June Moorhouse, co-CEO of Community Arts Network (CAN) joins us for a deeply insightful discussion about community arts in Australia.From its roots in the social activism of the 1960s and the early international community arts movement through to contemporary practice and its vital role in creating social cohesion, June reflects on the joys and challenges of community-based practice and shares her hopes for the future of the sector.June and Scotia’s conversation is grounded in the findings of a collaborative research project between Community Arts Network and Creative Recovery Network and the six recommendations in their recently released report‘Creating Well: Recommendations for Practitioner Wellbeing in the Community Arts and Cultural Development Sector”.June has more than 35 years experience in the arts, working in senior management and leadership roles, most recently leading the team at CAN in an innovative job sharing arrangement with her colleague Monica Kane.June has a wealth of experience to share for anyone working, or interested in working, in community-based practice.LinksCommunity Arts NetworkCreating Well: Recommendations for Practitioner Wellbeing in the Community Arts and Cultural Development SectorJoin the working party to develop the practice framework: https://creativerecovery.net.au/creatingwell/

Creative Responders

In Conversation with June Moorhouse

In this episode we are speaking with Jen Rae, an artist-researcher, facilitator and educator whose work focusses on environmental communication with a particular emphasis on cultural responses to climate change.Jen’s work around the climate emergency has focussed on discourses around food futures, disaster preparedness and speculative futures predominantly explored through multi-platform creative projects, research, facilitation and community alliances.She is the Director of Fair Share Fare and the Co-founder of Fawkner Commons - creative and research-informed projects that centre food justice, land remediation and social cohesion in the climate emergency context.In this episode, we discussHow the act of speculating future scenarios can benefit us as a society and the richness that creatives can offer into this spaceJen’s work as a core artist of Arts House’s 5-year Refuge project, an initiative that brings together artists, emergency service providers and communities to rehearse climate-related emergencies and explore the impact of creativity in disaster preparednessRefugium, a short film Jen recently co-created with Claire G. Coleman as part of the Refuge project, which delves into the moral dilemmas of compounding existential crises through a fictional scenario of time hacking activists as they face humanity’s greatest challengeThe importance of preserving the knowledge and skills required to meet the challenge of the climate crisis, making information accessible to our future ancestors and sharing it through meaningful storytellingConnectedness in communities, the importance of planning for ‘waves’ of response in compounding disasters, the link between loneliness and fundamentalist thinking and how an activist mindset can be a catalyst for acceptance and connectionLinks:Refugiumhttps://vimeo.com/541179309Jen Raehttps://www.jenraeis.comArts House, Refugehttps://www.artshouse.com.au/ourprograms/refuge/Fair Share Farehttps://www.fairsharefare.comThe Future of Loneliness by Olivia Lainghttps://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/apr/01/future-of-loneliness-internet-isolationNihilism, fundamentalism, or activism: Three responses to fears of the Apocalypse by Richard Eckersleyhttps://richardeckersley.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Futurist_Apocalypse_2008.pdf

In Conversation with Jen Rae

Kellie Sutherland is a Creative Recovery Coordinator, working with Regional Arts Victoria to support bushfire affected shires in Victoria’s North East.In this episode, we discuss what the role of a Creative Recovery Coordinator entails and the capacity for this work to provide continuity between recovery, preparedness and response that is foundational for building community resilience.Kellie is an artist and performer, well known for her role as a founding member and creative co-director of musical group Architecture in Helsinki. More recently she has worked in arts communication and cultural partnerships roles in the North East and Border region of Victoria, forming a strong understanding of community-led activities and engagement practices.In this conversation, Scotia and Kellie discuss:The role of a Creative Recovery Coordinator, the local networks they operate within and their role as advocate for the creative sectorThe importance of flexibility in our understanding of recovery outcomes and how an arts-based approach supports agility and innovative thinkingThe challenges associated with short-term recovery roles and how resources and support for longer term positions and projects can bring myriad benefits for communities in the face of cascading disastersThe Creative Recovery training program recently completed in Beechworth, Victoria with ten representatives of the five shires Kellie is working across and her hopes for what will come from thatExamples of recovery projects supported by Regional Arts Victoria grants and their effectiveness in strengthening community resilience and knowledge-sharingMore info about Regional Arts Victoria and their work can be found herehttp://www.rav.net.au/about/our-vision/

