Effective research and evaluation is a key element in ensuring long term growth of creative and cultural organisations, to ensure that they are effective in meeting their own objectives. Across all areas of the creative and cultural sector, it is clear how critical research, evaluation and measurement is to understanding what the creative and cultural sector does and what works best.
I have previously looked at the importance of research about creativity and culture and its role and significance in Australian society and the Australian economy. In my article, ‘Better than sport? The tricky business of valuing Australia’s arts and culture’, I noted ‘Most arts and culture organisation – and, increasingly, most government departments – don’t have the ability, expertise or resources to undertake research. This is where partnerships are crucial, whether in actually carrying out the research, or in helping set it up so it can be done in an economical and effective way.’
I thought it is a good time to publish this article because Barkly Regional Arts is currently presenting the 2020 Desert Harmony Festival as a streamed event. The festival is a way for Australia to share community art, music and culture, with a focus on Indigenous creativity.
The three year Australian Research Council Linkage research project was an attempt to address the undervaluing of the arts in remote Australia – in the Barkly region in particular. It sprang from frustration at the continuous effort needed to have the creative economy ‘understood, acknowledged and accepted’. As he noted, ‘to have this acknowledgement in remote regional Australia is of particular importance to regional and community development.’ The aim was to understand how artistic and creative activities contribute to cultural, social and economic development in Barkly communities and the Region as a whole.
‘The aim was to understand how artistic and creative activities contribute to cultural, social and economic development in Barkly communities and the Region as a whole.’
Using ten field trips to the region, the researchers surveyed 120 individual artists and creative producers and conducted interviews and consultations with representatives from 36 key organisations. The ecological approach to the arts and creative sector in the Barkly recognised relationships and patterns between traditionally separated domains such as commercial, amateur and subsidised. This made the Creative Barkly study unique, incorporating cross-cultural, cross-art form, and cross-sector perspectives. The report from the three year study, ‘Creative Barkly: Sustaining the Arts and Creative Sector in Remote Australia’ was released in October 2019.
Harnessing the power of research
This is an invaluable development for remote Australia. Barkly Regional Arts is an important organisation and to see it harnessing the power of research and research partnerships is heartening. There is a strong music scene in the Northern Territory, driven by the immense cultural diversity of this vast expanse of Australia and, as a part only of what it does in this region, Barkly Arts plays a key role through the Winanjjikari Music Centre, which comes under its umbrella.
However, Alan Murn himself sounded a warning, commenting that ‘this research…[has been]...widely distributed throughout the Barkly, the Northern Territory and nationally (Australia Council, Ministry for the Arts, universities).’ However, he went on to note ‘I fear the that even evidence based research on the cultural, social and economic value of the arts in the Barkly region will have little or no impact at the local regional community development level.’
Despite this warning, all this valuable research together builds momentum for a greater recognition of the significance and impact of creativity and culture everywhere. The fact that in this case, the topic is the crucial subject of regional and remote Australia, makes it of added importance. The essential words coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic ‘we’re all in this together’ might well spell out the reason why regional and remote Australia is of immediate relevance to our cities and why our cities are of similar relevance to regional and remote Australia. Creativity and culture offers much to the future of contemporary Australia and in making the most of it, we’re all in this together.
See also
An everyday life worth living – indefinite articles for a clean, clever and creative future
‘My
blog “indefinite article” is irreverent writing about contemporary
Australian society, popular culture, the creative economy and the
digital and online world – life in the trenches and on the beaches of
the information age. Over the last ten years I have published 166
articles about creativity and culture on the blog. This is a list of all
the articles I have published there, broken down into categories, with a
brief summary of each article. They range from the national cultural
landscape to popular culture, from artists and arts organisations to
cultural institutions, cultural policy and arts funding, the cultural
economy and creative industries, First Nations culture, cultural
diversity, cities and regions, Australia society, government, Canberra
and international issues – the whole range of contemporary Australian
creativity and culture’, An everyday life worth living – indefinite articles for a clean, clever and creative future.
