Music links regional and rural communities in central Queensland
Kate Leahy is a dynamic, articulate and talented local Rockhampton musician. When she was 17 she felt she had to leave the area if she wanted to pursue a career in music, as there were few opportunities to work as a local artist. A few years ago Kate returned to Rockhampton but found it challenging […]
Read more5 tips for regional towns unsuccessful in arts grant applications
Preparing an application for a grant takes time and effort, even for the highly experienced. It is a task that requires considerable creative thinking, networking, research, well honed writing skills, sound financial management, teamwork and time management. It can be particularly challenging when you are a small town applying for an arts grant. If you […]
Read moreCreative Capricorn – Peering into Rockhampton’s creative future
In 2012, Rockhampton was chosen as one of two regions in Australia (the other being Goolwa, South Australia) to trial a new model of cultural development. The model is a partnership between the three tiers of government and local communities, aimed to demonstrate that arts and cultural projects can increase social cohesion and improve quality […]
Read moreOne common myth about the role of the arts in disaster recovery
In recent years Australia has experienced some its worst natural disasters on public record. These included the Black Saturday Bushfires in Victoria in 2009, Cyclone Yasi and floods in Queensland in early 2011. Following these natural disasters, new models of support were trialled to help rebuild disaster-affected communities by using arts-led and creative activities. I […]
Read moreBellingen Arts Week – 3 key success factors
About a year ago, the Bellingen Arts and Cultural Committee – comprising a team of enthusiastic local volunteers – thought it would be a good idea to have a week dedicated to the arts in Bellingen. But Bellingen is already a creative place; why the need for an arts week? The aim was to help […]
Read moreSurvey sample size – how big is big enough?
When designing and running surveys, the question often arises, ‘How large should the survey sample be?’ It is easy to be seduced into thinking bigger is better. If time and budget were limitless, we would interview everyone in a population to guarantee reliability and accuracy. But that is never possible. There comes a point of […]
Read moreMeasuring arts and culture – does it have to be all or nothing?
Many years ago it was common to think it impossible, misleading and wrong to measure broad intangible concepts like, arts, culture and the environment. It just didn’t feel right to put a value on these things. Now it is well accepted to measure the value of the environment, as well as arts, culture and wellbeing. […]
Read moreFrom moo to mime- Rockhampton’s artistic transition
Have you been to Rockhampton lately? The beef capital of Australia is going through a period of artistic and cultural change. And that’s no bull. But don’t get me wrong. When you arrive at the airport don’t expect to have your portrait painted as you wait at the luggage carousel. You are unlikely to be […]
Read moreRockhampton Regional Arts Rundown
For three days last week a few hundred delegates descended on Rockhampton for Articulate: Queensland Regional Arts and Culture Conference. It was no coincidence the conference was held in Rockhampton; this region is experiencing a burst of creative activity and energy, with the Creative Capricorn initiative in full swing. The presentation topics were interesting and […]
Read moreWhen project assumptions can be wrong
As an experienced consultant, it is important to be able to make reasonable assumptions within the parameters of a project. For example, what research method is most likely to work best with a given audience, stakeholder group or other cohort, how much time respondents will be willing to give in in-depth interviews or focus groups, […]
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