In Conversation with Kellie Sutherland

This episode of Creative Responders features artists, Rosie McKeand and Leigh Tesch, who share their experience working with three to six-year-olds on ‘Afloat’, a creative recovery project created in response to the May 2018 flood event in Hobart, Tasmania.Many early learning centres were seriously impacted by the flood and the community’s experience of the Hobart Rivulet was forever changed, prompting the local government to focus on young people and their families in their recovery strategy.Rosie and Leigh collaborated with the City of Hobart on a program that utilised creativity and play as a means to help children deal with change, adversity and the associated feelings. Their combination of drawing and storytelling created a collaborative, child-led environment that provided a joyful space for reflection and learning.In this conversation Scotia, Rosie and Leigh discuss:The process of using drawing, storytelling and creative modalities to work with young children to open opportunities for them to process their experience comfortablyHow to support children in times of change, and strategies to help them feel confident and safe in an environment that can change rapidlyHow the arts can provide reflection and learning around challenging experiences, particularly in early childhood when younger children may not have the language or vocabulary to express their experienceThe process of working in collaboration with educators, care-givers and parents and how the arts can open a different mode of communication for children as well as the adults in their livesThe crucial role of local government in the recovery process and the positive impact of the City of Hobart’s activation of flood recovery projects incorporating arts-based initiatives and support for experienced artists to execute these projectsRosie and Leigh’s different creative modalities and how they work together in partnership to provide multiple entry points for workshop participantsThe Afloat project was instigated by The City of Hobart as part of a range of recovery projects in the wake of the floods under the banner “Resilient Hobart”.Funding for these programs was obtained through the Community Recovery and Resilience Grants Program, jointly funded by the Australian and Tasmanian governments under the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements.The Resilient Hobart program was awarded a 2020 Resilient Australia National Local Government Award for excellence in their response to the flood event.Links:Resilient Hobart, 2018 Flood Resilience Projectshttps://www.hobartcity.com.au/Community/Community-Programs/Resilient-HobartAfloat Projecthttps://www.hobartcity.com.au/Community/Community-Programs/Resilient-Hobart/2018-flood-resilience-projects/Afloat-–-children-and-families-community-resilience-art-projectAfloat Resource Booklethttps://www.hobartcity.com.au/files/assets/public/community-programs/kids-and-families/the-afloat-project-nov-2019-261119.pdfFor more resources and case studies about creative recovery projects for young people, visit our resource library: https://creativerecovery.net.au/resources/

In Conversation with Rosie McKeand and Leigh Tesch

Alex Wisser is an artist and creative producer based in the township of Kandos in mid-western New South Wales. In 2013 he co-founded the Cementa Contemporary Arts Festival in Kandos and took up permanent residence there with his family.Along with Cementa, Alex is a co-founder of the Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation where his practice continues to focus on the challenges and opportunities of making art in a regional context with a strong emphasis on socially engaged art and its ability to support cultural change.In this conversation, Scotia and Alex discuss:The regenerative farming movement and how the arts can support the process of change in communities facing serious social, economic and environmental challenges to their way of lifeThe capacity of art to provide non-directed space for people to gather and create social cohesion and reflection on complex issuesThe example of a solar energy farming project in the town of Little Hartley in the Blue Mountains and how the combination of arts, science and farming can provide opportunities to bridge the urban-rural divideA research framework that Alex is currently developing in partnership with Creative Recovery Network that aims to create a toolset for artists to better perceive the social realities of communities in which they are workingAlex’s shift to working in a community context and how it has made his practice more embodied and connected to the world beyond traditional arts communitiesLinks:Cementahttps://cementa.com.auKandos School of Cultural Adaptationhttps://www.ksca.landWelcome to Kandos, poster by Ian Millishttps://www.ksca.land/origin-storySolar energy for the farmer, Little Hartley project:https://www.ksca.land/mark-swartz-projectBula Mirri Farm Solar Project Video:https://www.ksca.land/blogfeed/2020/6/10/the-solar-project-video