‘indefinite article’ on Facebook – short arts updates and commentary
‘Short arts updates and irreverent cultural commentary about
contemporary Australian society, popular culture, the creative economy
and the digital and online world – life in the trenches and on the
beaches of the information age’, 'indefinite article' on Facebook
Always was, always will be – a welcome long view in NAIDOC week
‘Being
involved with Australian culture means being involved in one way or
another with First Nations arts, culture and languages – it’s such a
central and dynamic part of the cultural landscape. First Nations
culture has significance for First Nations communities, but it also has
powerful implications for Australian culture generally. NAIDOC Week is a
central part of that cultural landscape’, Always was, always will be – a welcome long view in NAIDOC week.
The Asian Century was underway long before the British arrived 6 Feb 2022
‘We
are all used to being astounded as we see growing evidence of how
widespread contact and trade was across the breadth of the ancient
European world and with worlds far beyond. The Romans and the Vikings
and many after them all roamed far and wide. This is the stuff of a
hundred television documentaries that show just how interconnected the
ancient world was. Connection, not isolation, has always been the norm.
Seaways were bridges, not barriers – a way to bring people together, not
divide them. Now important archaeological work confirms just how
widespread that cross-cultural, international network was across the
whole of Northern Australia, long before the British arrived’, The Asian Century was underway long before the British arrived.
‘The end of the year – after a bumper 24 months of disasters – is a time of closure. Many things have changed and many more will change – hopefully mainly for the better. In particular people who have made major contributions to Australia creativity and culture are moving on from their roles to take up new interests or interests they have been too busy to pursue. This is particularly the case in the arena of First Nations languages, where the recognition amongst Australians generally of the importance of languages and culture is part and parcel of salvaging community – for everyone’, Saving the farm – recognising Indigenous languages part of salvaging community.
After a fashion – creative industries from First Nations culture
‘When
I first heard that Victorian regional gallery, Bendigo Art Gallery, was
planning an exhibition about contemporary Indigenous fashion I was
impressed. The Gallery has had a long history of fashion exhibitions,
drawing on its own collection and in partnership with other
institutions, notably the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It is
fascinating to consider how a leading regional Australian museum and an
internationally renowned museum on the global stage, while in many ways
so different, have so much in common. The exhibition is far more than a
single event in a Victorian regional centre – it is an expression of a
much broader contemporary Indigenous fashion phenomenon nation-wide. It
hints at the potential of the creative economy and creative industries
to build stronger communities. Both the economic importance and the
community and social importance of creativity and culture are tightly
interlinked because of the way in which creativity and culture are
integral to everyday life and the essential activities that make it up’,
After a fashion – creative industries from First Nations culture.
Now for the bad news and the good news – creative sector relief package finally announced
‘For the creative sector it’s a case of both good news and bad news in a world that has been very much about bad news. With the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting shutdown of most of the creative sector, the announcement of massive reductions to Government support for humanities courses in universities, job losses at our major cultural institutions and continuing loss of ABC services, there has not been a lot to smile about’, Now for the bad news and the good news – creative sector relief package finally announced.
‘The last few months have been a wild ride. First the national bushfires and now global pandemic. In February people were being encouraged to visit fire-ravaged regional centres to help boost local economies. By March they were being urged to stay home to help reduce the spread of pestilence. I’m quietly seething at governments which knew this was coming, but just didn’t have a fixed date, and thought they could make savings by pretending it wasn’t coming. Now the Australian creative sector has largely been infected as well, but without the ventilators required to keep it alive,’ Caught in the past – economic blindness overlooks the creative sector.
Out of the ashes – art and bushfires
‘While the current bushfires raging across much of Australia are unprecedented in their scale and severity, they are a reminder of how people have responded after previous fires, rebuilding communities and lives in the affected areas. They have also focused attention on the impact of the fires on creative practices and business and on how those in the arts and culture sector can use their skills to contribute to bushfire recovery into the future’, Out of the ashes – art and bushfires.
