OUR FIRST YEAR: A STRONG VOICE… TOGETHER

Posted on December 11, 2012 by childers

Established in November 2011, the Childers Group has now had its first birthday and to celebrate the Group’s released a summary of its advocacy actions to-date. We formed last year to be a positive and well-considered voice for the arts in the ACT region. We believe that we’ve been able to do that, together with all those who’ve attended our two forums and shared their ideas and hopes for the future. Economic instability can often lead to reduced investment in the arts, and the Childers Group’s mission is to make sure the opportunities and values of the arts are heard by the decision-makers, and action ensues.

The Childers Group is a body made up of nine voluntary members, so we rely on others to help us do what we do. We take this opportunity to thank all those who’ve helped us with venue-hire, advertising, graphic design, and web-support. We appreciate it very much.

Next year marks the Centenary of Canberra, and there are also some significant milestones in the region, including Goulburn’s 150^th birthday as a city. The varied events planned for these celebrations provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us to showcase the extraordinary arts and cultural activity that is part of our everyday life.

Here’s a list of the Childers Group’s advocacy actions during the 2011/2012 period:

Advocated for Writing Australia to continue to have its headquarters in the ACT, including through correspondence to the Australia Council for the arts and the ACT Cultural Council (January 2012)
Provided a submission on the 2012/2013 ACT Budget consultation process, advocating for a range of policy ideas and actions (February 2012)
Provided a submission on artsACT’s draft Arts Policy Framework (March 2012)
Held our first forum, ‘Burning Issues and Radical Ideas’, which was attended by approximately 150 people, including Robyn Archer, Creative Director of the Centenary of Canberra, and two members of the ACT Legislative Assembly (held at the Street Theatre in April 2012)
Wrote a 1200-word opinion piece highlighting the importance of celebrating the ACT region’s artistic and cultural achievements, which was published by The Canberra Times (May 2012)
Released our ‘Vision for the Kingston Arts Precinct’ document (July 2012)
Advocated for the ACT Government’s new Events ACT website to make reference to all art-forms (July 2012)
Meetings with the board of the Cultural Facilities Corporation and the Canberra Business Council’s Small Business Taskforce (mid-year)
Met with The Canberra Times about the importance of employing professional arts journalists, including retention of the literary editor position (July 2012)
Released our ‘Six Key Opportunities for the ACT region’ document (August 2012), which included: the Kingston Arts Precinct, the ANU School of Music, a dance hub, arts-in-education including an ACT-wide poetry slam program, and a world-class artist-in-residence program
Twice met with MLAs representing the three main political parties in the ACT in the lead-up to the 2012 ACT Legislative Assembly election (September 2012)
Held our second forum, which provided an opportunity for the three main political parties in the ACT to present their respective arts policies, with questions from the various art-form sectors (held at Canberra Museum and Gallery in September 2012)
Advocated for the appropriate and sustainable funding of fine-art courses provided through NSW TAFE (November 2012)
Distributed a variety of media releases, including on Geoffrey Rush being named Australian of the Year and Caroline Stacey being named ACT Artist of the Year
Various media interviews, including print and radio

A letter to the Hon. Barry O’Farrell concerning cuts to NSW TAFE fine-arts courses

Posted on November 20, 2012 by childers

The Hon. Barry O’Farrell, MP
Premier
NSW Government
GPO Box 5341
SYDNEY NSW 2001

Dear the Hon. Barry O’Farrell,

CUTS TO FINE-ARTS COURSES OFFERED BY NSW TAFE

On the behalf of the Childers Group, an independent arts think-tank for the ACT region, I write to express considerable concern at reports that the NSW Government will cease offering fine-arts courses through TAFE.

Whilst the Childers Group recognises that the NSW Government is currently undergoing a process to reduce costs, we respectfully but unreservedly suggest that cutting opportunities for people in NSW to access a fine-arts education through the TAFE system is short-sighted and requires urgent review.

