Rockhampton Retrospective – 3 years, 8 key challenges
Creative Capricorn was a three-year cultural program rolled out in Rockhampton, Queensland. Its aim was to demonstrate that when integrated into economics, social and community planning, arts and cultural projects can assist in the diversification of local economies, increase social cohesion and improve quality of life for the community. NSF was commissioned to evaluate this […]
Read more4 tips for minimising intercept interview errors
If you’ve hosted an event, activity, exhibition or festival in which you’ve garnered feedback from visitors, you may be familiar with the process of intercept interviewing. This is where a team of people with clipboards approach visitors and ask for feedback during or immediately after the event to capture their immediate views and experiences. Starting […]
Read moreWhat is regional transformation and how do you measure it?
Five small towns across Victoria are gearing up for a big events in the coming weeks. For the past 18 months, they have been on a journey of creative change. Each town received $350,000 for a significant artistic project intended to leave a lasting legacy to transform their town. Small Town Transformations is presented […]
Read more6 success factors of regional arts initiatives
There is growing evidence that arts and culture play an important role in the growth, development and identity of Australia’s regions and regional towns. From disaster recovery to story telling, arts and culture in regional and remote Australia can contribute to the social, educational and economic opportunities of regional towns and can feed into state […]
Read moreThe challenges of branding and marketing the arts
I recently spoke with Opera Australia’s Sales and Marketing Director, Georgia Rivers (pictured), about the challenges surrounding arts branding and marketing. Here is what she had to say. Natalie: What is branding and why is it important for performing arts organisations? Georgia: In the case of Opera Australia, the “brands” of the various operas – […]
Read moreConference controversy: levels of community engagement
Last week I was a presenter and member of a discussion panel at the Spectres of Evaluation Conference, held at the Footscray Community Arts Centre in Melbourne. This international conference aimed to explore issues surrounding the way the arts are evaluated, including competing claims and judgements about limits, uses and value of the arts. Delegates […]
Read moreCan you measure the value of culture?
Culture is one of society’s intangibles concepts. Intangibles are aspects of society that cannot be seen, touched or heard. They are not solid objects like products, audiences or exhibition objects. Rather, they are things such as ideas, risks, wellbeing, values, effectiveness, quality, image and legacy. Is it really possible or ethical to assign a value […]
Read moreIs theatre of only the young absurd?
With major summer festivals in full swing throughout metropolitan and regional Australia, discussions abound in the arts sector about how to attract new audiences. Many of these conversations come back to an assumption that new audiences should be young. Fergus Linehan was the CEO and Artistic Director of the Sydney Festival in 2007. In […]
Read moreTop tips and thoughts from 2013 – 7 blog highlights
My weekly blogs are designed to provide tips, insights and ideas for my clients and colleagues working in the arts and cultural sectors, evaluation and market research research, government policy planning and the human services sectors – in metropolitan and regional Australia. To round off the year, here is a summary of my most popular […]
Read moreMusic 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 […]
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