Opportunities galore!

And now we are six! A new baby in the household means that blogging has to take second place to grandmotherly duties, so just brief notes on a fantastic range of opportunities:

ISLAM. I AM | EOI closes Friday 5 August

ISLAM. I AM will be a ground-breaking series bringing together Muslim filmmakers to tell stories about contemporary Islamic life in Australia. The series will be created for ABC1, produced by Jungle FTV in association with I.C.E.

Muslim filmmakers, artists, storytellers are invited to submit a proposal to be considered for the next stage of development and production.

Submit your Expression of Interest here! 

STAGING STORIES: ADULT SOLO THEATRE WORKSHOPS, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre,
Mondays | 8 August – 12 September, 23 September and Tuesday 4 October
7 – 9pm | $150 for 8 sessions

Facilitated by respected theatre professionals, STAGING STORIES is a solo theatre workshop designed to unlock your potential as a both a writer and performer and put your story in the spotlight. Building over a series of weeks, STAGING STORIES workshops will give you an overview into performance and storytelling like you’ve never experienced, providing you with an opportunity to develop your confidence, expand your network and explore your ideas. Bookings.

— FROM PAGE TO STAGE —

Putting the nation on stage, National Theatre of Parramatta is calling for expressions of interest to its inaugural playwriting program

“National Theatre of Parramatta is committed to building an ecosystem for the theatre in Western Sydney. It is harder for our artists to be visible beyond our communities. We know that we have stories that resonate beyond these geographic limitations. We are providing a platform to not only showcase these artists but also to develop additional networks and skills that will enable them to fine tune their craft. We are offering a chance for Western Sydney voices to be heard,” says Executive Producer of the National Theatre of Parramatta, Joanne Kee, left.

Presented in association with Playwriting Australia, From Page to Stage is a free program that provides playwrights with a unique opportunity to hone their skills whilst aiming to assist new Australian works come to life on the stage.

Ten applicants, with a demonstrated commitment to writing, will receive guidance from some of the industry’s best playwrights and facilitators. Commencing in October, the 15-month course includes mentorship, tutorials, workshops and script development opportunities. Participant’s plays will also be considered for inclusion in the National Theatre of Parramatta’s annual season and the National Play Festival, Playwriting Australia’s major industry showcase of new Australian works.

Riverside Theatres’ resident company, National Theatre of Parramatta, is committed to capacity building in Western Sydney. With the launch of From Page to Stage, National Theatre of Parramatta will further nurture and develop committed writers who live and/or work in the region.

Applications for From Page to Stage close on 28^th August. For more information and to apply, visit: https://riversideparramatta.com.au/NTofP/engage/from-page-to-stage

At last your chance to respond to the proposed National Heritage Listing of the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct: Submissions

FORM DANCE PROJECTS – Fostering Dance Culture in Western Sydney

CALLING CHOREOGRAPHERS AND DANCERS 21 & UNDER

SHARP SHORT DANCE IS BACK!

Sharp Short Dance is a dance festival that unearths the best up and coming talent in Sydney.  The festival celebrates dance in all its forms and encourages young aspiring choreographers and dancers to showcase their work to industry professionals.

Choreographers can enter one work to each heat, which are curated by genre:

Heat One Jazz, Tap, Lyrical
Heat Two Classical, Contemporary
Heat Three Hip Hop, Street, Cultural

This year selected finalists will be awarded secondments with Sydney Dance Company (Pre-Professional Year), Bangarra Dance Theatre, Dream Dance Company and Shaun Parker & Company.

“This program is one of FORM’s best and that’s why we are awarding an industry placement with the Dream Dance Company. I can’t wait to see what talent emerges this year.”
Marko Panzic, Director – The Dream Dance Company

REGISTER NOW
For registration forms and info visit form.org.au
DVD, Youtube and Vimeo applications preferred

REGISTRATION CLOSES
17 OCTOBER

REGISTRATION FEE
$15.00

HEATS 1, 2 & 3
15, 16 & 17 NOVEMBER 7:30PM

FINALS
19 NOVEMBER 7:30PM

Registrations via form.org.au or  this downloadable form.

Photo : Dom O’Donnell

Flight from despair to hope, opportunity and creative engagement

According to a report released by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) last month, wars and persecution have driven more people from their homes than at any time since UNHCR records began more than 65 years ago. The report, entitled Global Trends, found a total 65.3 million people were displaced at the end of 2015, compared to 59.5 million just 12 months earlier.

Large numbers of people have fled Afghanistan and Somalia in recent decades and more recently, countries like Syria, South Sudan, Ukraine and Central America. Settlement solutions are becoming harder to find as countries close borders against an influx of distressed people and there is little sign of regional cooperation between countries that might receive refugees. Worldwide, Turkey is the biggest host country, with 2.5 million refugees. With nearly one refugee for every five citizens, Lebanon hosts more refugees compared to its population than any other country. In 2015 children made up 51 per cent of the world’s refugees. Many were separated from their parents or travelling alone.