The Childers Group notes that many of those educated through the TAFE system find work in the creative industries. The creative industries are enablers of creative networks and spaces and of new business models. They contribute 2.8% of gross GDP (more than agriculture, communications, and electricity, gas and water supply). The visual arts, design and architecture makes up over 11% of the creative industries and have been growing in terms of employment opportunity. To significantly reduce opportunities to enter this workforce could not be seen to advance the needs of those living and working in the NSW, particularly those in regional areas.

Further, whilst some members of the community undergo arts training through the TAFE system to enable themselves to work in the arts sector, many pursue these opportunities simply as a way of building connections and skills – this is particularly relevant for regional areas where unemployment tends to be higher than metropolitan areas and there is a real need to build confidence and social capacity. There is ample Australian and international research that draws a direct link between creative practice and personal/community wellbeing. At a time when social cohesion could be said to be a priority, we suggest that there is a need to fund fine-arts courses at a higher level, not at a lower level.

The Childers Group, which was established in 2011 to be a positive and productive voice for the arts in the ACT region, offers expertise in the visual arts, music, dance, film, theatre and performing arts, youth arts, community arts, and literature. Our members have local/regional as well as national and international expertise and connections. We live in and advocate for both the ACT and adjacent regional areas of NSW. The Group is available to act as a sounding board to the NSW Government in terms of the arts, and we would be more than willing to meet with you direct to discuss this matter further.

To arrange a meeting, or to seek more information, please contact the Childers Group’s coordinators Nigel Featherstone or Evol McLeod on 0428 810 442 or 0406 378 889, or via email on childersgroup@gmail.com.

In closing, I strongly urge you to recognise the value of TAFE arts education to NSW and to ensure it continues to be funded at viable levels.

Yours sincerely,

Professor David Williams AM

Spokesperson
The Childers Group –
an independent arts forum

www.childersgroup.com.au

November 2012

Forum No. 2: the guts of the discussion…and now it’s up to you to vote

Posted on October 8, 2012 by childers

On Wednesday 19 September 2012 at the Canberra Museum and Gallery Theatrette, the Childers Group held its second forum, organised for the lead-up to the ACT Legislative Assembly election (on 20 October). The speakers were: Joy Burch, ACT Minister for the Arts; Vicki Dunne, ACT Opposition Spokesperson for the Arts; and Caroline Le Couteur, Greens Spokesperson for the Arts (positions as at September 2012).

Each speaker was asked to present their respective political party’s arts policy. Approximately 70 members of the ACT-region arts community attended; representatives from the various art forms asked questions, and there were general questions from the floor. Actor and professional communicator Andrea Close facilitated the two-hour discussion.

The arts policies as presented at the forum can be found by clicking on the following links:

ACT Labor
ACT Greens
Canberra Liberals (not yet available on-line)

Whilst the Childers Group does not necessarily endorse any elements of the policies presented at the forum, we note some common themes that emerged from the discussion, which we suggest are also opportunities:

importance of acknowledging the ACT’s high level of participation in the arts
there is a direct link between arts and creative expression and emotional wellbeing, and this should be further acknowledged
there is also a direct link between creative activity and economic development
further developing arts activity in schools – for all arts sectors – is vital to the creative health of the region’s young people
artist-in-residence programs provide a real opportunity for local, national, and international artists to work in the ACT
the Kingston Arts Precinct is a critical opportunity for the ACT region
good clear communication between arts sectors is crucial, as is communication between the arts community and the broader community of the ACT region
public liability insurance is a key challenge for arts events, particularly live music
also in terms of live music, providing appropriate venues continues to be an issue
important to retain the community cultural inclusion officers
demand from professional dance practitioners in Canberra is growing for a purpose-built dance facility that will encourage independent dance practice and further develop the dance profession through provision of professional facilities
demand may also be growing for a purpose-built facility for Indigenous arts practice
in regards to film, there needs to be investment in studio infrastructure
there is a need to build employment opportunities for theatre practitioners
need for ongoing consultation and dialogue between key arts organisations and the ACT Government
there are ongoing opportunities to build mutually beneficial relationships between ACT arts organisations and the national cultural institutions based in the region.

