Monday 12 September 2011 at 6.15 pm

patient sans-serif;”>Show Cooma-Monaro Shire Councillors that you support the establishment of

a 355 Arts & Cultural Activities Committee

by coming to the council meeting on

Monday 12 September 2011

6pm (to register if you want to speak in the Open Forum – max 5mins)

or 6.15pm to sit in the Public Gallery

Meeting starts at 6.30pm sharp

 

Stay to listen to the council’s decision on this important matter.

 

Bring an artwork or an instrument; wear a costume or national dress!

… or come as you are …

Make arts and culture heard and seen in Cooma-Monaro!

Here’s a summary of the last meeting….

Delegates Report Sept 2011

Cr Stephanie McDonald

(edited version regarding proposed 355 Arts & Cultural Acitivites Committee)

 

25 August

Public Meeting for Proposed 355 Arts & Cultural Actitivies

Council Chambers 7pm – 9pm

 

This meeting was called to establish if the community supported a proposition to establish a committee through council for Arts and Cultural Activities, as per my Notice of Motion in the August business papers and council’s subsequent unanimous support for the public meeting to occur.

 

73 people responded to the public meeting.

 

47 people attended the meeting, including from council Dean Lynch, Mayor; Peter Smith, Director Environmental Services, Alan Cairney, Director Corporate Services and Rebecca Fenson, Executive Assistant taking notes.

 

In addition to those attending, I received 26 apologies (including Cr Jenny Lawlis) from across the community and spectrum of Arts and Cultural activities.

 

73 people represented:

• Aboriginal arts and culture
• Multiculturalism
• Individual artists: musicians, painters, writers, performers, photographers
• Community members
• Snowy Monaro Arts Council Inc
• Cooma Little Theatre
• Raglan Gallery and Cultural Centre Inc
• The Little Gallery
• Monaro Art Group
• Cooma Dance Company
• Cooma District Bank
• Cooma Harmony Chorus
• Cooma School of Music
• Monaro Potters
• Feast of Poetry
• Snowy Mountains Ensemble
• Numeralla & District Acitivites Inc
• Numeralla Folk Festival
• The Linden Gallery
• The Numeralla Plunkers
• U3A
• Council
• South East Arts (NSW) Inc

 

Many in attendance were representing more than one organisation in addition to their own artistic/cultural expertise.

 

Ideas for Terms of Reference – what the committee would do and why it was needed – were discussed for over an hour (Please see meeting notes attached).

There were strong themes in the suggestions that had broad support from the participants.

 

On a show of hands, there was overwhelming agreement to establish an Arts and Cultural Activities Committee.

What type of Committee? I recommended to the meeting that it should be a 355 committee of council. I introduced Peter Smith who explained the different types of committees in addition to a 355 committee that could be formed in collaboration with council, such as advisory committees, community committees, working parties.

 

After Peter’s explanation, there was some question and answer time on this issue and then, again it was put to the public what type of committee they wanted. The majority wanted this committee to be a 355 Committee of Council.

 

How big should the committee be and what type of representation should it have? It was suggested that the committee should not be any larger than 9, but that it should operate in an inclusive way (ie observers welcome). It was also discussed that there should be a nomination process with perhaps a period of time on the committee to ensure that others have the opportunity to participate at the council committee level.

 

Recommendation:

• That Cooma-Monaro Shire Council establish a 355 Arts and Cultural Activities Committee from September 2011.

 

• That nominations be sought from the community for up to 9 community members.

 

• That a representative staff member from SE Arts be invited to attend these meetings (no voting rights) to provide advice and assistance from a regional perspective.
   

  Notes courtesy of Katrin Hackney:

  Individuals around the room were asked what they thought this committee might do:

  • Networking and developing local support for the arts such as the Club, Service Clubs, School of Music ANU
  • Recognise and use connections
  • Develop methods to provide support for small groups eg ensemble, dance groups (costumes) funding, publicity, equipment, facilities/spaces
  • Identifying existing talent – assist and develop it
  • Committee to support – not dominate – keep politics out of it (I think referring to community arts politics between different local organisations)
  • Encouragement for Allan’s ideas
  • Work collaboratively while maintaining autonomy of individual arts and cultural organisations
  • With regard to festivals: focus. Too broad and things get lost. Individual events for individual endeavours eg Bluegrass focus for bluegrass festival, otherwise will not draw fans.
  • Committee to support big event but also existing individual groups.
  • More workshops/education/artists in residence
  • Audience development from watching the arts/listening to music – taking the arts to schools; to aged care facilities eg painters doing workshops with schools and aged care facilities
  • Representation from each art form on the committee
  • School choirs performing in town
  • Collaboration between art forms
  • Encourage existing organisations
  • Someone to help with grant applications/identification of funding opportunities
  • Information source to coordinate venues/resources
  • Retention of young people in town – Cooma is a good seed bed. Development of Creative Industries. Attracting kids from the city to here with city tutors (scholarships?) Workshops here with summer schools (dance/acting/singing ..etc)
  • Get politically active – council/state government
  • Travelling film festivals to be put on list
  • Public Art show along the creek’s cycle path
  • Canberra Uni – build ANU conservatorium too?
  • Cooma needs a town hall – had one with great acoustics but it was sold! (Monaro Centre)
  • Segregated groups in region eg Jindbyne strings
  • Utilise Canberra audiences/musicians/resources
  • Business expertise to help with business plans etc
  • Separatist attitude in Cooma – need community attitude
  • Communication of events (too many websites, too hard to find the info)
  • Work with what we’ve got
  • Sister city links – public art from them and choirs
  • “Tourist in our own back yard” promotion
  • Cultural catch up time
  • Acknowledgement from council by the establishment of this committee that arts and cultural activities are important
  • A central register (database) to find people/venues/advertising
  • We can palnt the seeds here and nurture them but they won’t stay
  • Unearth more talent in Cooma and the region.
  • Learn from each other and other festival organisers
  • Small towns with big ideas bring success
  • Almost unamious that we need this committee
  • Employ cultural development officer – database/grants etc
  • Council to support groups and “enable” them to make things happen.
  • Strong preference for 355 Committee.
     

