It’s time to dream big dreams for the Arts and create a united vision for the next 40 years of success in South Australia. At present South Australia has no overarching arts or cultural policy; no deeper, long-term vision guiding our political leaders in the development and implementation of immediate to short-term creative sector policies, and no bipartisan agreement about the core cultural values we hold to be true as a society.
It is some 40 years since Don Dunstan first began to make his mark on South Australia. It is incredible to consider what impact one man’s vision and passion can have for a society, flowing out across so many years. The ‘Festival State’ is flourishing and it is time to create a holistic arts charter across all creative practices.
The Arts Industry Council of South Australia (AICSA) is calling on the State’s creative community to create a 40-Year Vision for the Arts in South Australia at a two-day public forum at the Adelaide Town Hall in early November.
“This should not be an agenda set by an individual or a single generation,” said Gail Kovatseff, AICSA Co-Chair. “This vision for our cultural and creative future must be informed by the collective voices of many.
“And so AICSA has invited all who wish to contribute to that vision to come together over two days to talk, rant, share and dream together. It is easy to sit and look into the past and perhaps easier to rail at an unsatisfying present.”
“The courageous amongst us will dare to peer into the future, knowing that with a considered and united vision in our sights we will find the right path to leaving our past behind.”
The forum will engage all attendees to contribute to a 40-Year Vision for the Arts in South Australia, which will form the basis of future representation to the State Government with the confidence that it is truly an inclusive voice of the whole arts community.
The forum, facilitated by Nick Sweeting from London’s acclaimed theatre company Improbable, will use Open Space Technology – a format that enables participants to set the agenda, discuss and debate ideas to their fullest and create the blueprint for a bigger, bolder South Australian Arts scene.
The 40-Year Vision for the Arts in South Australia Forum will take place at the Adelaide Town Hall: 5 – 6 November 2014. For more information and to be a part of this unique opportunity, visit: www.aicsa.net.au/a-40-year-vision-for-the-arts for details.
Image: Ian Strange, Landed, 2014. Installation view – Art Gallery of South Australia