All too often fear is the constant companion of refugees until they find respite. Now, with increasing frequency, fear has taken hold of people in countries that might offer protection – fear of terrorism, fear of losing jobs to refugees, fear of strained health, housing and education resources, a loss of law and order. Australia swings between cycles of fear and cycles of generosity. Our constitution for the founding of Australia as a federation of states in 1901 was influenced by fear of foreigners and totally ignored Aboriginal people. It still has the racist statement that the Commonwealth has the power “to regulate the affairs of the people of coloured or inferior races . . .” Two years later, the White Australia Policy was a direct outcome. By contrast, multiculturalism as a concept was introduced during the years of the Whitlam Government in the early 1970s. Under the following government of Malcolm Fraser, Australia opened its doors to Vietnamese refugees and asylum seekers, including those who arrived by boat. Associated stories appear in my book Passion Purpose Meaning – Arts Activism in Western Sydney and in this blog. They demonstrate repeatedly just how many migrants and refugees have gone on to become outstanding arts practitioners and community leaders. Research also shows that the economic costs of accepting migrants and refugees is far outweighed by the value of their ultimate contribution to society.

Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre (CPAC) is conducting a two day forum on Friday and Saturday, August 19 and 20 to explore the relationship between refugees and the arts. “Open to artists, performers, art therapists, educators, researchers, art workers and creative producers, the Arts and Refugees Forum also welcomes humanitarian and community development workers to share their experiences and discuss various aspects of artistic practice by, with and about refugees.” It is a free event that will provide a platform for greater networking and development opportunities. The forum will take place against a background of photo-media and video works made by local Sydney-based artists who are former refugees, current asylum seekers and first generation Australians whose families fled war to settle here.

Beyond Refuge: Citizens has been assembled by CuriousWorks, which describes it as “an exhibition that asserts the beautiful and fundamental rights of every human being to freedom and peace. It is also a cry to those who have lost their freedom, through the structures and exertions of power.” Image above: Soheil Ettehadolhagh, “the earth is but one country and mankind its citizens”  –  Báha’u’lláh universal peace, 2016. Photograph.

Both the forum and the exhibition take place in the context of a major exhibition, Refugees,  which brings together works by 22 world-renowned artists who share a refugee background. Important works by these high profile artists have never before been seen in western Sydney. The artists are Khadim Ali, Frank Auerbach, Christian Boltanski, Yosl Bergner, Judy Cassab, Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, Lucian Freud, Mona Hatoum, Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack, Guo Jian, Anish Kapoor, Inge King, Dinh Q. Lê, Nalini Malani, Helmut Newton, Yoko Ono, Aida Tomescu, Danila Vassilieff, Ai Wei Wei, Ah Xian and Anne Zahalka.

CPAC is located in one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse areas in Australia, with 40% of the population born overseas and over 150 languages spoken. The arts centre sees the exhibition as an opportunity for advocacy and empowerment of refugees in the local area, as a key to creating social change.

In the meantime, a young woman who arrived as a displaced person from Ukraine in 1949 and later settled with her husband in Seven Hills, is about to launch her first commercially published book. Helen Boris had her university studies in Kiev interrupted by the Soviet occupation and the Second World War and was never able to complete them. Despite the upheavals of terror under dictatorship and the death of family and friends, Helen never lost her love for literature and writing and her interest in sharing it with others. From her earliest days in Australia, she wrote poetry in English and her native Ukrainian. She became active in local chapters of organisations like the Fellowship of Australian Writers, conducted workshops with others like Ann Stewart Galwey to support local writers and helped their community publication. Next Saturday, at the age of 96, in frail health, but of very clear mind and with the support of the Ukrainian ambassador, she will launch her book of poems Shards of Life. You are invited to join them at the Ukrainian Hall, 59 – 63 Joseph St, Lidcombe, at 1pm. Shards of Life is a selection of Helen’s English language verse, through which she shares some fragments of her story, the “shards of her life”.

And then there’s Sydney Sacred Music Festival, now in its sixth year under the leadership of founder and director, Richard Petkovic. This year it begins on Friday, September 2 and continues across locations from Mona Vale to Campbelltown, Sydney CBD to the Blue Mountains, until Sunday, September 18. In the course of two decades, Richard has identified and come to know an extraordinary range of highly professional musicians, from many different cultures and faiths. Many were living in western Sydney following their escape from war torn countries. They have been working together with wonderfully enriching results.

This year, they will present a live multimedia performance of contemporary world and electronic dance music at Wentworth Street carpark in Parramatta’s CBD, on Saturday night, September 3 – Worlds Collide – Eight Storeys High, Seven Cultures, One Amazing New Sound. The rooftop, they say, “will be transformed into an artistic wonderland, featuring art installations by Khaled Sabasabi, Marian Abood and Ghasan Saaid, video projections, interactive dance workshops and the world premiere of the Arts NSW funded, Worlds Collide ensemble. Worlds Collide brings together the best world musicians in Sydney, photo above, and fuses the South Asian Underground beats of Coco Varma’s ‘Sitar Funk’, the acoustic world fusion of the Shohrat Tursun Trio; Latin music legend Victor Valdes; soaring vocals of Blue Mary’s Maria Mitar and the hip hop rhymes of Mt Druitt’s Esky the Emcee, all under the direction of music producer and composer Richard Petkovic (Cultural Arts Collective).”

Program details and bookings.