In Conversation with Alex Wisser

Louise Scheidl is an Occupational Therapist and Mental Health Promotion Officer for Albury Wodonga Health.Louise joins us to discuss My Place My Home, a community-based arts project focussed on young people affected by the 2019/2020 bushfires in Victoria's Corryong area.In this conversation, Louise and Scotia discuss:The layered impacts of the 2019/2020 bushfires followed closely by Covid-19 and the importance of supporting young people and their families through this complex recoveryThe overwhelming local support for My Place, My Home and the model of engagement they have created to bring together local organisations, health services and educatorsThe first stage of the My Place, My Home program where four local primary and high schools participated in a range of creative workshops facilitated by local artists including visual arts, cartooning, drama, circus, drumming and rhythm, script writing, soundscaping, cartooning and shadow puppetryThe school workshops for My Place, My Home were facilitated by local artists from the Corryong, Walwa, Cudgewa, Albury and Wodonga areas. They are: Alison Plasto; Barbara Pritchard; Kirrily Anderson; Per Westman; Adrian Osborne; Alyson Evans; and Margaret Gleeson.My Place, My Home is supported by: Corryong Health, Albury Wodonga Health, Gateway Health, Creative Recovery Network, Towong Shire, Bushfire Recovery Victoria, Regional Arts Victoria, Catholic Education Sandhurst, NSW Department of Education, Corryong Neighbourhood House, Beyond Blue’s Bushfire Response Program and The Royal Children’s Hospital’s Festival of Healthy Living.For more case studies and resources about young people impacted by disaster, visit the Creative Recovery Network resource library: https://creativerecovery.net.au/resources/

In Conversation with Louise Scheidl

Doctor Caroline Alcorso is currently directing the Natural Disaster Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework for the National Mental Health Commission.She has an extensive background in social policy, programs and research in both community sector organisations and government. Along with her substantial academic background, Caroline is a leader and innovator in a range of social policy areas, including health, gender equity, workforce development, workplace relations and multicultural affairs.The Natural Disaster Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework is funded by the Australian Government in a bid to address the increasingly complex mental health needs of individuals and communities affected by natural disasters.The Framework, which will be released in June 2021, aims to improve cross-government responses to mental health threats before, during and after natural disasters.In this episode, Scotia and Caroline discuss:How the Natural Disaster Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework came about and what the approach has been so far for engaging individuals and organisations in the research processThe importance of supporting continuity in community recovery efforts in order to develop skills, personnel and ongoing knowledge-building at a local level to better respond to natural disasters over timeChallenges identified around the help-seeking process and the importance of addressing the mental health impacts of the aftermath of disasterHow the response to our new reality of cascading impacts is being approached at a national level and how it incorporates the presence of non-traditional modes of responseThe importance of co-collaboration and how local funding programs are being successfully utilised to build community capital to help communities rebuildReferences and further reading:National Disaster Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework Factsheet‘Brain research shows the arts promote mental health’, The ConversationNational Arts and Health FrameworkRed Cross Australia, Looking After Yourself and Your Family After a DisasterPhoenix Australia, Disaster Mental Health Hub

In Conversation with Caroline Alcorso

Arts workers in remote or trauma-impacted communities are often sent in to complex environments with little preparation or adequate peer support for the situations they will encounter.In this episode, we head to one of the most remote areas of Australia - Warburton community, Western Australia on Ngaanyatjarra Lands, where Silvano Giordano shares his experience as co-Director of Wilurarra Creative - a community hub and arts studio dedicated to creative programs for young Ngaanyatjarra people.Silvano shares some of the systems of self-care and sustainable practice he has developed over time, and his co-Director, BJ, joins us to talk about the ways his community approaches working relationships between Ngaanyatjarra and non-Ngaanyatjarra people.We also hear about Silvano’s participation in a professional supervision pilot project - a collaboration between Creative Recovery Network and Community Arts Network (CAN), designed to draw on the experience and wisdom of leading community arts and cultural development workers to grow a deeper understanding of the support needs for community-based practitioners across Australia.June Moorhouse, co-CEO of CAN joins us to talk about the pilot project’s findings and how she believes the arts sector is at an exciting turning point for driving change towards new standards of practice and a framework to better support practitioners in high performance work environments.Silvano Giordano, Wilurarra Creative, Co-DirectorBJ, Wilurarra Creative, Co-DirectorJune Moorhouse, CEO, Community Arts NetworkShona Erskine, Psychologist and ConsultantThis episode features music by Travis West, 'Boy Crying for Family', from the album Wilurarra Desert Reggae: A Compilation of New Ngaanyatjarra Music recorded at Wilurarra Creative studio in 2017. 