The above list is not intended to be exhaustive, and we again encourage all those interested in learning more about the discussion at this forum to visit the websites of the three main political parties in the ACT.

The Childers Group also recommends that if you were inspired by an idea presented at the forum, or you have an idea of your own, you make contact with the relevant key arts organisation or advocacy body – email us if you need assistance with who to contact.

For more information about the key areas of Childers Group advocacy, click here for a list of our six key opportunities, and here for our vision for the Kingston Arts Precinct.

The Childers Group’s six key opportunities for the ACT region

Posted on August 18, 2012 by childers

MARKET CANBERRA AS ‘THE CREATIVE CAPITAL’

There is a process underway to review the brand of Canberra. A branding exercise needs to offer an insight, hopefully with a unique selling proposition. With regard to Canberra we suggest the city should be positioned as ‘The Creative Capital’. Why can we make such a bold claim and why is it important:

it is Australia’s only ‘designed’ city;
it has the highest per-capita representation of creative-industry business and employees in Australia;
through our national cultural institutions Canberra is the holder of the cultural artefacts that articulate the Australian story;
we have Australia’s most distinctive (ambitious) collection of public art;
the arts attract visitors – statistics from recent visual arts blockbusters make this clear; and
we have great artists in the region – let’s value them and recognise their achievements while promoting a different face for Canberra.

THE KINGSTON ARTS PRECINCT

In terms of the Kingston Arts Precinct, what is most important is that all those committed to the arts and cultural life of our region – especially the ACT Government – have a grand vision, a strategic overview, a long-term plan for what’s needed to develop this area as a lively precinct for arts activity and cultural events. It’s a rare opportunity for the ACT to work with the various development authorities and stakeholders to establish an exciting set of cultural facilities and creative spaces in the vicinity of the iconic Kingston Powerhouse, now the home of the Canberra Glassworks, which is already a major national attraction. The Childers Group’s vision is a vibrant and accessible arts precinct for the visual arts in all its diversity, including film, new media and creative industries such as architecture, graphic design and digital technologies. In the Childers Group vision, Kingston is a place for live performance to happen but music would not be the focus.

The full vision statement for the Kingston Arts Precinct is available here.

THE ANU SCHOOL OF MUSIC

The School of Music was established in 1965 as an autonomous ‘conservatorium’ model of teaching (one-to-one) and performance. This vision was part of a long-term plan to stimulate, develop and enhance professional musical life in Australia’s emerging national capital city. Funding was available to employ outstanding, experienced professional musicians for instrumental teaching and performance. Since then, the School’s presence has been the ‘life blood’ and a major contribution to every aspect of Canberra’s musical activity and the cultural life of the city. The reputation of the School of Music and School of Art was highly regarded nationally. Since 1992 when the School of Music (and the School of Art) amalgamated with the ANU, its teaching in schools and participation in concerts, performances, youth music activity and events have been a major part of Canberra’s cultural life and the public face and community profile of the ANU.

Recent developments have seen the School of Music facing funding challenges. A revised ‘university model’-based curriculum, staff cuts and new budget arrangements have been proposed to achieve financial viability and the future of the School. The changed curriculum will inevitably see the loss of key professional instrumental teacher/performers and consequently their loss to Canberra’s musical life.

The ANU, ACT Government and community support for music education in Canberra is essential to ensure professional expertise is available for teaching, participation in the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, music ensembles, choral societies, youth music, festivals and musical events. The ANU and the ACT must work together to ensure the continuation of a professional level of music performance in Canberra and the ACT region.

A radical option might be the establishment of new ‘National Academy of the Arts’ outside the university sector where the conservatorium model does not easily fit. A National Academy of the Arts based in Canberra eventually accommodated in ‘state of art’ group of facilities could cater for music, visual arts, dance, theatre and film capitalising on the strong base of life and activity already present in these disciplines. This visionary option is seen as a long-term possibility for Australia’s national capital city but would require dedicated funding commitments from Federal and ACT governments and the private sector, new legislation, governance and administrative arrangements. The ACT Government could take a lead on facilitating discussions about the future.