Artists fight to preserve gallery’s heritage in Leacock Regional Park

Is there nothing that will stop the Baird Government from pursuing the destruction of treasured cultural landmarks and robbing communities of their soul? Artists and supporters in south west Sydney are hoping there  is something, but the record so far is deeply discouraging. The latest property under threat is the former studio and home of Alice Klaphake, who opened south west Sydney’s first private modern art gallery in Leacocks Lane, Casula, in 1976. An unpretentious and intimate space, it was the former scientific laboratory of her late husband, Dr Wolf Klaphake. The Modern Art Gallery became a popular gathering place for local artists and crafts people. Alice was a feisty artist and community activist, whose gallery attracted artists and visitors like Lloyd Rees, Margo Lewers and Elisabeth Cummings. She was a great supporter of local artists and among her first exhibitors were Lorraine Maggs and Fonika Booth. Alice was 75, when she closed the gallery in 1984.

She later sold the property to the NSW Government to become part of a Georges River cultural corridor. It is well connected to the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, where an ampitheatre was built in recognition of her contribution to modern art in the region. The land is controlled by NSW National Parks, which in 2012 drafted a plan of management for Leacock Regional Park. Her son, author, sculptor and botanist, Van Klaphake has continued to live at Mount Omei, as the property has long been known, and which has been his home since 1949. Now artists and friends have rallied in support of him. Van has been asked to leave the property and is deeply concerned about the future of Mount Omei. “We always envisaged that it would become an artists precinct and continue to support emerging artists in the region. I’ve written to the Minister but I’ve still been asked to vacate the property at the end of June, even though I’ve lived here since I was 2 years old. I’m concerned the property is earmarked for demolition.”

For the last three Sundays, groups of artists have organised brief exhibitions of their work in the former gallery space, drawing attention to the threats facing its future and celebrating Alice’s contribution to their lives and community. They have posted their concerns on social media and urged people to contact their local state MP Anoulack Chanthivong. On the first Sunday, June 12, Mai Nguyen-Long exhibited her work Rider, right, among pieces by 19 other artists. Mai posted “A heritage assessment is being conducted but at the same time Van Klaphake has been told that National Parks plan to demolish the buildings and the premises must be vacated by 30 June. As part of an uncertain farewell / act of support, artists have joined the Gallery to stage 3 exhibitions 3 Sundays in a row.”

For June 19, another post urged “It might be raining but the Sunday Series continues!! Plunge into the reality check pool with confronting and thought provoking works by Vieterartist Ray Beattie & Julie Textworthy this Sunday at Mount Omei. Acclaimed artist Lorraine Maggs will exhibit a diverse range of works including oils, mixed medium and 3-D works and sculptures at the final Sunday series on June 26. Van Klaphake will exhibit his detailed botanical drawings and meticulous bird carvings.” Left is Van’s photo – Lorraine Maggs with a fantastic oil titled “Cut Loose” The same work can be seen in last Sunday’s exhibition of her work, below.

Last Sunday Keryn Coulter posted, “I have just returned from viewing the Big Fish Little Fish Exhibition at Mount Omei Gallery Casula. The gallery has a wonderful history and is under threat of demolition by the State Government. Thank you Lorraine Lois Maggs for inviting me along. It really is a quite magical place and should be preserved.” Her observations correspond with Van’s own views, “I hope that this exhibition will be an opportunity for the public to visit this magical place, to experience Leacock Regional Park’s wonderful birdlife and to support local artists as my mother and her community always envisioned.”

The artists are posting – PLEASE HELP SAVE MOUNT OMEI Write to: Macquarie Fields State Member of Parliament, Mr Anoulack Chanthivong MP, Shop 3 Ground Floor, 2–6 Oxford St, Ingleburn 2565. Or you can phone his office 02 9618 2077 or email macquariefields@parliament.nsw.gov.au

The fight for federal arts funding intensifies, even as new programs emerge

 

 

A National Day of Action begins today with demonstrations by artists and the arts community against drastic funding cuts. On May 13 this year, 50% of small
to medium arts companies did not receive funding as a result of the government’s
cuts to the Australia Council. These cuts will result in job losses and will have flow on effects across cultural industries, educational institutions and the commercial sector. The arts employ more people than agriculture, construction or mining and the creative industries generate $50 billion for the Australian economy. Independent artists and organisations are the backbone of arts in Australia, generating new ideas and new talent.
Artists are the innovators of our nation.

Rosie Dennis, artistic director of Urban Theatre Projects, based in Bankstown says, “Join us at 12.30pm outside Bankstown train station to show your support. Follow #Istandforthearts and join in, wherever you are. Now more than ever is the time to hold onto our democratic right and freedom to speak out and protest, and let our leaders know that we want to see and hear great stories, told by talented artists, that are connected to the country, the city, the suburb, that we call home.”

The National Day of Action launches a two week campaign highlighting the importance of the arts in the lead-up to the federal election on July 2. The Museum of Contemporary Art and the National Association for the Visual Arts will be asking visitors today to tell politicians about why the arts are important in their own lives. Theatre companies are taking similar actions with their audiences. Rosie Dennis says, “Increasingly the arts are disappearing from our daily lives and are almost always under-valued as a career path. Yet it’s one of the most valuable industries we have in terms of reminding us of our humanity.” Above, is an image from UTP’s 2015 film One Day for Peace, which featured members of many different faiths in western Sydney and was shown to a range of audiences across the region in September. One Day For Peace will feature on ABC’s Compass program in August this year.

Federal funding has been vital to the success of UTP programs, which work closely with communities in western Sydney and regions across NSW to highlight the experiences of many different cultural groups and offer them the opportunity for deeper understanding and sharing common ground. Left, is an image from Bankstown Live, UTP’s four day event in last year’s Sydney Festival.

