Here’s a huge thank you to everyone who attended the Childers Group’s inaugural forum, ‘Burning Issues and Radical Ideas’ last night.
It was completely brilliant to see so many people pack out the Street Theatre stage – there was over a 100 of you up there! – and more spilling into the auditorium. Inspired by our extraordinary special guests – Robyn Archer, Vicki Dunne, Yolande Norris, Caroline Le Couteur, and the utterly unstoppable Omar Musa – we were amazed how forum participants were brave enough to ‘move up to the table’ and share their burning issues and radical ideas. Without the artful facilitation of ABC Radio’s Genevieve Jacobs, well, we couldn’t have done it.
What happens now? We’ll be distilling the notes that were taken – one of the Childers Group members ended up with 10,000 words in his laptop! – and posting them here, as well as forwarding them to all those who are in the position to make the arts in the ACT region really come alive, including the ACT Government, the NSW Government, key arts organisations, just to name a few. Perhaps most importantly, we hope that you’ve taken away some great ideas yourself, and that you might even run with them and make them happen. If so, do let us know how you’re going and if there’s anything we can do to help.
Please note: we’re committed to hearing feedback on all our activities, including the ‘Burning Issues and Radical Ideas’ forum – you can post comments to us below, or chat to us via our Facebook page, or email us direct if you’d like to be a little more private about it. We might even sit down and have a coffee with you. Whilst we’re a volunteer-run group without funding and limited resources, we’re always interested in new and exciting ways to engage the ACT-region arts community. And we want your thoughts. Yes, we’re serious.
Much gratitude to our supporters: The Street Theatre, BMA Magazine, and the wonderful folk at New Best Friend for their ongoing graphic design and web-site design and management.
And yes, we’ll be doing it all again. Stay tuned.
Excellemnt forum last night thank you. Wasn’t time to raise this issue:
I wonder if the Childers Group could enquire and comment please on why the ACT was not represented at the key national arts ministers meeting held on 30 March and post the outcome on this website? Is this a result of arts being just one of Ms Burch’s portfolios and and a low priority? see:
http://www.arts.gov.au/sites/default/files/cultural-diversity/Communique_forMeetingofCulturalMinisters_30March2012.pdf
Arts must be in the Chief Minister’s portfolio or it will always be overlooked
Hi Jim, thanks for getting in contact with us. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed the forum. In regards to the activities of the ACT Minister for the Arts, we suggest you contact her office directly: http://www.legassembly.act.gov.au/members/172.asp. We look forward to hearing how you go.
Thanks for holding a great forum.
I liked Udo Sellbach’s,founding Director of the Canberra School of Art, radical idea. Udo wanted a School of the Arts that included cross arts collaboration between dance, theatre, film, music and visual art.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/konradlenz/4345163329/
Unfortunately his vision splendid was never realised. However, there are facilities for all these art forms within 500 meters of one another in Civic. What about a Festival of Ideas for the Arts?
Hi Fiona, thanks for the feedback on our first forum and also for reminding us of Udo Sellbach’s original vision for the School of Art. And, yes, all those fantastic facilities in close proximity. As to a Festival of Ideas for the Arts – perhaps it’s worth have a chat to Manning Clark House, because who knows where it might lead you!
I was really sorry to miss this forum (insert compulsory whinge about parenthood) and look forward to reading the summary of comments made. Though it sounds like you have enough material for a novel. Or at least a novella!
Hi Penelope, we hope to see you at the next forum.
I couldn’t believe what a broad representation from Canberra arts were present on the night! So rare to have such a diversity of art forms together in one room, along with the policy makers. Nicely done.
Fiona mentions Udo Sellbach, the first Director of the Canberra School of Art. Ms Le Couteur, Greens arts spokeswoman, may be interested to know that the Canberra School of Art was based on a Bauhaus model of workshops, operating across many sectors of the visual arts other than, but including, painting and sculpture. It was a radical idea.