Working Sustainably in Community Practice

The climate crisis is one of the greatest disasters we may ever witness. In the face of such enormous challenges, what is the place for creativity and storytelling?In this episode, guest producer Nicole Hutton takes us to the Great Barrier Reef to hear how reef coast Traditional Owners are using tourism, art and storytelling as a proactive tool to open conversations around climate change.Nicole takes us out on the reef with Indigenous tour operator, Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel, to speak with Dustin Maloney about sharing stories from the reef and how Traditional Owners being in control of tourism happening on their own country is a critical step towards climate justice for people on the frontlines of climate change.She visits the Hope Vale Arts and Cultural Centre where artist and Dingaal clan Elder, Gertrude Deeral, shares some of the ways elders in the Hope Vale community have utilised art and storytelling as a way of passing down complex layers of knowledge about their country, ecosystem and culture.We also look at some of the tensions between tourism and conservation and hear from Jiritju Fourmile, a Yindiji man from Gimuy, Cairns, about coral bleaching, the cultural significance of the reef and the importance of storytelling and tourism in generating a wider understanding of the need for its protection.Interviewees:Dustin Maloney, Dreamtime Dive & SnorkelGertrude Deeral, Artist, Elder from the Dingaal clan and Traditional Owner of the country around Lizard IslandJiritju Fourmile, Traditional Owner and climate activist

Storytelling in a changing climate: Indigenous art and tourism on the Great Barrier Reef

The Blacksmiths’ Tree is a stunning nine-metre steel and copper gum tree which stands in the small town of Strathewen, Victoria, as a memorial to the people and communities impacted by Black Saturday and the 2009 Victorian bushfires.The project began with designer and metal artist, Amanda Grant, who coordinated a local and international team of blacksmiths and volunteers to create what has become an enduring symbol of hope, resilience and connectedness.In this episode, Amanda joins us to look at the different roles of artist and facilitator, and what these roles mean in a disaster recovery context. What role can the arts play in community-led recovery? What does a community-led project look like, and how can artists facilitate authentic community engagement in their work?We also head to Central and Western Gippsland, where three shire councils are collaborating with Creative Recovery Network to support local artists to develop community-led bushfire recovery projects, with Amanda as lead mentor.We speak to Latrobe City Council’s Robyn Duffy and Linda Snell about the important role of local government in community recovery and we also hear from Gulsen Ozer, one of the artists on the project. Gulsen shares her insights on the current challenges of cascading disasters and the creative solution found by the project team when their community consultation process was interrupted by Victoria’s Covid19 lockdown.Interviewees:Amanda Grant, Lead Mentor, Creative Recovery Network / Project Lead on The Blacksmiths’ TreeRobyn Duffy, Municipal Recovery Manager, Latrobe City CouncilLinda Snell, Yinnar South Recovery Officer, Latrobe City CouncilGulsen Ozer, Artist

Community-led Recovery in a Time of Cascading Disasters

Just down the road from the charred silence of the iconic Sugar Pines Plantation in the Snowy Valleys, is the Pilot Hill Arboretum, in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales.On 28 December 2020, exactly one year after the Dunns Road Fire wrought havoc for 50 days, the Arbour Festival will begin its own 50 day journey, transforming the Arboretum with artworks, installations and events designed to nurture and celebrate the region.In this episode, we’ll take you inside the Arbour Festival to explore the role event-based arts initiatives play in the wake of disaster and how the arts can be a powerful conduit for authentic community engagement in the ritual of recovery.We visit the Arboretum with author, Sulari Gentill, to hear how she and a group of local writers are creating a forest of talking trees - and how the Festival has become a vehicle for a community-focused program that is inclusive of the strong local arts community.Festival Curator Vanessa Keenan and Eastern Riverina Arts’ Executive Director Tim Kurylowicz talk us through the process of developing Arbour - how they’ve deftly balanced the competing needs of a diverse range of stakeholders; why it’s essential to centre the local community as the first priority; and how the shared focus of an arts festival provides myriad ways to reactivate place-based relationships and bring people together to make meaning of their experience.Interviewees:Sulari Gentill, Arbour Festival artist and authorVanessa Keenan, Arbour Festival Curator / Managing Director, Acorn Creative GroupTim Kurylowicz, Executive Director, Eastern Riverina ArtsCharlie Taylor, Operations Manager, Forestry Corp and Deputy Incident Controller, Dunns Road Fire