Organisers urge –

→ Get on social media and post about your support with #istandwiththearts
and #ausvotesarts
→ Write a letter of support for the arts to your local member (or email)
→ Write to the Arts Minister Hon. Mitch Fifield www.mitchfifield.com/contact.aspx
→ Vote for the candidates with the best arts policies on July 2

Rosie Dennis says, “I urge you to have a conversation with your neighbours, your local school, the people you work with, your friends, your family about the value and importance of the arts – theatre, film, dance, literature, visual arts. And not the Hollywood blockbusters, or the big names that play at the top end of town, but the little guys, like us, here at UTP, who reach out to a broad range of people and see the impact that our work has on people’s daily lives.”

In the meantime, state government funding through Arts NSW has allowed the development and launch of a new program for young Aboriginal people Solid Ground 2016. A new partnership between Carriageworks in inner city Redfern and Blacktown Arts Centre, right, Solid Ground 2016 is a new three-year strategy that will provide pathways for young Indigenous people in NSW into the arts and cultural industries. Solid Ground will create designed tertiary education and on the job training programs for 90 young Indigenous people from across Redfern, Waterloo and Blacktown. It has been a long time in preparation and aims to give young indigenous people meaningful connection with school and rewarding pathways for their own futures.

State funding is also assisting the 2016 Sydney Sacred Music Festival, now in its sixth year, scheduled for September 2 to 18 throughout Sydney. Their first major fundraising event presents a great line-up of Sydney’s best world music performers at Camelot Lounge, Marrickville, July 3, 6.30pm for 7.30pm show. Festival founder and director Richard Petkovic, of western Sydney, promises a night of “the authentic, the fusion and the future in world music!”  Tickets and information – click here.

In the meantime, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre has opened bookings for its Way Out West Festival for Children program. An annual event funded by Liverpool City Council, the children’s festival is Sydney’s only free contemporary arts festival for children and will run from July 13 to 16. It’s an extensive and varied program promising lots of fun and which has also been assisted by state funding. Although free, bookings are essential.

Self help and mutual support are key components of region’s theatre development

A wealth of activity in theatre making continues around the region. Two recent youth theatre productions have demonstrated the diversity of theatre making and the people involved in its creation in western Sydney. After 18 months of weekly workshops developing their self-devised show, Powerhouse Youth Theatre presented Team Australia: Stories from Fairfield, left, last month. After warnings that it was intimate, irreverent and deeply political, it seemed surprising that it wasn’t a more blatant political satire, given that “Team Australia” was a favourite slogan of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Maybe that was a benefit. That Prime Minister had only just lost power and the issues of concern to the young people involved were undoubtedly political in other ways – education, immigration, and the rights and opportunities for young women, among them. As with the problem of a simplistic slogan, Team Australia proved an unruly bunch, who never quite corresponded to the expectations of their trainers. An absorbing experience.

Then Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre (CPAC) Youth Theatre, presented their western Sydney adaptation of the 1967 American novel by S E Hinton The Outsiders. It was an ambitious undertaking involving a cast and production team of 60 and engaging local talent and others from metropolitan Sydney, all between the ages of 15 and 25. The Outsiders was the Youth Theatre’s contribution to CPAC’s 21st birthday celebrations and a substantial achievement. Some of the core performers already have fine acting credentials and there were some excellent performances. Perhaps the role that sticks most in my memory is that of Johnny, played by Ivan Hui, above. Ivan provided a convincing portrait of a vulnerable teenager who had been severely bullied, but whose loyalty and commitment to Ponyboy carries them both through dark times.

Ponyboy himself, played by Sam Nasser from Sir Joseph Banks High School, was very credible as a 14 year old with an unusual interest in literature and a flair for keen observation and writing. It’s unfair to single out performers, but among the girls, Ariel Kozelj impressed with her independence and steady demeanor as Cherry, an “insider” who had witnessed the conflict at the centre of the drama.

CPAC Youth Theatre also fosters a close relationship with a specialist school for local students. Campbell House School is a school for specific purposes at Glenfield, which is preparing for their first creative arts festival. CPAC Youth Theatre arranged a fundraising screening of the classic film The Outsiders, with the support of Westfield and Event Cinemas, Liverpool, with proceeds to the school to develop the festival.

In the Penrith area Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School at Emu Plains has been the beneficiary of another local theatre company. Emu Heights Theatre Company is steadily dismantling after five years of a successful program of public productions and workshops tailored for schools. Director Ian Zammit posted photos, left, to EHTC’s Facebook page of the bump-out and farewell to sets and props from Penrith Lock-Up Storage, on Saturday, October 31. He says, “Thankfully we were able to send all our set-pieces and materials to people who will get the most out of it. We are delighted that the legacy of Emu Heights Theatre will continue with bright young creatives in the region: we wish the students and teachers at Nepean many years of usage out of them!”

Ian is also the founder and administrator of Theatre Links in the West. It is open to professionally-minded theatre arts practitioners and supporters of all levels of experience, based in or working from Western Sydney. From the November meeting, he reported, “Electric discussion on the topic of leadership, with several local & freelance performing artists attending, as well as representation for Nepean Creative and Performing Arts High School, Ruby Productions and the Acting Factory.”

