Arts and Culture Strategy

Acknowledgment of Country

Moyne Shire Council acknowledges the Gunditjmara and Eastern Maar People as the Traditional Custodians of the lands that encompass the region. We recognise Traditional Owners’ maintenance of culture through artistic expression and their care for and connection to Country, a relationship which has endured for tens of thousands of years and continues today. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging, as well as to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living in Moyne Shire.

Introduction

This Arts and Culture Strategy guides how Moyne Shire Council will use its resources to support the creative life of the Shire.

This is important because culture is how we make meaning of ourselves and the world around us. It can be a bridge connecting us all together and a way to express our shared values – as well as make room for and celebrate our unique differences. This Strategy sets out a new direction for Council and is designed to lay solid foundations on which we can build. The following pages explain the different elements of the Strategy, outlining what Council will do and how the community can get involved.

Special thanks goes to all the community members who have contributed their insights to the Strategy’s development, particularly the members of the Project Advisory Group:

• Ali Kavanagh, One Day Studios
• Ashton Maher, artist
• Evie Dalton, artist
• Jo Canhamn, Blarney Books
• Justin Rudge, Port Fairy Folk Festival
• Marion Matthews, South West Makers
• Michele Finnigan, community member
• Penny Hutchinson, Spring Music Festival
• Rianna Kelly, Port Fairy Theatre Group
• Sherry Johnstone, artist
• Susie Lyons, Regional Arts Victoria
• Stacey Barnes, Regional Arts Victoria

Why we need a strategy

This Arts and Culture Strategy is designed to set council up to best support the shire’s creative communities. It clearly states council’s commitments and guides how it will use its resources.

The strategy also enables council and the creative community to tap into resources and opportunities from outside the Shire. This includes fully participating in the South West Creative Industries Strategy and seizing opportunities presented by state and federal government programs.

How the strategy fits with council’s strategic framework

• Community Vision
• Council Plan
• Arts and Culture Strategy

How the strategy relates to the wider creative sector

• Revive National Cultural Policy (Australian Government)
• Creative State 2025 (Victorian Government)
• South West Creative Industries Strategy
• Moyne Arts and Culture Strategy

How we developed the strategy

• A tour across the shire visiting key sites and people
• Public forums engaging the community
• Engagement with Traditional Owner representative bodies and stakeholders
• Analysis of research from past strategic activities and engagement across the region

Our vision for the future

Moyne Shire is a place where the arts are a normal part of everyday life, where everyone has access to creative opportunities. Creative careers can be launched from and sustained in the Shire. It is a place that supports new ideas and ways of doing things.

This is our shared vision for the creative future of Moyne. It articulates our aspirations for the kind of place we would like to call home.

Council’s role

Council’s goal is to support the Shire’s creative communities to achieve the collective vision for the creative life of the Shire. There are a number of key ways Council will provide this support.

Support for initiatives

Council will provide support and encouragement to the creative initiatives led by the community. This will include help navigating various government bureaucracies, assisting with access to resources, and connection of practitioners to opportunities and support mechanisms both inside and outside of the Shire.

Provision of space

Council will aim to maximise the amount of space available for creative uses across the Shire. This includes spaces for the presentation of creative works as well as their development. It could encompass the activation of buildings owned by Council, the facilitation of the use of privately owned spaces, or creation of opportunities in outdoor areas.

Strengthening of connections

Council will facilitate connections between the Shire’s creative communities. This includes brokering partnerships, fostering collaborations, and increasing the visibility of opportunities and resources.

Creation of opportunities

Council will continually seek to create opportunities for the creative community. This includes identifying opportunities to involve artists in Council’s activities and program delivery, as well as seek out external funding opportunities to bring new initiatives into the Shire.

Guiding principles

The values that drive Council’s engagement are:

• Collaboration: We need to build partnerships to achieve our ambitions
• Facilitation: We will do the behind the scenes work to enable success
• Celebration: We want to be champions of our Shire’s creative communities

Activities and programs

Implementation of the Arts and Culture Strategy includes a series of programs and behind the scenes activities.

Council programs

Collection management and presentation

Active management of the Shire’s cultural collection, along with the presentation of the Moyne Virtual Gallery and the acquisition of new works.

Creative initiatives support

A discretionary fund used to support creative initiatives, such as for large scale festivals or to offer creative education opportunities.

Youth creative capacities

Delivery of youth-focused creative initiatives and development opportunities.

Creative catch-ups

Regular gatherings throughout the year across the Shire where Council’s Arts and Culture Officer will meet with members of the creative community, hear about their work and share opportunities.

Creative resources hub

An online hub collecting information about the resources and opportunities available to the Shire’s creative communities, supported by a newsletter and social media channels.

Creative profiles

Monthly stories about current or past creative practitioners or organisations, shared across Council’s communications channels.

Connect exhibition program

An opportunity for emerging artists to present works in public spaces across Moyne’s townships.

Creative concierge service

Providing a one-stop shop for engaging with Council on creative initiatives, with the Arts and Culture Officer managing engagements across departments.

Creative change grants

A dedicated stream of the Community Grants to support the Shire’s creative community to trial and test new ideas and initiatives.

Creative space development

Upgrading and maintenance of Council-owned assets and ongoing identification of potential creative spaces across the Shire.

Creative residencies

Utilisation of unused spaces for extended residencies, offering space for creative practitioners and organisations to develop new works and engage the public.

Behind the scenes activities

Council will undertake a number of actions to support the delivery of the strategy’s programs and capitalise on new opportunities as they arise.

How the strategy will develop over time

Managing this strategy

Responsibility

The Arts and Culture Strategy will be managed by Council’s Cultural and Community Development Unit. This Unit will have an Arts and Culture Officer, who will take the lead in coordinating the programs and actions outlined in this Strategy.

Governance

Council will establish an ongoing Advisory Group made up of members of the Shire’s creative community to provide input into Council’s delivery of the Strategy and guidance on key initiatives. This group will meet twice a year.

Reporting

Council will report annually on what it has done under each of the Strategy’s defined programs and behind the scenes actions. This document will also be updated each year to reflect developments in projects and incorporate any new actions Council is undertaking. This allows the Strategy to evolve and respond to changes and opportunities.