Growing new possibilities in the Snowy Valleys

What happens when your community goes through a devastating experience and you feel compelled to reach out to those most in need? Like many who witnessed the impact of the Australian bushfires last Summer, Vivien Davidson wanted to find a way to express her solidarity and connect with people in her community who were hardest hit by the Currowan fire on the South Coast of New South Wales.In this very special episode, we hear how Vivien and her friends at the Murramarang Spinners and Weavers group harnessed the goodwill and creativity of their community in a meaningful act of kindness and connection.We also hear about Vivien’s upcoming plans for the one year anniversary of the fire and how art can provide a powerful foundation for sharing and connection as people rebuild their lives after a disaster.In this conversation, Scotia and Vivien discuss:- The process of creating 50 ‘Love Boxes’ for bushfire affected residents in the New South Wales district of Milton-Ulladulla made up of hand-knitted beanies, hand-made soaps, coffee vouchers for local brewers, seed packets, individually hand-dyed silk scarves and personal notes of support and solidarity.- How the group mobilised a team of home knitters who made 75 beanies, working throughout the Covid lockdown and the impact the process had on those who contributed.- Vivien’s plans for a community recovery exhibition to mark the one year anniversary of the fire.- The importance of the arts to community recovery and how creativity can provide a meaningful way to share and connect.- And finally, Vivien shares with us some of the heartfelt feedback the group received from the recipients of the Love Boxes.Further information:Creative Recovery Love Boxeshttps://creativerecovery.net.au/key-projects/love-boxes/

In Conversation with Vivien Davidson

As National Resilience Adviser for Red Cross Australia, John Richardson is someone who spends a lot of time thinking about disasters - how we make sense of them, how we can better prepare for them, and how they transform the individuals and communities who go through them.We spoke to John during Red Cross Australia’s annual Emergency Preparedness Week to hear his perspective on the unchartered waters of 2020 and what lessons we can learn about resilience, response and recovery from the unique set of challenges we are facing.John discusses how a strong emphasis on social connectedness is key to building more resilient communities and we reflect on how creatives can support the work of service organisations developing rigour around preparedness and recovery.In this conversation, John and Scotia discuss:John’s career path which began with a foundation in geography and nursing leading on to emergency management where he has been involved in coordinating recovery support for a range of major and minor disasters, including the Bali Bombings, Drought, Alpine Bushfires in 2003 and 2006 and Grampians Fires in 2006John’s involvement in developing the Strathewen Memorial following the Black Saturday bushfires of 2009, the importance of a rigorous community-led process in memorial making and how creativity and the arts is an integral part of that processThe value of the arts in helping people to make sense of traumatic events and the importance of making meaning after a disasters.The importance of strong social ties in managing stress and how the Red Cross 2020 survey shows that seven in 10 Australians credit strong connections with friends and family as the most important factor in helping them manage during what has been a year of extremes with the summer fires and now the pandemicFurther reading and resources:John’s blog, Sastrugi:https://sastrugi.meBig Stories, Small Towns, Strathewen Memorial transmedia documentary project:http://www.bigstories.com.au/towns/strathewenRed Cross, Emergency Preparedness Week Resources:Red Cross has a range of resources to help you prepare, including a Get Prepared app, survival kit, emergency contacts list, keepsake list, resources to help manage stress and more. Find them at redcross.org.au/prepare.Download the Get Prepared app to locate your local emergency services contacts and where to find information, identify a safe meeting place for you and loved ones and create checklists of what to do and what to pack. It’s available on iOS, Android and redcross.org.au/prepare.Create an emergency plan for your household to protect what matters most with a Rediplan, available at redcross.org.au/prepareVisit redcross.org.au/prepare for advice on how to prepare yourself and your family.

