Campaigns
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Australian Cultural Compact
Developing a Compact to support and guide a vision for the future of culture and the arts in Australia.
http://artsfront.com/gatherings/rights-symposium/
On Monday 26 and Tuesday 27 March 2018 Arts Front brought together 40 leading artists, policymakers, academics and rights advocates from across the country for the Arts Front Rights Symposium. Over two days at the Brisbane Powerhouse the attendees worked on the development of an Arts Front 2030 Visioning Framework.
During the two days the attendees took a hands on approach to interrogating a suite of international rights agreements to which Australia is a signatory, and unpacking what they mean in practical terms for the task of developing a framework for a shared vision for the future of arts and culture in Australia.
A national working group formed during the Symposium is working a draft Cultural Compact that is due for public release and input in January 2019. That includes the development a First Nations Cultural Bill of Rights lead by First Nations delegates to the Symposium.
Australian Cultural Compact – 2030 - Draft prologue
The Australian Cultural Compact sets out shared principles and agreed actions to re-imagine culture and the arts in Australia by 2030.
For Australia to fulfill its potential as a nation culture and arts needs to move in from the margins to take on leadership roles. Under the Compact artists and cultural leaders agree to strengthen relationships and build true solidarity. It calls on artists and cultural leaders to stand together, take ownership and responsibility for the future of the arts and the country, and lead change through our day to day actions.
The Compact is a response to the national policy void and the failure of our political and legal systems, our corporations and institutions to provide leadership and create the society in which we want to live. It aims to provide the cultural and arts sectors with a shared framework to connect and coordinate in addressing national watershed issues through collective action (treaty with First Nations, climate change, asylum seekers, inclusion, equality, diversity, etc).
The Compact represents a radical repositioning of culture and the arts in Australia. It rejects the marginal status of culture and the arts, reimagining it at the centre of everything we do as individuals, as communities and as a country. The Compact rejects the predominantly economic criteria for measuring the value of culture and arts. It seeks to reclaim culture and arts as fundamental to part of how we live our lives, adopting the definitions and understanding of culture and the arts demonstrated by Australia’s First Nations cultures.
The Compact actively applies the principles and values of First Nations culture and arts and the critical roles it plays in providing the foundation for everything we do. It acknowledges the leadership, strength and resilience that First People provide and draws on the wisdom, experiences, insights and values coming from the world’s longest continuous cultures. Through the leadership of Australia’s First Peoples, the Compact aims to help the arts sector gain a richer and deeper understanding and connection to the concepts of country that you live and work on and your place within that country.
The Compact is a rejection of partisan politics and political ideologies in favour of a commitment to fundamental shared values derived from and underpinned by the international conventions and rights agreements that benchmark our expectations of humanity. This starts with the Declaration of Human Rights, the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People and the 2005 Convention for the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expression and expands to include a host of agreements and conventions both ratified and emerging.
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Children, Young People and the Arts
Arts Front Under 30 Symposium
100 emerging artists and arts workers from across the country aged 18–30 converged in Newcastle for three days (Wednesday 26–Friday 28 September 2018) of art-making, conversations, skills development and future visioning.
The development of the program and selection of delegates was overseen by a national under 30 steering group. Delegates were selected based on a range of criteria to ensure diversity.
Actions coming out of Arts Front Under 30 will contribute to the larger Arts Front project.
Recent updates:
- Arts Front Under 30 Symposium brought together 100 emerging artists and arts workers aged 18–30 in Newcastle on Wednesday 26–Friday 28 September 2018.
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Disability and the Arts
People with a disability play an important role in the arts – as artists, as arts workers, as participants and as audiences – now and in the future.
On Monday 26th and 27th 2018, Arts Front held a Symposium in Brisbane together with 40 leading artists, policymakers, academics and rights advocates from across the country for the Arts Front Rights Symposium. Over two days at the Brisbane Powerhouse, the attendees worked together on the development of an Arts Front 2030 Visioning Framework. During the two days, the attendees considered a suite of international rights agreements to which Australia is a signatory, and unpacked what they mean in practical terms for the task of developing a framework for a shared vision for the future of arts and culture in Australia. During these two days, Veronica Pardo and Donna McDonald, who have been involved in Arts Front since its inception, had numerous conversations about the human rights conventions and frameworks that have been developed to support rights based policy development in a disability context. They shared with the Symposium their belief that this conversation needed to include many more voices from the arts and disability sector. They were very outspoken about their own obligations to go back and consult with their own communities before agreeing to any statements.
