May 26, 2021
The inaugural Arts on Top regional arts forum attracted more than 200 people to the Bunya Mountains earlier this month.
The event, organised by the Western Downs Regional Council, kicked off on May 13 and ran for three days, celebrating and exploring the role of arts in regional communities across Queensland.
Cr Kaye Maguire said the forum was a great success which attracted creatives from across Queensland to discuss the important topic of art in regional communities.
“We have a rich and diverse community, and this forum was fantastic in the way that it provided us with the opportunity to unite our cultural residents with creatives from right across the State to explore different ideas and perspectives,” Cr Maguire said.
“The forum included a series of presentations, workshops and masterclasses that dived into the various aspects which build strong arts communities, leaving our local artists feeling empowered to get involved in community initiatives and boost their cultural presence within the Western Downs.
“This forum was the first of its kind for our region and provided a massive opportunity to showcase our cultural capacity and strong, diverse economy by attracting so many artists to the Western Downs.
“This was a huge coup for the region which brought together incredible artists from varying backgrounds who all brought something unique to the table.”
Regional Arts Services manager Katie Edmiston said the forum not only offered engaging presentations that explored relevant topics but provided a rare opportunity for artists across the board to come together and discuss art in all forms.
“The presentations were really great, there has been such a diversity of real people sharing their practice and I have loved the different ways they have each talked about their work and engaged people in that,” she said.