Among the topics raised were:

• the need in wider western Sydney culture for our own theatre artists and stories, reflecting the most vibrant cultures from around the world, to be recognised as a vital force for social cohesion and change
• a need for a local theatre hub / venue for networking that also provides access and support for local theatre-makers and companies
• tertiary education for theatre professionals in western Sydney, given growing performing arts school student populations
• more robust and connected career path advice and leadership for theatre arts in primary and secondary schools

The page also carries notice of Q Lab ’16, for which submissions close, November 20. During the first half of 2016 Q Theatre at Penrith will support four independent artists or groups of artists in the development of a new project. Right is Kay Armstrong, If We Are Mad, Q Lab ’15.

Finally, anyone interested in theatre making is invited to attend Theatre Links in the West’s final gathering for the year. It will be a relaxed and informal dinner at Michidora Korean BBQ Restaurant, Penrith, on Tuesday 1 December at 6.30-9 pm. Detail and bookings, click here.

So many causes for western Sydney celebration – birthdays, festivals and campaign progress

So much to celebrate in a crowded schedule that stretches way beyond the boundaries of western Sydney. The first cab off the rank is La Stupenda – a voice eternal, a concert that is a highlight of the 25th anniversary year of the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, at Penrith. At the Joan’s official opening in 1990 Joan Sutherland performed her last ever concert recital, accompanied by her husband Richard Bonynge. The tribute concert 25 years later features some of Australia’s leading classical musicians and vocalists, including The Song Company, outstanding Opera Australia singer Amelia Farrugia, celebrated didgeridoo player William Barton and a world premiere performance of a new work by Elena Kats-Chernin. An elegant night of fine music, wine and canapés. Bookings and information.

Perhaps the concert is not quite the first cab. After several years of campaigning, Parramatta Female Factory Friends has notified supporters its petition has reached the requisite 10,000. Those who signed the petition requesting a parliamentary debate about the protection of the Parramatta Female Factory Precinct, are invited to gather outside NSW Parliament House, 11am Thursday, August 20.  The Friends will present the petition to parliament and invite you join them in the presentation. Although not essential, it would be helpful if planning to attend that you rsvp to parramattafemalefactoryfriends@gmail.com with Yes in the subject.

The program for the 2015 Sydney Sacred Music Festival  has just been announced. This year is the fifth consecutive year of the festival, to be conducted at venues throughout Sydney, and running from September 5 to 20. The festival will open with Sacred Exchange, in the Lennox Theatre, Riverside Theatres, Parramatta. Australia’s Grand Master of the Japanese Shakuhachi, Riley Lee will lead the program and will be followed by Mongolian throat singer and horse fiddle player Bukhu Ganburged (pictured left), the golden voice of Uyghur bard, Shohrat Tursun, Sufi violinist Asim Gorashi and Australia’s leading exponent of the Indian tabla, Bobby Singh. The five performers will demonstrate their sacred traditions through solo performances  and discussion and then come together to create a unique interfaith performance, directed by Richard Petkovic.

Three of the performers – Bukhu, Shohrat and Asim – are members of Sydney World Music Chamber Orchestra, which was launched at last year’s festival and has just finished recording its first CD.The 2015 festival includes a sunrise chanting workshop at Bankstown, a Baha’i choral concert at Mona Vale, the high end jazz/Indian music fusion of Sandy Evan’s Kapture in the Blue Mountains, the dance fusion of tango and flamenco in Newtown and the uniting of Sufi Qawwali and electronic dance music at Campbelltown. Click here for program information and bookings.

Sydney Sacred Music Festival is always a richly rewarding experience and gives prominence to some of the extraordinary talent residing in Sydney’s suburbs, especially the west.

Last but not least come the 21st birthday celebrations of Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre. It was officially opened on October 29, 1994, after a period of five years of intense work by Susan Conroy, who became Liverpool Council’s first cultural planner. In fact she was the first cultural planner in Australia to be appointed by a local government. In 1992, she was joined by John Kirkman, who ultimately became the first director of the Powerhouse. In an inspired partnership and under the political leadership of then mayor Mark Latham, they turned the building from an almost derelict space to one of Sydney’s leading contemporary arts centres.

As present director, Kiersten Fishburn says, “In 21 years, we’ve grown and changed but the core of commitment to community and to western Sydney artists that was established by Susan Conroy and John Kirkman, initiating and first directing the centre, remains true.” Above is a photo of past and present staff published on the current front cover of CPAC’s periodical Generator. In the front row, second from left, is Kiersten, with John Kirkman, centre, alongside Susan Conroy.

Artists and community members engaged with programs range from Aboriginal to a great diversity of cultural backgrounds. David Capra is curating a 21st birthday bash for Casula Powerhouse on October 17 and everyone is invited. Party Party Party will be the opening night of 21, an exhibition celebrating the successful careers of 21 highly respected Australian artists who have shown at Casula Powerhouse during its formative years. 21 will continue to November 29. For more CPAC information click here.

The background to many of these stories can be found in my book Passion Purpose Meaning – Arts Activism in Western Sydney. None of these milestones occurred without a struggle, but their success is inspirational. Check the Book page on this blog and use the blog’s search facility for more information.

 

Passion, purpose and meaning flourish despite unjust government decisions

Passion Purpose Meaning – Arts Activism in Western Sydney is the title of my book, which has spawned this blog. The book was inspired by 40 years of recording the creativity, enterprise and generosity of passionate individuals. These artists and advocates have generated critical change by creating opportunities for others in arts and cultural expression across the region. They have won the support of their local councils, which have then supported the development of local arts centres and programs. The most obvious, though subtle, change among the thousands who have experienced these programs is their growth in confidence, dignity, critical thinking and creative expression. Their numbers are growing all the time.