    Notes courtesy of Rebecca Fenson:

     

    Agreed that the arts community is lacking support.

    Allan Spencer addressed the group and talked about initiatives being held and being involved in: Chamber Orchestra ‘Germany’, Art Concerts, Flute Concerts, Cafe Music, Sweeny Todd Musical by Monaro High.

    Large and small music festivals were discussed. Put in the effort to run a ‘good’ festival, to make it memorable and more people will want to attend the next one and will encourage professional artists to want to participate.

     

     

    What can we do in Cooma (what if)

    Community, school, church choirs

    Aboriginal events, talent

    Choir competitions

    Paid musicians / professionals to draw in crowds.

    Get sponsors – non profit through the community or get a business to sponsor: banks, snowy hydro etc.

    Hold a cooma national coral festival.

    Venues – use halls, schools, snowy hydro, snowy river, Dalgety river, hotels, train performance, St Pauls Hall, showgrounds, multi function centre.

     

     

    Brainstorm: What do we need to do?

    -Give focus to a first class component. Support large events but give some support to the smaller local groups.

    – Lack of funding for costumes for the dance company. Would like to know what grants to use and/or apply for

    – Involvement from the service clubs

    – Use contacts from the ANU School of Music. Offer scholarships, borrow professional talent to teach

    – Recognising connections, people with expertise. Identify existing talent

    – Need funding to pay for conductors, staff, teachers, publicity

    – Does not want to see a committee dominate but support local groups

    – Keep politics out of it.

    -Encourage more artistic workshops to promote that particular artform

    – Access to artists is restricted. Make people aware of performances. Take artforms to schools.

    – Use retired artists 1hr a day to teach or demonstrate to youth, elderly, hospitals etc.

     

     

     

    Type of committee

    Types of committees explained by Peter Smith. It was decided that a 355 or a Community Committee would be the most beneficial for this group.

     

    Show of hands – majority revealed 355 committee

    Show of hands – small show of hands for a community committee.

     

    It was agreed that this sort of committee needed structure and the support of Council and a 355 offers that.

     

    Majority show of hands agreed yes.

     

    Would like to see a Council initiative in creating a database of all artistic pieces, lighting, venues, artists etc.

    Would like to see Council inform the proposed committee of what grants are available

    Would like to see a committee that facilitates and promotes and is not used for personal or political gain.

    Would like to see a cultural development officer within Council.

     

    Representation on Committee

    Feeling that every group should be represented or a mixture of.

    Group size of approx 6-9, no more than 9.

    The committee would need to ensure it has a mixture of representatives who have contacts throughout the whole of the arts groups.

    Suggested and agreed by many that 2 nominees from each of the 4 ‘points of energy’ be elected.

     

     

    Points raised:

    -Collaboration required. Would like to see different arts coming together to talk, collaborate and utilise each others skills.

    -Funding and access to grants is a big hurdle and groups find it difficult to navigate.

    -Challenge in finding suitable venues due to cost. The Committee would provide ideas on where to hold events, how to keep costs down and use the cost savings to promote the event.

    -Concern that young local talent is not being retained. They’re leaving for the cities.

    -Proposed conservatorium in Bega and the proposed UC Campus. Can they be incorporated?

    – Seats, sculptures, art works etc running down Cooma walkways and paths, beautify the streets. Hold art shows on the streets.

    – Get Cooma on the Travelling film festival.

    – Build or re-buy the town hall

    – Smaller organisations could grow but don’t have the resources or finances

    – Smaller organisations are very segregated. Need to get them more involved within all communities. Get a circuit or collaboration of arts communities happening.

    – Separate attitude within the arts community groups. Need to get them to co-operate

    – Put a calendar of events onto Councils website (already on the visitors centres website)

    – Committee to combine events on an email list / directory

    – To make it easier for visiting musicians, list on a website who to contact, where to find venues (or use contact to find venues for you), who to contact for advertising etc.

    – ‘Arts Summer School’ for youth. Incorporate dance, acting, singing for youth. Musicals are popular at the moment

    – Bangalo Festival – bring in 9,000 visitors and is held in a paddock. Can we use that sort of idea here?

     

     

    Consider a nomination process run on a 12mth election basis. Would ensure those that nominated and missed out have a chance at representation at a later stage.

     

    How often we should meet was not discussed.

     

     

    Questions?

    Whats wrong with the multi function centre? (Dean Lynch)

    – Bad acoustics (but could be fixed)

    – too expensive for what it is

    – Bad lighting

    – no raised seating