A DANCE HUB

Ausdance ACT recently conducted a review of dance facilities in Canberra. The organisation found that the numbers of dancers, particularly in schools and other cultural groups, is under-reported and there is a need for good facilities in the ACT. Building on the ‘hub’ model, Canberra is in the need for a high-quality dance hub with state-of-the-art facilities. The facilities could be shared between a number of organisations, offering space for schools, classes, and our independent dance creators and choreographers as well as performers. Locations that are currently under-serviced and would be suitable sites include: the inner sections of central Canberra, Gungahlin , Central Belconnen, South Tuggeranong, and Weston Creek.

ARTS IN EDUCATION, INCLUDING AN ACT-WIDE POETRY SLAM PROGRAM

There has been considerable progress in establishing links between education and the arts in the ACT but more can be done to strengthen this relationship.

The Childers Group encourages the ACT Government to prioritise arts programs in schools. We would like to see an expanded commitment to include additional artists-in-residence and the establishment of a Canberra-wide Poetry Slam-in-Schools program. There is capacity within the ACT – and region – to provide an exciting and culturally rich experience for young people by encouraging participation in a very ‘cool’ art form that’s gaining world-wide recognition as an important emerging art form. Engagement in contemporary and relevant arts programs designed for young people has been shown to enhance their enjoyment of school, build self-confidence and lead to a stronger sense of community.

There is strong evidence from research undertaken in secondary schools, both within Australia and the United Kingdom, indicating engagement in the arts results in major benefits to young people. These include enhanced knowledge of social and cultural issues, development of creativity and thinking skills, increased communication skills, advances in social development and a heightened self-esteem. These are lifelong skills and worthy of investment.

The Childers Group estimates that $100,000 per year for three years would be sufficient to establish the ACT Poetry Slam-in-Schools program. The program should be developed with the burgeoning ACT poetry-slam community.

For more information, visit http://www.edutopia.org/arts-music-curriculum-child-development

A WORLD-CLASS ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCY PROGRAM

The ACT region has all the ingredients to offer a world-class artist-in-residency program for all art forms: a planned an accessible city, a seat of modern democracy, a suite of national cultural institutions, over twenty key arts organisations, nationally recognised tertiary education providers, a vibrant urban environment surrounded by natural beauty and pastoral landscapes, a network of country towns, and a diverse and engaged population. Artist-in-residency programs off time and space to create, but also help to bring in national and international artists to work with local artists and the community. The ACT Government has developed a policy statement and tool kit, along with a small amount of funding for 2012/2013. The Childers Group strongly advocates for there to be ongoing funding within the order of $200,000 over the next five financial years in order to fully realise the potential of the program. This would build on the impetus generated by the Centenary of Canberra celebrations.

The Childers Group’s vision for the Kingston Arts Precinct

Posted on July 31, 2012 by childers

At the Canberra Glassworks the public can see art being made and make art themselves.

The Childers Group’s vision is a vibrant and accessible arts precinct for the visual arts in all its diversity, including film, new media and creative industries such as architecture, graphic design and digital technologies. In the Childers Group vision, Kingston is a place for live performance to happen but music would not be the focus.

Possibilities include best-practice adaptive reuse of heritage places for appropriate arts activities, together with high-quality purpose-built venues for use by a range of professional and community groups, for example as exhibition spaces and all kinds of events and performance. All the key visual arts organisations – Megalo Print Studio, Canberra Contemporary Art Space, PhotoAccess, Craft ACT: Canberra Craft and Design Centre – should be assisted to relocate to Kingston. Other organisations, such as those relating to film, as well as creative-industry businesses, would also co-locate in the precinct. Artist studios and artist-in-residency facilities should be a key feature of the developments. The arts component should be enhanced with appropriate commercial infrastructure, such as cafes, bars, and restaurants.

Maximising public access to arts activity should be a core driving principle at the Kingston Arts Precinct. All those in the community should have the opportunity to see art being made, and make art themselves.

