About us
USQ Creative Communities began in July 2005 with a grant for $8 000 from the Regional Engagement Incentives Fund at USQ. These funds were obtained for Scott Alderdice (Head of Program, Theatre) and Dr Janet McDonald to establish a set of protocols and strategies for measuring and sustaining the vast amount of regional outreach the Creative Arts (particularly Theatre and Visual Arts) undertakes across the Darling Downs and South West Queensland. Creative Communities articulates and implements practical projects so Creative Arts students and staff may enable and sustain regional arts practice that can then be archived and used for research purposes.
In 2005, the Departments of Visual Arts and Theatre were approached by Queensland Murray-Darling Committee Inc., to establish a partnership that sought to create innovative ways to use the arts to teach students about environmental issues in their local areas. Thus began the "jewel in the crown" project of Creative Communities, a partnership project with QMDC worth $80 000 over 18 months called Cultural Catchments. QMDC has provided Creative Communities with access and support in the communities along the Balonne River Dirranbandi, St George and Surat where no less than 25 visits have been made to schools and local community groups between July 2006 - November 2007. Details of these specific projects are proudly displayed on this website and we thank our colleagues Leisa Ferguson, Renee Fletcher, Amelia Radford, and Olwyn Crimp for all their support and encouragement of our work with them.
USQ Creative Communities is also partnered in-kind with the
Faculty of Arts,
Artsworx and the
Public Memory Research Centre whose staff help to support the research and outreach undertaken in the field.
The Team
Teams change from project to project dependant on the skills and experience necessary. Creative Communities draws from the talented pool of students from the various School of Creative Arts degree majors, as well as staff from USQ and combined Arts and Education degree students.
Our core operational staff include:
Mission Statement
The Creative Communities Project is dedicated to developing a raft of creative and cultural approaches which to enable a diversity of creative activity within a regional community to develop and grow. This is supported by an ongoing praxis of encouraging local people to sustain and develop that activity, and to embrace community development as a key priority. Creative Communities also establishes industry best practice problem-solving projects for curricular learning and research purposes, and acts to raise the profile of the University of Southern Queensland as a cultural leader within the region.
Aims
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To develop an ongoing structure and protocols for initiating, implementing, archiving and acquitting artistic and cultural practice in communities.
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To role model effective consultation and engagement approaches in developing cultural capacity in regional communities.
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To develop practice-based learning experiences for the enrichment of curricular leaning & teaching and program-related research.
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To raise the profile and reputation of the University of Southern Queensland throughout the region.
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To develop measurable means of revenue-raising as a part of pedagogical practice.
Objectives
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To establish a comprehensive, mentored management structure for delivering a range of arts-based initiatives to regional communities.
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To develop teaching & learning protocols that position USQ Arts students as key stakeholders in the consultation, planning, implementation, archival and acquittal phases of individual projects.
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To develop key marketing strategies aimed at promulgating a network of Creative Community initiatives, community linkages, and promoting the curricular programs that drive the activities.
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To develop a university-accepted praxis for measuring artistic, community and commercial outcomes of individual projects.
Alison Feldman and Scott Alderdice
21 November 2005