The recent Deloitte report discussed in an earlier post on this blog, highlighted the extreme arts funding imbalance, proportionate to population, which state and federal governments continue to maintain. The recent federal cuts to Australia Council funding are likely to impact particularly hard in western Sydney. We don’t have any of the flagship companies to be funded by Senator Brandis’s arts ministry. The full title of the Deloitte report is Building Western Sydney’s Cultural Arts Economy – a key to Sydney’s success (my underline). It looks like Sydney is cutting off its nose to spite its face.

Now further fears have been realised with the decision by the NSW government to convert the Old King’s School at Parramatta into a primary school, instead of the long advocated arts and cultural precinct. Any enterprising business or government would willingly pay to have the commitment, resourcefulness and skills that continue to produce so much in the region with so little encouragement.

One brilliant example of these attributes is Wagana Aboriginal Dancers, which has been quietly developing in the Blue Mountains under Jo Clancy’s direction for almost 10 years. ‘Wagana’ in Jo’s Wiradjuri language means ‘dance’.  Following a recent residency at Bankstown Arts Centre Jo, left, introduces her five young company members and her assistant Becky Chatfield to local elders and guests. The five girls aged from 11 to 13, with Jo and Becky, are off Denmark at on June 30, where they have been invited to participate in Dance and the Child International. The work they created and were performing at Bankstown is Sum of My Ancestors. It was inspired in part by questions from the audience when older company members performed at the Commonwealth Youth Dance Festival in Scotland last year.

Audiences asked why they were light skinned, what did their dance stories mean, how did they know them. Wagana dancers found keener interest in their culture abroad than they find at home. Many of the girls have been learning their ancestral stories from early childhood and through participation in Wagana Aboriginal Dancers. Their soundtrack begins with their voices retelling the stories as they portray them in movement. Sum of My Ancestors is just what it says and Jo has encouraged the girls to feel confident in answering question about themselves and their dance in public. Left above, the dancers perform the story of how the waratah flower became red

While the company is grateful for a grant from Arts NSW, the major fundraising for the tour has been done by the company, families and friends. They have raised thousands of dollars from street stalls, trivia nights, raffles, online campaigns, morning teas and events conducted by other community organisations. Their spirit is strong and morale is high. Jo is acutely aware that a company ranging in age from preschooler to adult doesn’t correspond to government funding guidelines. More importantly, however, she knows it is the natural and traditional way for children to absorb their culture and to grow up confident and at ease with their identity.

Another outstanding example of commitment, resourcefulness and enterprise is the recent feature film Riz, given its world premiere at Sydney Film Festival. Developed under the auspice of CuriousWorks and writer-directors Guido Gonzales and S. Shakthidharan the characters of Riz and his friends were based on the real life experiences of Guido. At the age of 18, in 1981, just as Giudo was leaving his Cabramatta high school, he and his friends were confronted with a divisive situation of hope, ambition, expectation, disappointment, social class and cultural difference which tore the group apart.

Guido has always felt regret and imagined there could have been a different outcome. Riz was his opportunity and the culturally diverse cast delivered a nuanced story of authenticity and conviction. Making their first feature film followed CuriousWorks‘ unique model of community collaboration, pairing industry professionals with a cast and crew largely comprised of young people from Sydney’s west. Shakthi and his long-time CuriousWorks collaborator Aimee Falzon created an original soundtrack for the film. In the photo, above, they perform before the screening of Riz at Casula Powerhouse, on Sunday, June 7, as part of the film festival.

To be selected for the Sydney Film Festival was a tremendous achievement for a film shot in Cabramatta and Casula over nine days and at a cost of only $85,000. Garry Maddox wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald, “Festival director Nashen Moodley says Riz depicts a multicultural Sydney he has not seen before on screen. ‘The film looks at the city and class divisions and a character who’s trying to exist in two worlds,’ he says. ‘They did a really good job and there’s a lot of talent there.”

In the photo above, cast and crew answer questions from their large and enthusiastic audience at Casula Powerhouse. They were still dazed with the excitement of their world premiere at a booked out screening at Dendy Opera Quays, the night before, and the Q&A that followed. The film was then to be shown at Dendy Newtown on Monday. Shakti says, “It’s a story about how different parts of Sydney have to find a way to reconcile and get on together.” Imagine the mutual benefit when that finally happens!

Footnote: By the time you read this, I will be in the Andes and then New York. Not sure yet, whether I’ll post again from there, but back July 8.

Death and Biggie Smalls at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre

Death is an inescapable certainty for all of us, but for many people the subject of death is very difficult to approach. Death and Biggie Smalls are two complementary exhibitions just opened at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre. Why Biggie Smalls? Biggie Smalls was a Brooklyn hip hop artist and became the face of East Coast gangsta rap. He grew up in violent surroundings, launched his first album Ready to Die in 1994 and was shot and killed in 1997 at the age of 24. Some of the many facets of death and life are explored in both exhibitions, curated by Toni Bailey. At the exhibitions’ opening on Friday, May 22, Madrid-based performer, choreographer and producer Pepa Molina, above, performed the dramatic flamenco, Pentenera. It was a deeply moving performance filled with grief, anger and mourning.

