At last Wednesday’s Ordinary Meeting, Bass Coast Shire Council voted to put the Draft Arts and Culture Strategy 2019-2029 on public exhibition.
The new Strategy replaces the 2015-2019 Arts and Culture Plan and will set a new and exciting vision for Council in Arts and Culture.
The community is encouraged to provide feedback on the Draft Strategy during the exhibition period, between Monday, 20 May and Sunday, 16 June. The Strategy can be viewed on Council’s website at www.basscoast.vic.gov.au/artstrategy, or in hard copy at any of Council’s Customer Service Centres.
Following the period of public exhibition, final changes will be made to the Draft Strategy and then the final Strategy will be presented to Council for adoption.
The Draft Strategy sets out a clear vision for the development of arts and culture in Bass Coast. Importantly, the Draft Strategy recognises larger scaled opportunities and long-term strategic arts and culture projects.
Council’s Arts and Culture Advisory Committee (ACAC) acted as the steering group for the development of the Draft Strategy in conjunction with Deep Rock Consulting, the Cultural Development Network and Council officers.
Bass Coast Shire Deputy Mayor Cr Bruce Kent said the development of the Draft Strategy drew on feedback received from consultation with the broader community in early 2019.
“This consultation included an online survey, focus groups and community drop-in sessions, including specific consultation with our community leaders and the ACAC,” Cr Kent said.
“Throughout the development of the Strategy, the ACAC have provided insight and shared their expertise in what the creative vision for Bass Coast should look like.
“Due to a low number of youth responding to early stages of consultation, further youth directed consultation was conducted prior to finalising the Draft Strategy. The additional consultation yielded a further 300 responses from the community.”
In developing the Draft Strategy, key themes emerged, including enhancing Bass Coast as a cultural destination, supporting existing events, welcoming new events, programming and creating greater opportunities for the diverse range of community organisations and youth.
The Draft Strategy has a strengthened focus on cultural heritage and provides scope for a greater focus on Indigenous art and culture. Arts and culture infrastructure and potential precinct development are also included within the plan, along with the continued activation of the Wonthaggi Union Community Arts Centre and the Robert Smith Art Collection.