In Conversation with John Richardson

Alex Kelly is an art maker, organiser, activist and filmmaker whose work is anchored by a deep commitment to social and climate justice.She joins Scotia to discuss her most recent project, Assembly for the Future, a series of digital gatherings in which participants collectively imagine better worlds and new pathways, preparing for a resilient and community visioned future.We also hear about Alex’s work as part of the filmmaking team for In My Blood It Runs, the critically acclaimed documentary told through the eyes of 10-year-old Arrernte/Garrwa boy, Dujuan and his family, and the power of storytelling as a catalyst for change.In this conversation, Alex and Scotia discuss:The importance of developing a robust space for imaginative dialogue around possible futures that allows for nuanced thinking to service the creation of better futuresWhy we need to move away from the traditional binary of hope and fear in order to hold complex truths and narratives around futuring and world-buildingThe concept of disaster capitalism, how it is currently playing out within the crisis of the global pandemic and Alex’s work with author Naomi Klein around her book, This Changes Everything, Capitalism vs. the ClimateHow moments of disaster or upheaval provide an opportunity for people to push forward in ways that were not previously possible, and how we can harness creative thinking for more progressive outcomesThe power of storytelling as a catalyst for change, the collaborative process of developing In My Blood It Runs and how the film provides a deeply intimate insight into both the challenges and joys faced by its 10 year-old protagonistThe importance of community connection and small-scale organising to build social capital and more resilient communitiesFurther reading and resources:Assembly for the FutureThe Things We Did NextAlex KellyIn My Blood it RunsThis Changes Everything by Naomi Klein

In Conversation with Alex Kelly

Kate Sulan is a performance maker, director, dramaturge and facilitator. Along with her role as founding Artistic Director of Melbourne’s Rawcus theatre company, Kate is also one of the artists working on the five year Refuge project at Arts House which brings together emergency management, artists, the community and local, regional and international partners.Kate’s cubby house installation developed as part of the Refuge project is a powerful example of how the intersection of the arts, emergency management and the creativity of young people can provide emotional support, a sense of safety and moments of delight during challenging times.In this conversation, Kate and Scotia discuss:The collective wisdom that comes from a community-led artistic practice and the importance of establishing a value-system that is inclusive and flexible enough to meet multiple needs and approaches;How artists’ comfort with the unknown, and their capacity to be fluid, flexible and responsive is a real asset when collaborating and working within the emergency management sector;The energy that working with young people has brought to Kate’s work and the idea that children and young people are a resource with valuable offerings into the emergency management space rather than something to be ‘managed’;How the arts can support emotional preparedness through the example of Kate’s work with St Joseph’s Flexible Learning Centre and their development of an ‘emotional grab-and-go bag’, to provide emotional support and a sense of safety for young people through challenging times.Kate’s ongoing collaboration with the Red Cross through their RediPlan workshops, the deep trust and communication required to build partnerships between the arts and other sectors, and how artist’s can best provide complimentary support within a protocol-heavy system when resources are stretched.You can listen via the player on this page or search for ‘Creative Responders’ in Apple podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast app.Further reading and resources:Refuge, Arts Househttps://www.artshouse.com.au/ourprograms/refuge/In Case Of…RediPlan Workshop, Red Cross and Kate Sulan, (presented by Arts House as part of Refuge 2019: Displacement)https://www.artshouse.com.au/events/in-case-of-rediplan-workshop/Rawcus Theatre Companyhttps://rawcus.org.auRed Cross Australia, RediPlan and other disaster preparedness resourceshttps://www.redcross.org.au/get-help/emergencies/resources-about-disastersPoetry by Pauli Murrayhttps://paulimurrayproject.org/pauli-murray/poetry-by-pauli-murray/

Creative Responders: in Conversation with Kate Sulan

A podcast that explores the power of the arts and creativity in disaster management, Creative Responders shares stories and conversations with artists, emergency management experts, creative leaders and impacted communities from all over Australia as they prepare, respond and recover from natural disaster.

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Creative Responders

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