May 30, 2019
South Burnett arts groups will be invited to help develop a regional Arts Policy for the South Burnett Regional Council.
The policy will help to set the direction of local arts-related activities across the region for the next decade.
The invitation to provide input into the policy’s development was extended by Arts portfolio chair Cr Danita Potter at Council’s second Creative Roundtable meeting, which was held at the Blackbutt Art Gallery on Thursday night.
The lack of an Arts Policy was a topic of discussion at the previous Creative Roundtable and at an arts Meet’n’Greet organised by South Burnett Arts in Wondai last month.
Several other issues to come from that meeting – such as amendments to the Council’s RADF guidelines, an RADF grant writing workshop and digital projections on Kingaroy’s peanut silos – also received a positive reaction.
Cr Potter said she is in the process of organising a digital art projection workshop for the South Burnett in conjunction with the Central Queensland Regional Arts Services Network.
The workshop will be held in Kingaroy in early August for a maximum 20 participants, and will be free.
However, participants will need either an iPad or iPhone to take part since some parts of the course will require software downloads.
Details about the workshop and how to apply for a place in it will be advertised soon.
Cr Potter also told the meeting Council was currently reviewing its RADF program guidelines and would be reintroducing at least one category of funding that was cut out of the last revision: entry fees to attend arts-related training workshops held outside the region.
She said Council was also willing to hold grant-writing workshops to explain to potential RADF applicants how to apply, what types of activities could attract funding and what would be expected if grant recipients were successful.
Cr Potter said she was in favour of reintroducing the RADF Showcase, an annual exhibition of successful projects from the previous year; and also reintroducing RADF funding round reports which outlined the types of projects that had been submitted for each round and the reasons why each one was accepted or rejected.
She said this would be helpful for applicants, as well as provide greater transparency for ratepayers.
The next Creative Roundtable will be held at The Shed in Little Drayton Street, Nanango, on Thursday, August 15, at 5:00pm.
A date and venue for South Burnett Arts’ next Meet’n’Greet is expected to be announced in the next few weeks.
