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See you at the Edge! by Arthur Frame 19 July 2006 Reprinted with kind permission from Arts Hub
Australia THE PACIFIC EDGE IS REGIONAL ARTS AUSTRALIA'S FIFTH There are two types of people in the Arts in Australia, those who have been to a Regional Arts Australia National Conference and those who wish they had! If you haven’t already heard about what promises to be the largest ever regional arts gathering in the country or registered to attend the Pacific Edge, you’ve got until 24 July to secure the earlybird rate and until 15 September to bus, car or plane your way to Mackay in tropical North Queensland! For a year now we have been working zealously to create a truly unique opportunity for you – the chance to immerse yourself in the Arts in the most fabulous location. With less than two months to go, I’d like to give you the inside on the Edge and a taste of what this nationally significant event will offer! Since its inception in 1998, the Regional Arts Australia National Conference has developed unique ways to reflect the growing significance and diversity of regional arts. Originally designed for the ‘grassroots artsworker’ these conferences now attract delegates from all facets of the Arts industry from the grassroots regional artist, volunteer and artsworker to the corporate and government sectors. The Pacific Edge is for everyone. For those of you who are envisioning a traditional conference I want you stop and wipe that image from your mind now… The Pacific Edge – part conference, part festival – all art! will showcase the best in regional arts performance and practice, celebrate the artistic and cultural connections between Australia and the Pacific region and provide an invaluable opportunity for cross-cultural exchange as we welcome international arts colleagues to the edge. It will be a heady mix of performance, visual arts, real world experiences and new ideas. As the fifth National Conference, the Pacific Edge is distinctively different from previous years. This can be attributed to the programming process. In October last year, we put a call out to all arts enthusiasts from around Australia and internationally to submit creative concepts for inclusion in the program; the response was overwhelming to say the least, receiving over 300 concepts. Using the priority issues identified by a national consultation process (conducted by Regional Arts Australia), we carefully selected concepts that were relevant and responsive to these issues. The result - a program that is the voice of regional arts today. So what exactly is in the program? Well with up to eleven venues running simultaneously and over 150 speakers and presenters here is just a taste… get out your dance shoes and find your rhythm with Raw Metal Dance Company and master Drummer Grant Collins. Journey to the Pacific with Crossroad Arts and share the trials and triumphs of the South Sea Islanders as they struggle to gain their identity as a distinct cultural group in Australia, in the screening of Stori blong yu mi. See how the Arts have allowed the Eyre Peninsula Community to heal and tell their stories after the devastating fires of 2005, discuss and debate arts partnerships and funding, learn about Kenaf (an agricultural product) and its role in the Arts and see how the Australian Film Commission is providing regional communities with the opportunity to directly participate in touring film festivals. Hear from significant Arts contributors in our keynote presentations; learn about the principles and processes for creating arts and culturally based community dialogue and engagement as Barbara Schaffer Bacon, Co-Director, Animating Democracy – Americans for the Arts from New York, shares stories from the US arts-based community. Investigate the key factors of a successful festival as Bill Hauritz, Executive Director of Woodford Folk Festival examines the issues faced by festival organisers and what can be done to overcome the challenges. Explore how the arts and culture can provide us with a new and exciting place to inhabit as we move towards cultural unity, with Rhoda Roberts, Festival Director for The Dreaming. For more information and to view the full program visit our official website www.thepacificedge.com.au or call I AM EVENTS Tel 07 3834 3333 for a hard copy. If you’d like to receive fortnightly updates on all the Pacific Edge happenings and for detailed program highlights, whilst online, make sure you subscribe to our e-bulletin. See you at the Edge! Arthur Frame
Arts Hub Australia
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