Death and mourning in a very different cultural context were expressed through the funeral and burial poles of the Tiwi and Melville Islands, right above. Nearby, through a range of animated vignettes, Richard Lewer tells the stories of a series of characters and their wilful or accidental experiences of threatened or actual death. There is quiet philosophising, gentle comedy and real poignancy. It is mesmerising to watch this parade of characters as they are brought to life, right below, with disarming simplicity in a continuous loop of black and white sketches. The vulnerability of being human is all too apparent.

Vulnerability, is also evident in the art works gathered together in Biggie Smalls, below top. Many of them seem like reflections on life and affectionate reminders and mementos of relationships – the threatening, the mundane and the uplifting.

Children and adults are invited to give practical expression to the meaning of death in their lives and the focus it can bring to the values and material items of importance to them. In Shelf Life, visitors young and old are invited to create their own art works from materials provided that represent those things they would most like to take into an afterlife. They then pack their finished items into large clear plastic jars and slide them along a shelf to sit alongside the selections of fellow makers. Three of the opening night Shelf Life jars, lower left.

Death and Biggie Smalls continue at Casula Powerhouse until July 5. My only regret is that exhibition catalogues are not available at exhibition launches, although primary and secondary education kits are already available. Without a personally escorted tour or the use of a catalogue, the lay visitor is at risk of missing some valuable insights.

Deloitte report debunks myths and urges arts investment in western Sydney economy

A decision by the state government to relocate the Powerhouse Museum from the Sydney CBD to Parramatta is provoking controversy. There are those who say that Australia’s only Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences should remain on its present Darling Harbour site, where it is easily accessible. One commentator, who was involved in the establishment of the museum at Darling Harbour, describes Parramatta as being on the periphery of Sydney. In fact Parramatta is now recognised as the geographic and demographic centre of Sydney. People in the east still fail to understand the size and characteristics of Sydney’s western region. At its most expansive, the region encompasses 14 local government areas and almost 9,000 square kilometres. Outlined in black in the map above are the 14 local government areas, with the shaded area to the east (right), the rest of Sydney. It is reproduced with permission of WESTIR in my book, Passion Purpose Meaning – Arts Activism in Western Sydney.

Specious comments from Sydneysiders resisting the move include that people from western Sydney prefer coming to the CBD for the total experience of an outing. Others claim that people from the west are not interested anyway as attendance figures attest, they don’t want to pay and they have other priorities. A report released shortly before the state election debunks these myths. You only have to look at the map to realise that distance, and therefore travel cost, are the major issues preventing access to Sydney CBD from the west. The Deloitte report was jointly commissioned by the Sydney Business Chamber – Western Sydney and the regional river cities of Parramatta, Penrith and Liverpool, with statistical input from other councils, including Blacktown and Campbelltown. Right, Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre (The Joan), Penrith – photo, Penrith Council.

Instead of arguing for social equity in funding, the Deloitte report Building Western Sydney’s Cultural Arts Economy – a key to Sydney’s success argues that greater investment in cultural arts in western Sydney creates opportunities for the government to deliver jobs, investment and social outcomes for the region. The executive summary highlights the grossly inequitable funding to cultural arts in western Sydney, which was first highlighted in 1985 in a report by Fairfield Council. The Deloitte report states, “Today western Sydney represents 1 in 10 Australians yet attracts only 1% of Commonwealth arts program funding, and 5.5% of the state’s cultural arts, heritage and events funding” – despite having 30% of NSW’s population. It defines the first factor driving demand for cultural arts in western Sydney as the region’s population.

“In 2011 western Sydney’s population was 2.03 million, compared to 2.3 million for eastern Sydney. By 2031 western Sydney’s population will reach 2.9 million, overtaking eastern Sydney’s.”  The report discusses culture exclusively in terms of venues and events, but says “the arts however play a unique and central role in cultures development and expression.” Other factors are the gradual transformation of the population to white collar occupations, tertiary educated and a surplus of high value, creative and cultural workers. It states that the cultural and creative economy is a significant contributor to Australia’s economy – contributing a similar gross value as health care and social assistance. Above left, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre – photo Liverpool Council.

The report argues that additional government investment in western Sydney cultural arts venues and events would provide far greater return on investment than other options. Current urban renewal programs in its identified regional cities provide an opportunity for governments to leverage other economic advantages. It cites international examples of such leverage in successful cultural arts precincts in Newark, New Jersey, Brooklyn in New York and Shanghai in China. It notes that NSW’s overall attendance at cultural venues and events is the lowest in Australia and suggests that cultural arts development in western Sydney is already driving attendance growth in NSW.

Recommendations in the report include a commitment of $300 million infrastructure funding over five years to 2020, doubled program funding, relocation of the Powerhouse Museum to western Sydney, the development of a western Sydney cultural arts advisory group, greater coordination between western Sydney councils and “That the state government develops a long term western Sydney cultural arts infrastructure and industry development strategy.” Above, Riverside Theatres, Parramatta – photo Arts NSW.

Among other recommendations are that the Australian Film, Television School and Radio School, along with the National Art School be relocated to the region and that the University of Western Sydney develops new programs to deliver vital tertiary training. Since the closure of UWS Theatre Nepean in 2006, the tertiary education pathways for the cultural and creative arts have been severely constrained.