THE ARTS IN THE ACT REGION: BURNING ISSUES AND RADICAL IDEAS’ – SUMMARY OF FORUM

Posted on June 17, 2012 by childers

On Wednesday 18 April 2012 at The Street Theatre in Canberra, the Childers Group held its first forum, ‘The Arts in the ACT Region: Burning Issues and Radical Ideas’. The invited special guests were: Robyn Archer, Creative Director of the Centenary of Canberra; Vicki Dunne, ACT Opposite Spokesperson for the Arts; Yolande Norris, You Are Here Festival Producer; Caroline Le Couteur, Greens Spokesperson for the Arts; and Omar Musa, poet and performer.

Each special guest was asked to present a burning issue and a radical idea. Approximately 140 members of the ACT-region arts community attended and many took the opportunity to share their own burning issues and radical ideas. Genevieve Jacobs from ABC Radio Canberra facilitated the two-hour discussion.

The following serves as a summary of key points; it does not purport to document every issue or idea, but the key themes. The ordering of the key points does not necessarily reflect the priority of the arts community or the Childers Group. The Childers Group also wrote an article about the forum, ‘ACT a crucible of the arts’, which was published in The Canberra Times on 28 May 2012.

BURNING ISSUES:

Canberra

what is our identity?
Canberra is a small city with a large cultural structure
Canberra is an innovative and creative city
important to recognise that Canberra is a regional city, but strategically it’s very well placed
the Centenary is making Canberra and Australia value local work
value what we’ve got
don’t listen to negatives – stop talking about Canberra having an inferiority complex!
generally the ACT-region arts community is silent – stand up and be heard! (the Childers Group is an excellent evolution)
make a connection between the south of the lake and the north of the lake
Canberra has great youth circus – build on this
it was generally agreed that Canberra and the region is rich in creativity and the arts are valued; investment in and the promotion of this flourishing region was strongly recommended by many attending the forum

The region

go beyond the border – the border means nothing
there’s great arts activity happening in the surrounding region area
from a regional perspective, Canberra can be parochial

Policy

we don’t have clear statements of what we want, i.e. a comprehensive, meaningful cultural policy

Support for artists

cultivate local production
support the voice of individual artists
many artists don’t get support from local audiences
concern that artist salary levels are too low (it was noted that this is also a national problem)
how best to support artists with disabilities?

The economy

the economics will defeat us if we are not creative in delivery
there’s a schism between professional and community arts – there needs to be an investment in both
housing affordability is a major challenge – what will this mean to the future of a creative capital?
investigate and build alternative revenue streams
how to build a culture of philanthropy?
collecting and applying data is important

Arts in the public realm

Canberra has a good compilation of facilities – bring it all together
Canberra is too fond of the wrecking-ball i.e. it demolishes buildings too soon
how to make the Kingston Arts Precinct and the Fitters Workshop truly come alive? New Acton is a great example of an arts precinct that brings everything together beautifully
public art: how to get the balance right in terms of the expenditure and how to get the process right in terms of outcomes?
art is an everyday part of life: how can we better integrate it?
the ACT planning system doesn’t actively enable the arts
spaces are needed for contemporary music gigs
The Canberra Times could make a more positive contribution to how complex arts issues are resolved

Engagement, marketing and tourism

the main problem lies with Canberra not telling its own story – there’s a lot happening and people don’t know about it
how to bring the arts community and the broader community together?
value and recognise local arts activity, not just ‘the blockbusters’
the national cultural institutions tend to get all the limelight
ACT tourism bodies need to take local arts activity seriously beyond the work of the national cultural institutions – there’s little interconnection with tourism and local arts events and activities
cross-sector, cross-jurisdiction, cross-organisation collaboration is paramount
how to engage the transient members of the ACT community?

Arts in education

we need to expand participation
we need to hear from new strong voices
more funding and support for facilitating engagement in the arts by young people
how to get more people involved in poetry?