Veronica and Donna committed to communicating with you all about the Symposium, and connecting you directly to the conversation.
To that end, Veronica and Donna facilitated a conversation wanted to share with you some of the principles that emerged from our discussions over the two days, and invite your feedback. They have tried to capture the discussions in the moment, so they are not polished or word-smithed in any way.
Principles Nothing about us without us – people with disability should lead the conversation about their inclusion, including in the development of cultural policy. The arts sector needs to walk the talk regarding access and inclusion. We have plenty of policy; what we need is a commitment to accountability. We must hold each other to account, and expect more of organisations with capacity. Funded organisations have a responsibility to lead in relation to access and inclusion, beyond lip service. Policy development should also have a focus on intersectionality and building connections between social movements. We are rich in policy and we don’t need more – what we need is individuals and organisations to take responsibility for implementing policy. Support for artists with disability to engage without barriers in the arts and disability sector or mainstream arts sector as they desire
Recommended Actions Veronica and Donna facilitated a conversation about what actions might emerge from these principles. The participants considered what might be an appropriate way forward, given the importance of including voices from across the sector. The group decided that it would be worth confining the discussion to two questions: What are the actions of good allies? How might we hold each other to account?
Being good allies Invest in disability led practice and processes Develop a guide for allies to clarify what actions they may take to express solidarity Demonstrate a commitment to accessibility in its broadest sense towards equality Call out discrimination, taking personal and organisational responsibility for change Educate ourselves about disability and inclusion, in a way that respects the history of disability Acknowledge the intersectionality of our lived experience and applying these lenses to our work
Being accountable Be led by people with disability in planning for disability access and inclusion Develop a checklist on power and privilege to encourage self-reflexive practice amongst arts practitioners and workforce Tie funding to outcomes so that organisations are motivated to be more accountable Support quotas and targets for people with disability across all levels in organisations and across roles including makers, workers and audiences Allow dignity of risk, so that people with disability determine their desire for engagement with projects or organisations Create a network supporting leaders with disability
Recent updates:
- Arts Front encourages submissions to the Meeting of Cultural Ministers’ consultation to renew the National Arts and Disability Strategy. Submissions are due by 5 pm (AEDT) on Monday 3 December 2018.
https://www.arts.gov.au/have-your-say/national-arts-and-disability-strategy
- The Australia Council for the Arts announced $250,000 each year over three years to support two new national awards to celebrate the achievement of artists with disability and mentorships supporting artists with disability to further develop their artistic practice through a practice-based project or career development opportunity at Meeting Place, the national forum on arts and disability.
- The Australia Council for the Arts published Creating Pathways: Insights on support for artists with disability which publishes results of the evaluation of the Sync Leadership program (2014–15) and the evaluation of the Arts and Disability funding initiative (2014–17).
http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/research/creating-pathways
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Education and the Arts
A vision for the future of culture and the arts must emphasize the importance of learning through culture and arts experiences.
Recent updates:
- Tony Grybowski, former CEO of the Australia Council for the Arts, identified the importance of arts in education in his opinion piece reflecting on his time at the Australia Council – Tony Grybowski, ‘On building cathedrals: reflecting on my time as Australia Council CEO’, ArtsHub.
- Ted Snell: ‘For Australia to compete in this marketplace, visual acuity, visual literacy and the ability to communicate visually must be recognised as an equally fundamental skill to those of language and numeracy’ – Ted Snell, ‘Why an education in visual arts is the key to arming students for the future’, The Conversation.
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Health and the Arts
Exploring the impact of new technologies on culture and the arts, now and in the future.
Recent updates:
- The 10th Annual International Arts and Health Conference – The Art of Good Health and Wellbeing – will be held in Port Macquarie from Monday 12 November–Thursday 15 November 2018.
https://www.artsandhealth.org.au/#events
- Sydney Arts Management Advisory Group (SAMAG) recently hosted Creative Ageing, a panel exploring opportunities and challenges when engaging older people in the arts and sustaining careers as artists age.
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Law, Justice and the Arts
The law is not divorced from culture and the arts.