Right now, there is an example of a talented and well organised group in the Penrith area  facing closure as a result of inadequate funding and resources. Emu Heights Theatre Company is a professional theatre company that has operated successfully for five years. Co-founded by Michele and Ian Zammit, the company’s first production was The Shoe-Horn Sonata by John Misto, the story of two women who were prisoners of war of the Japanese, who meet again 50 years later. It is the production which is now ending the present incarnation of the company and is timely for the 100 year commemoration of the ANZAC landing and the outbreak of the World War I. It is also a fine production, gently nuanced, humorous and deeply moving.

In the five years, EHTC has presented seven productions at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, and three sets of Shakespeare seminars taken to schools around western Sydney. It has worked with scores of talented professional artists and engaged the interest of more than 5000 students and their teachers. Public audiences have been growing. The company believes “that theatre is a means for connection and force for change, and Penrith deserves its own theatre company to share these stories with its community. There is also a sense of frustration: we want to continue! We have learned after five years the ins and outs of what it takes to run an independent theatre company, and we now understand we do not have the funds, resource, nor the personnel and business expertise to do so.” Above, at The Joan, artistic director Ian Zammit with his two leading ladies from The Shoe-Horn Sonata, Annette Emerton, left, and Diana Jeffrey.

Give yourself the pleasure of attending the show before it finishes on May 2 and expand your appreciation of the story by participating in a Q&A session with actors and director at the end of each performance. Click here for bookings. You also have the opportunity to be part of creating a new vision and future for the company. Contact Ian Zammit.

Arts centres, book and blog expand post siege discussion on social harmony

At a time of heightened anxieties and security alerts following this week’s siege in Sydney’s CBD, it’s worth considering the role sustained by arts centres across western Sydney managed by local governments. They make an enormous contribution to the social harmony of local communities. They stimulate conversation and exposure to other ideas, experiences and cultures and their absorption into the minutiae of everyday interactions.

It’s a process that has been growing since the 1970s. “When Professor Andrew Jakubowicz addressed Creative Cultures’ Parramatta forum in 1994, he said art forms are now recognised as being produced in a cultural context that may endow them with different meanings. ‘The process of taking control is, I think, fundamental to the process of community cultural development.'” This is quoted on page 159 of my book Passion Purpose Meaning – Arts Activism in Western Sydney, published last year, which tells the story of this growth. Click on the About and Book pages of my blog, which continues the story. Western Sydney is indeed a frontier society and passionate individuals are working creatively and generously through the experience on a daily basis.

One of the most outstanding examples of this process was the emergence this year of the Sydney World Music Chamber Orchestra, top, under the leadership of western Sydney musician Richard Petkovic. After more than a decade of development, which saw him launch the now annual Sydney Sacred Music Festival in 2011, the orchestra’s first performance delivered three sides of love and death. The work explored the universal themes of unconditional love and rites of passage through the stories and sacred music practices of culturally and linguistically diverse artists who make up the orchestra. The work was created through a collaborative process that transcended culture and faith. Arts centres across the region, from Campbelltown to the Blue Mountains, Hawkesbury to Olympic Park hosted festival events, along with many others across Sydney and suburbs.

Urban Theatre Projects, which works from Bankstown Arts Centre, has been working for 18 months on Bankstown Live, an event for the 2015 Sydney Festival next month. Nine new works have been created by a team of professional artists developed in conversation with local people. Among them is Filipino artist Alwin Reamillo’s Bankstown Bayanihan Hopping Spirit House, the Bankstown Dancing Project (click for the Sydney Morning Herald report) and the world premiere of The Tribe, drawn from Michael Mohammed Ahmad’s book of the same name. Through the eyes of a young child, book and play reveal the life of a small Muslim sect which fled to Australia just before the civil war in Lebanon. Joanne Saad has worked with four Bankstown families to create a photographic project Family Portraits, see above, where audiences are invited to sit alongside the family on the couch, get to know each other and make a new family portrait.

Most arts centres are in areas of rapid population growth and increasing cultural diversity. Change can be disorienting and discomforting for established communities and newcomers. It’s not unusual that newcomers have fled from conflict in their native lands and may arrive traumatised and confused. Like the other centres, Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre (CPAC), managed by Liverpool Council, conducts a program very responsive to its local community. Performances and exhibitions offer insights into other cultures, their ways of thinking, seeing and believing. They offer topics to explore that generate discussion and information exchanges and can have a transformative effect on the attitudes of those participating.

In launching their 2015 performance program, CPAC director Kiersten Fishburn highlighted the collaborative project Origin-Transit-Destination to be presented in March. Described as a “journey to remember in the company of extraordinary asylum-seekers from the war zones of the Middle East”, it will begin in Auburn and culminate at Casula. Kiersten describes it as a remarkable production that offers a vivid experience of what it’s like to be an asylum seeker, who eventually finds safe haven in Australia. Still with a post-conflict theme, but with an exuberant atmosphere is one of Kiersten’s favourites for the year. Cosmic Cambodia, above, is at the forefront of cultural revival in Cambodia. The Cambodian Space Project sound mashes tradition with rock’n’roll, rare groove, soul, and trippy visual spectacle with reimagined Khmer classics and will be at CPAC in May.

Click here for the full 2015 performance program, which includes some highly entertaining children’s shows and some special tribute productions for Liverpool’s commemoration of the Gallipoli landing of World War 1.

Arts funding from state and federal governments contributes to many of these programs, but local government carries the lion’s share of financial responsibility. As we have all witnessed this week, social harmony is a precious commodity and western Sydney has been making a major contribution.