RADICAL IDEAS:

Engagement, marketing and tourism

an ACT-region arts calendar
an arts web-site based on the ‘AllHomes’ model e.g. ‘AllArts’
make the most of www.creativespaces.net.au
use the internet to sell Canberra content nationally and internationally
tour and/or broadcast Canberra content to regional areas (and vice verse)
find ways to bring back artists who have left the ACT region
import the inspirational
take up the opportunities presented by the National Broadband Network
keep the You Are Here Festival going
expand the Multicultural Festival to include more arts
make the most of the Centenary of Canberra
be outrageous, provoke comment

The economy

double the ACT Government’s arts budget by 2020

Arts in the public realm

a future-proof showcase venue to market ACT-region arts product nationally and internationally
more adaptive re-use of old buildings
let arts precincts grow on their own, flourish in an organic fashion, rather than rush or force them
more local arts commissions in public art
more art in architecture
more functional art, e.g. bike stands designed by artists
sound barriers so people can sleep and people can listen to music and bands can perform
make Canberra a centre for guerilla art

Arts in education

an ACT-wide poetry slam program in schools (hip hop and slam poetry is a great opportunity to engage young people in arts activity)
we have an amazing and vibrant youth culture – let’s build on this
nurture the instinct in our children to go out and develop art

ACT a crucible of the arts

Posted on May 29, 2012 by childers

Image courtesy of The Canberra Times

Throughout much of the past twelve months, across the suburbs of the National Capital and beyond, there has been a conversation. It began in a lounge-room and was progressed in cafes and bars and restaurants and foyers, even spreading out to a pub in Goulburn. At the core of this conversation was a question: does the ACT region warrant a voice for the arts? The answer was yes, it sure does. And so the Childers Group – an independent arts forum – was born.

Like any sector that matters, the arts aren’t immune to passion and opinion. However, the Childers Group approach is to bring cool, calm, considered thinking to the arts and to always base its advocacy on fact. And the fact is the ACT region is rich in arts activity and rich in arts participation. In the global context, the population is well remunerated, highly educated, and actively engaged in arts and cultural activities. But how can the arts and cultural life of the ACT region progress to the point where creativity is at the very centre of daily life, and we can be proud of it?

The arts investigate, illuminate, challenge and connect; they tell the story of what it means to be Australian in all its layers and guises. Participation in the arts fosters a sense of community, promotes health and well-being, encourages cooperation, and helps to reduce the pressures of a competitive, materialistic society.

The arts aren’t afraid.

These are easy words to say, but the aspirations are difficult to advocate.

Another fact: in our country, as soon as our cultural, business and political leaders begin talking about the importance of the arts, they run the risk of being seen to be out of touch, of being elitist, of somehow forgetting that their real job is to know the cost of a loaf of bread. But how can the arts even be considered as ‘elitist’ when, according to the Australia Council, an artist earns on average $35,900 per annum, of which only $10,300 comes from their creative practice if they are male, and a mere $5,000 if they are female?

It’s also a fact that we live in society, not an economy. It would be a rare Australian – no matter where they live, city or country, coast or inland – who gets to the end of their day and hasn’t been touched by some kind of creative endeavour: extraordinary music, or artfully crafted words, or skilful design of home-ware, machine and technology.

Despite everything, creativity surrounds us; it’s part of who we are.

In April this year, the Childers Group hosted a public forum titled “Burning Issues and Radical Ideas”. To the Group’s surprise and delight, almost 150 people turned up, proving that our community is bursting to explore the importance of the arts and life’s cultural experiences.

Issues raised at the Forum represent opportunities.

Portrait of Rosalie Gascoigne (Greg Weight 1993)

There was a surprising emphasis on the potential of cross-sector, cross- disciplinary, cross-regional cooperation: between groups and individuals; between universities, colleges, and school communities; between professional and amateur; between the public and the private sectors; between government jurisdictions and government departments; between city and town and village.

The installation of the National Broadband Network presents a new digital environment for Australia, offering endless possibilities for cooperation and the exchange of ideas and information. Artists and all those engaged in creative practice can already see that the NBN will open up a new digital future, one that will invigorate Australia. The challenge is to use this opportunity to meet the expectations of our artists and facilitate innovative thinking more generally.

