A Good Week

Ross Honeywell

Last night I was one of around 25 people who gathered to share a drink in celebration of the formation of the Tasmanian Creative Industries Council, a body whose goal it is to raise the profile and importance of the creative industries especially to government and the broader community.
It was a modest gathering, but with reps from many sectors, it represented the beginning of what really needs to happen if collectively arts and creative organisations and businesses are serious about being heard. Ross Honeywell spoke brilliantly about the need to release Art Tasmania and let it be the creative and entrepreneurial organisation that it needs to be, rather than being hamstrung by bureaucracy.

For me it was close to home. With changes to funding through the Australia Council for the Arts, Tasmanian Regional Arts is looking at skeleton staff in the new year, IF it does not manage to attract funding. This is a huge challenge for a 65 year old organisation that is more used to helping others as opposed to asking for help. But it is now that it needs to hear from those artists, organisations and communities who have been assisted or worked with TRA.

Branching Out

It's been a fantastic opportunity to work on the Branching Out social enterprise project. It's identified the needs of regional artists and arts organisations, while researching the opportunities that social enterprise can present. With a fantastic team, we have managed to stretch the project well into 2011 with some excellent outcomes for Tasmanian Regional Arts and the pilots involved in the project.

While the project is wrapping up in the next couple of weeks, I will be continuing to work with Tasmanian Regional Arts in an entrepreneurial role, working with individuals, groups and organisations to look for opportunities to build capacity. This links beautifully with the work I have been doing with individual artists.
It's so often about accessing the resources to progress an idea. We are currently finalising a report that outlines the activities and outcomes from the project. It will also come with some recommendations for how social enterprise can fit with the arts. It's certainly not an easy path, however, it does bring an opportunity to reflect on practices and look for new and innovative approaches. I feel very privileged to be working with such creative individuals and organisations.

PRACTICALLY ART

Over the past 12 months I have been privileged to work with a number of visual and performing artists, designers and community arts groups. Often the issues that they are facing are similar; how to build their arts business, how to make money, how to be better at what they do, how to promote their art or how to build their audiences.

The tricky part to this equation is that often there is little money and assistance available to make things happen. This is not just a frustration for the artists and performers.