by Creatives Collective | Dec 31, 2017 | News
We can’t say “year in review” because we aren’t even a year old yet, but we have achieved some pretty cool things
- Formed out of thin air
- Decided goals and created a manifesto
- Decided to incorporate (still in progress)
- Applied for 5 grants
- Was successful in 4 grants (#5 result yet to be amounced)
- Met weekly for creative practice
- Had monthly member-led workshops
- Sourced a creation space for 2018 while we look for our own
- Nominated an entries officer (Crystal will kick our bums to get things in shows)
- Made representations to the Warrumbungle Shire Council
- Had a table at the Warrumbungle Community Services Expo
- Got vocal about local issues with disability services
- Got vocal about local issues with art and culture in the community
- Made a strategic plan for our funded 2018 professional development
- Devised and started planning Articulate Festival for 2018
- Bonded as a supportive group to each other
We would like to thank everyone who has been positive and helpful about our formation. We can do many things, but we can’t do it all by ourselves (just like any other group) and we are incredibly grateful for all the assistance we have received from people and organisations along the way. Special mentions to Belinda Baker of Ability Links for championing us right from the start and all her help, Louise Johnson and Deanne Britton for supporting us and guiding us through local government support services, Narda Abel for being unfailingly supportive, encouraging, and optimistic about our work, Kodi Brady for gifting his name in grant support letters and looking out for us when we needed creative space, and Fiona Cormie for never once complaining about us taking over Feathers Cafe.
2018 is going to be filled with lots of challenges for us, but it is also going to be the year that we see some of our major goals come to fruition. We are excited!
From us to you – have a creative 2018
by Creatives Collective | Dec 23, 2017 | News, Projects
Yesterday we received the exciting news that we had been awarded a Country Art Support Program grant from Regional Arts NSW. This was the first “real” grant we had applied for back in May, which wasn’t long after we formed and we weren’t confident about the results – but we did it!
This grant fits into our Going Pro 2018 project as we can now invest in an artist with disability to come and run one more professional development workshop with us in Coonabarabran.
We would like to thank Regional Arts NSW and our local art’s body Orana Arts for supporting our vision for 2018. Big shout out also to Narda Joy of Our Coonabarabran – 2357 Partnerships Inc who offered (and still does) lots of enthusiastic encouragement for us to keep up what we are doing.
by Creatives Collective | Dec 22, 2017 | News, Projects
Six months to the Articulate Festival
Today is the Summer Solstice which means there is exactly six months till the Articulate Festival. Even though there’s been work going on in the background since the Team Up grant to run the event was announced, today is the official launch of the project with the unveiling of the festival’s logo.
New logo is launched
As you can see, our main goals dominate the logo, and that is deliberate. The goals are to be front and foremost for all of the events and participants and audience. The “party” aspect of the festival is embodied in the dynamic lettering of “Articulate”. There’s a close grouping of many coloured letters of all shapes that could be dancing, or talking, or interacting in some way – but they clearly represent inclusion of all types in happy cohesion.
Or if that’s all mumbo-jumbo then let’s all agree it looks cool.
Creatives Collective is working hard
In the background Creatives Collective members, all artists with disability, have divided up events and leaders have been chosen for each event, with other members lending a hand or performing as backup. Our members will start engaging with stakeholders, other groups who can assist, suppliers, and soon the audience, in the new year. These leaders with disability will also be reaching out to people in the community they consider to have expertise in the area they are running, for mentorship and connections. The grant was awarded to build the leadership skills, confidence and visibility of people with disability in the community. We already hope that ideas in the community of the capability of people with disability are being challenged, this is a large project and one that only the Coonabarabran Show would match in scale and complexity in the local area.
No list of local groups or way to contact them
We have added a new risk to our list, that is one of contacting other groups in Coonabarabran. There’s no centralised list of groups in Coonabarabran, and a suggestion to self-create one with other groups by forming a Facebook group was met with a negative response. This was very disappointing as this is another act of disabling that people do not recognise they are perpetuating. A lack of social contacts, or access to them, means that people are unable to live the life they want to. It is a form of isolating which is extremely damaging to mental health as well as aggravating for anyone who is trying to do things with groups in Coonabarabran.
Local groups not using online tools to attract young people
The lack of online communication is also discouraging for the younger generations who use social media for all of their contact and organising, if groups aren’t using these tools too then they will not attract younger members to their committees (and issue that all groups mark as an issue). We will continue to lobby for better communication that is inclusive for Coonabarabran as we push on with the festival organisation.
Articulate Festival website to go live January 1st
In the good news section the Articulate Festival website URL will be www.ArticulateFestival.com and will be launching next year. New information will be added to the site as it is confirmed and links will be shared on the Articulate Festival Facebook page (and shared by the Creatives Collective page as well) and the Articulate Festival Twitter Page. Make sure you follow and share everything!
by Creatives Collective | Dec 19, 2017 | News, Projects
We are so excited to announce we have been awarded a Regional Arts Fund grant that will allow us to go ahead with our Going Pro 2018 project.
Going Pro 2018 is a year’s worth of professional development for our members that will end with an exhibition that will be centered around a disability theme. We will be documenting our progress throughout the year so keep an eye on social media, or here the website. We hope that it encourages other groups to put together a business-like strategy in skill development.
We are on the hunt for NSW artists with disability that run workshops as we want to PAY YOU to come and teach us. Please share with any NSW artist with disability that you think might be interested. We will be putting out an official expression of interest invitation on January 8th 2018, but the early bird and all of that!
We wish to express our gratitude to Regional Arts NSW for supporting our project and we feel honoured to be included with such strong projects around regional NSW.
by Creatives Collective | Dec 10, 2017 | News
The timing of being able to go to REMIX Sydney couldn’t have been more fortuitous. After being awarded a grant to run an arts festival in Coonabarabran, and being so vocal about improving arts and culture in Coonabarabran, being able to feast on ideas from all over the world from the very best in coupling arts, technology and entrepreneurship together. Yes, a small town of 3000 people and the audience of the Royal Shakespeare Company or Burning man have a great deal in common.
Distilling what I heard at the summit down….
Humans love stories and storytelling
and
Humans want to get involved in experiences that bring them into the now
and
Sharing, collaboration and partnering between creative people, groups, and events, brings quicker growth and better viabiity, than if they work individually
and
Australia is behind the world in valuing art. Loss of arts and culture leave communities poorer, but this is not recognised by most Australians
The Articulate festival (the arts festival that Creatives Collective will be running in 2018) clearly addresses the first three statements – but we will need to think about how we will promote the final statement throughout 2018. We can’t do this all on our own, so using statement three we will continue to bang on the door of local people, groups, and organisations to get more involved in the arts on Coonabarabran.
A very big thank you to REMIX for supporting our ticket and for such a thought-provoking and idea-inspiring event.