Art at work – imagining a future Australia
‘In our strange new universe, where much of Australia burns while
politicians make excuses for inaction, it’s time to take a hard look at
what the arts can do. It’s an issue in the minds of many in the arts and
culture sector. Part of the potential role of arts is around bushfire
recovery – a much bigger part is around bushfire prevention. Artists
have a role to play in designing a different future than what’s on offer
and writing the story of a different future. Those social movements
that are most powerful are the ones where arts and culture embodies and
carries forward the essence of what they stand for. Think of the power
of ceremony and ritual in the world – that is ultimately the power of
art at work’, Art at work – imagining a future Australia.
What is art good for? Understanding the value of our arts and culture
‘With
arts and cultural support increasingly under pressure, arts and
cultural organisations and artists are trying to find ways in their own
localities to respond and to help build a popular understanding of the
broader social and economic benefits of arts and culture. Much work has
been done in Australia and internationally to understand, assess and
communicate the broad value of arts and culture. The challenge is to
share and to apply what already exists – and to take it further’, What is art good for? Understanding the value of our arts and culture.
See also – indefinite articles in a definite world‘If
you are losing track of the articles I have published to my 'indefinite
article' blog over the last few years, this is a summary of all 133
articles up until mid July 2017, broken down into categories for easy
access. They range from the national cultural landscape to popular
culture, from artists and arts organisations to cultural institutions,
cultural policy and arts funding, creative industries, First Nations
culture, cultural diversity, cities and regions, Australia society,
government, Canberra and international issues – the whole range of
contemporary Australian arts and culture’, See also – indefinite articles in a definite world.
Better than sport? The tricky business of valuing Australia’s arts and culture
‘Understanding,
assessing and communicating the broad value of arts and culture is a
major and ongoing task. There has been an immense amount of work already
carried out. The challenge is to understand some of the pitfalls of
research and the mechanisms and motivations that underpin it. Research
and evaluation is invaluable for all organisations but it is
particularly important for Government. The experience of researching
arts and culture in Government is of much broader relevance, as the arts
and culture sector navigates the tricky task of building a
comprehensive understanding in each locality of the broader benefits of
arts and culture. The latest Arts restructure makes this even more
urgent.’, Better than sport? The tricky business of valuing Australia’s arts and culture.
Songlines – an ancient culture for a contemporary world
‘What
interests me in exhibitions about Aboriginal Australia is what they
mean for Australians generally, even if most Australians won’t ever see
them. After a mere 220 years, in many ways we are still only part way
through making our home here. We haven’t yet figured out how to navigate
this land properly. When I was at school we learned about so many
doomed explorers misinterpreting the country, unable to find their way.
Burke and Wills were the perfect examples, undone because they were
unable to learn simple lessons offered by the local people on how to
make edible the vast supplies of food surrounding them. They starved to
death in a field of plenty. It made me realise that we can gain a much
richer grasp of Australia through recognising that First Nations culture
and heritage is part and parcel of our own Australian heritage’, Songlines – an ancient culture for a contemporary world.
The Magna Carta – still a work in progress
‘You don’t have to be part of ‘Indigenous affairs’ in Australia to find yourself involved. You can’t even begin to think of being part of support for Australian arts and culture without encountering and interacting with Indigenous culture and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and individuals who make it and live it.’ The Magna Carta – still a work in progress.
‘We are surrounded by intangible cultural heritage – Indigenous and non-Indigenous – and often it’s incredibly important to us but we can’t seem to understand why or put a name to its importance. So many issues of paramount importance to Australia and its future are linked to the broad cultural agenda of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). In particular they are central to one of UNESCO’s key treaties, the International Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.’ Valuing the intangible.