A frustration expressed at the Forum concerned the lack of a vision for our arts and creative future, including a clearly articulated and practicable strategic plan at all levels of government. Short-term, ad hoc decisions in funding and planning delay or impede the development of arts infrastructure.

Forum attendees asked how can we amend our urban planning systems so that the organic growth of arts precincts can be facilitated, especially the sort of precincts that pulse with life and invite extensive participation?

Attendees highlighted the impressive range of arts practices, exhibitions and performances scheduled in the ACT region, but asked how can the arts and cultural sector better connect with tourism promotion and publicity?

Canberra’s national cultural institutions, museums and galleries, universities, colleges and schools employ many visual artists, musicians, composers, and writers, and their presence and their work is integral to the vitality of our region’s cultural life. They offer a high level of professionalism as a benchmark for the community. The inter-connection between institution-based artists and cultural infrastructure – arts organisations, arts centres, and community groups – is central to the quality of arts experiences available. The wide-spread outpouring of concern about proposals to reduce specialist music tuition at the ANU School of Music exemplifies the importance of the link between the School’s professional musicians and the region’s music community, which relies on specialist expertise at a high artistic standing.

The ACT region is home to a wide range of professional artists, many of whom straddle the institution-community divide. These practitioners form the back-bone of our cultural life, contributing to the vitality and energy in our communities. Without an institutional employment base, they would be lost to us. Without these artists, we lose their ideas, expertise and inspirational practice premised on research, innovation, technical risk, and the acquisition of new knowledge. Without these artists, we are all less inspired to think in new and exciting ways.

In 2013 there are two significant birthdays in our region: the Centenary of Canberra and Goulburn’s 150^th as a city. Now is the time to capitalise on the depth of creative talent and the quality of cultural life around us. Now is the time to tackle big issues, support radical thinking, to be brave. Now is the time to highlight the national and international achievements of our artists and arts organisations and the significance of our educational and cultural institutions. Now is the time to celebrate with confidence and generosity the inspired creative crucible that is the ACT region – there is no doubt that it can be a place that lifts us all above life’s utilitarian dimension. The Childers Group is serious about that word crucible, because we have at our core Canberra, the nation’s capital city.

In the year of significant milestones, let’s honour the quality of cultural life and the creative crucible that is the ACT region. The spirit of that idea makes us a very special place indeed.

This piece, which was first published in The Canberra Times on 28 May 2012, was written by Professor David Williams AM and Nigel Featherstone, who are foundation members of the Childers Group.

WRITING AUSTRALIA should call National Capital home

Posted on January 25, 2012 by childers

In November 2011 concerned ACT region arts leaders formed a new voice for the arts.

The CHILDERS GROUP advocacy is based on the principles of objectivity, independence, valuing the arts, and a pride in Australia’s national capital city and the region that surrounds it.

The CHILDERS GROUP strongly advocates for Canberra to be the formal and functional home for the newly formed organisation, Writing Australia.

The writing sector is currently undergoing considerable change, and there is a need for a strong and coordinated voice for the sector. Writing Australia can be that voice.

Writing Australia currently has a presence in Canberra with its administration operating from an office provided by the National Library of Australia. The National Library, in the context of the other national cultural institutions, is the appropriate place for the operational base of Writing Australia.

Not only is Canberra Australia’s National Capital, it is the location of significant writing infrastructure, including the National Library but also the National Archives, three universities and Manning Clark House. Canberra and its surrounding regional areas have a high level of engagement in professional writing activities.

Proximity to the Australian Parliament, federal Government departments, and the network of national cultural agencies is central to the effective work of any organisation with Australia-wide responsibilities.

The CHILDERS GROUP is calling on the ACT Government, the Australia Council for the Arts, and Writing Australia to begin working towards formalising its headquarters in Canberra, Australia’s national capital city.

For more information, please contact the CHILDERS GROUP.

The Childers Group

An Independent Arts Forum for Canberra and the Region

Category Archives: Advocacy