Recent updates:
- The Centre for Law, Arts & the Humanities is hosting Vertigo: Fake news/real theory, a one-day symposium exploring law, art, politics, and society in the 21st century.
https://law.anu.edu.au/event/seminar/vertigo-fake-newsreal-theory https://law.anu.edu.au/research/clah
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LGBTIQA+ Communities and the Arts
In 2030 culture and the arts do more that just raise awareness about changing climates and fragile ecosystems. Culture and the arts are recognised as an integral part of interdisciplinary action and understanding of the environment.
This Campaign adheres to the mantra ‘Nothing about us without us’.
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Older People and the Arts
The cultural and arts participation of Older people is not ignored. The careers of artists as they age are equally important.
This Campaign adheres to the mantra ‘Nothing about us without us’.
Recent updates:
- Sydney Arts Management Advisory Group (SAMAG) recently hosted Creative Ageing, a panel exploring opportunities and challenges when engaging older people in the arts and sustaining careers as artists age.
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Other actions
Other Arts Front actions not directly associated with another Campaign.
Recent updates:
- Further consultation on Major Performing Arts Framework
https://www.arts.gov.au/have-your-say/further-consultation-major-performing-arts-framework
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Regional Communities and the Arts
Culture and the arts in regional areas is relevant to and adds value to regional people and regional communities.
This Campaign adheres to the mantra ‘Nothing about us without us’.
Recent updates:
- An Arts Front representative attended Artlands Victoria (Wednesday 10–Sunday 14 October 2018, Bendigo, Victoria), the a biennial regional arts conference and cultural program. We publishing the first part of a reflection piece about the event. We will publish the second part soon.
http://artsfront.com/reflections/artlands-victoria-bledsoe-1
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Technology and the Arts
Exploring the impact of new technologies on culture and the arts, now and in the future.
Recent updates:
- Tony Grybowski, former CEO of the Australia Council for the Arts, identified that the rise of machine learning and automation will further increase the need for creativity in workplaces of the future in his opinion piece reflecting on his time at the Australia Council – Tony Grybowski, ‘On building cathedrals: reflecting on my time as Australia Council CEO’, ArtsHub.
- An Arts Front representative attended Australian Network for Art and Technology’s Spectra Art + Science Symposium (Wednesday 10–Friday 12 October 2018). We will be publishing a reflection piece about the event soon.
- Arts Front made a submission in response to the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Human Rights and Technology Issues Paper
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Valuing the Arts
Australia has a shared and agreed recognition and understanding of the value of culture and the arts. The value of culture and the arts is evidenced and reinforced by robust debate, research and data.
Recent updates:
- The value of cultural and creative activity has grown from $86 billion in 2008–09 to $111.7 billion in 2016–17, representing a 30% increase over that time – Bureau of Communications and Arts Research (BCAR), ‘Cultural and creative activity in Australia 2008-09 to 2016-17’, Department of Communications and the Arts.
https://www.communications.gov.au/departmental-news/economic-value-cultural-and-creative-activity
- The Australia Council for the Arts has published interactive tools that visualise arts participation and cultural and creative employment data by electorate – ‘Electoral Profiles’, Australia Council for the Arts.
http://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/research/electorate-profiles
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Women and the Arts
Gender equality in participation, art education and artists incomes must be a core part of culture and the arts in Australia.
Recent updates:
- The conversation on gender inequality, harassment, discrimination and intimidation in the arts after #MeToo has just started – Melanie Kembrey, ‘Australian women call time on abuse of power in art world’, The Sydney Morning Herald, Saturday 15 September 2018
- Jo Caust asks the question: Women dominate the arts industry and make up the majority of audiences, so why are so few represented in leadership roles as directors and choreographers? – Jo Caust, ‘To fix gender inequality in the arts we need more women chairing boards’, The Conversation, Monday 25 June 2018
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First Peoples First
Consciously position First Peoples culture and arts at the centre of everything in the arts sector.
This Campaign adheres to the mantra ‘Nothing about us without us’.
Recent updates:
- First Nations consultation forums are running at 27 locations across the country as part of the National Indigenous Arts and Cultural Authority consultation.
https://niaca.com.au/consultation-forums
- The Working towards a National Indigenous Arts and Cultural Authority has been launched. A discussion paper was also published – ‘A proposed National Indigenous Arts and Cultural Authority (NIACA) Public discussion paper’, 8 October 2018