The hidden universe of Australia's own languages
The language of success – recognising a great unsung community movement
‘What is especially significant about the Prime Minister, in his Closing the Gap address, recognising the importance of Indigenous languages is that this is the first time a Liberal leader has expressed such views. It’s exciting because for progress to be made it is essential that there is a jointly agreed position. This moment arises from the tireless work over many decades of hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander language revivalists – surely one of the great positive unsung community movements in Australian history. By their hard work they have managed to change the profile of Indigenous languages in Australia. Unfortunately the address reinforced the tendency of government to overlook the success stories that are already happening in local communities and look for big institutional solutions. I hope it doesn’t turn out to be a missed opportunity’, The language of success – recognising a great unsung community movement.
Unfinished histories – encountering ‘Encounters’
‘A single exhibition can sum up many things. By bringing together so many histories, stories and objects – particularly long-absent ones from the British Museum – the 'Encounters' exhibition at the National Museum presented a snapshot of the ongoing living history of Australia. Many strands ran through it, reflecting the complexity of the realities it tried to express. By successfully reflecting on the pressing issues it raised we have some hope of getting beyond the vision of the Great South Land of 18th and 19th Century ambition towards a truly great nation of the 21st Century’, Unfinished histories – encountering ‘Encounters’.
Land of hope
‘There were times in our past when Australia was seen as the great hope of the world – when it offered a vision of a new democratic life free from the failures of the past and the old world. It seems we have turned from our history, from the bright vision of the nineteenth century and the great nation-building vision of the period after World War 2, with its sense of optimism and fairness, towards something much more pinched and narrow – mean and weak-willed. For such an optimistic nation we seem to have developed a ‘half empty’ rather than ‘half full’ view of the glass – and the world. If we want to live in a land to be proud of, a fair country that truly inherits the best of Australia’s traditions, while consciously abandoning the less desirable ones, we need to change course – otherwise we will have to rebadge Australia not as the land of hope but instead as the land without hope’, Land of hope.
Indigenous cultural jobs – real jobs in an unreal world
'Subsidised Indigenous arts and cultural jobs are real jobs with career paths that deliver genuine skills and employment capability.' Real jobs in an unreal world.
When universes collide – ‘Encounters’ exhibition at National Museum of Australia
‘The Encounters exhibition at the National Museum of Australia, a once in a lifetime event, makes you realise that astoundingly all this earth-shattering history happened only a few generations ago, so much so that descendants of the Gweagal, those first people Cook encountered, still talk about that encounter in 1770 as though it was yesterday. Despite the continuing concerns about the vast holdings of mostly looted cultural artefacts, the return of these objects, however briefly, will serve to emphasise how recently the British came to Australia, how much more we need to do to be fully at home in this country and how much part of a living, contemporary tradition Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures are’, When universes collide – Encounters exhibition at National Museum of Australia.
Black diggers - telling war stories
‘If you are convinced you have heard all of Australia’s great stories, think again. If you consider you know something about Indigenous Australia you probably need to start from scratch. Black Diggers, “the untold story of WW1’s black diggers remembered” is a great Australian story. Why over a thousand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians left their communities in remote Australia or our regional cities or the big state capitals to travel overseas to fight and die in the European trenches far from home is part of a larger Australian story. Why they would bother when they were not even recognised as Australian citizens in their own land is a story all their own – but a story relevant to every Australian’, Black diggers - telling war stories.
Taking part – Arts involvement in a divided Australia
‘The arts and culture sector has long suffered from a shortage of high quality, useable research and statistics. This makes what is available doubly important as we argue the case for the central relevance of arts and culture and the broader social and economic impact of involvement. New research demonstrates the positive scale of involvement, views on importance and trends in participation in Australia’s arts and cultural life, especially hands on involvement. It also shows a worrying decline in engagement and recognition in recent years and points to the need for a more strategic view by government’, Taking part – Arts involvement in a divided Australia.
The immense potential of creative industries for regional revival
‘Across Australia, local communities facing major economic and social challenges have become interested in the joint potential of regional arts and local creative industries to contribute to or often lead regional revival. This has paralleled the increasing importance of our major cities as economic hubs and centres of innovation’, The immense potential of creative industries for regional revival.
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