard from a number of individuals campaigning on a variety of topics such as Indigenous land rights, the place of the arts, Disability and access to the Arts, confidence to pursue your passions etc. The 'Pecha Kucha' sessions allowed organisations to present mini visual displays showcasing their work or community, and we saw a range of projects and communities: Boyup Brook Music Festival, CANWA's Voices of the Wheatbelt, Form's Canning Stock Route project and 'Pollinators' - Geraldton's network of social entrepreneurs, with the results being both informative and inspiring.
Engaging with the debate themes
Whilst at the conference Amber had the opportunity to stay with representatives from the Ravensthorpe Arts Council, enabling several days of creatively workshopping ideas for future projects that could link the neighbouring communities.
Amber also spent considerable time networking and discussing existing arts and health projects with key DADAA staff, discussing theory, practice and possibilities for the future Emergence project in Esperance. Having the time to share information and ideas was of benefit to both DADAA staff and ECA. Knowledge sharing about the region and about DADAA's aims and objectives will assist with the implementation of the future project and pave the way for a successful launch in 2012.
With Fay and Dianne from Ravensthorpe Arts Council discussing the Debate Themes
Amber also spent time with CANWA staff discussing community arts and cultural development projects and IASKA staff in relation to their current artist in residence project in Esperance.
Amber contributed enthusiastically to key debates and fully engaged with the conference's themes, particularly resonating with some of the keynote speeches and presentations on the potential for the Arts to engage with prevailing values and attitudes towards consumption, economic growth and its impacts on individual and community wellbeing.
On a personal note, Amber found she was not bad at sculpting small objects out of plasticine..and is considering a career in ephemeral artmaking..
Watching the 'Sounds of Wiluna' performance (presented by WAM)
Key Things that Esperance Community Arts has taken away from attending this conference
1. It is important for regional areas to have the opportunity to be represented at a state level and to contribute to national debate
2. Community arts and cultural development has a greater chance of success if delivered through partnerships
3. Small regional Arts organisations such as Esperance Community Arts play a vital role in the delivery of Arts and Cultural activity and projects that we run are worth showcasing on a regional level. The publication or presentation of our own arts stories are important for raising the profile of our community and organization.
"Workshopping ideas for future projects that could link neighbouring communities" is a great idea for Esperance because of it's geographic isolation and distance to bigger towns and of course Perth! How does networking on conference level then affect local decision making? I'm just asking because I often wonder why we don't have closer ties with Kalgoorlie, for example. Monika
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