Arts

Creativity expresses Australia’s cultural diversity, through dance, music, drama, television, cinema, visual and plastic arts and writing. Here you can blog, follow the news, check out events, and engage with artists in exploring how diversity and the arts collide and produce exciting, engaging and edgy experiences.

News

Hanifa Deen tired of the "M" word

Written by Administrator Tuesday, 24 August 2010 18:18

Hanifa Deen is fed up with writing about Muslims, reading about Muslims, defending Muslims and obsessing about Muslims in general but is having trouble getting off the ‘Muslim merry-go-round’.

In this Lunchbox/Soapbox presentation, Deen offers her vision for extending multiculturalism beyond tokenism. She also warns against oversimplification and the temptation to see ‘communities’ rather than individuals, and suggests a marketing campaign for Muslims – including a handful of star recruits who might help to bring Islam to the Australian heartland.

Cambodian refugee stories launched by NSW Migrant Heritage Centre

Written by Administrator Thursday, 22 July 2010 11:02

Refugee survivor Phiny Ung describes her struggle to reach Australia, in the new NSW Migrant Heritage Centre online exhibition site detailing the refugee and immigration experience of post-1974 communities. In interviews undertaken by the Centre's Andrea Fernandes, the immigrants explore their backgrounds, travel and settlement experiences. The first video of Phiny Ung, recounts her childhood in Phnom Penh, and her struggle to survive until finding refuge in Australia.

Songs of Hope at British Council event Sydney

Written by Administrator Tuesday, 06 July 2010 13:06

Songs of Hope In June, the British Council supported the Australian visit of Streetwise Opera’s Chief Executive, Matt Peacock. In conjunction with Melbourne’s Choir of Hope and Inspiration(formerly the Choir of Hard Knocks)and their Founding Music Director, Dr Jonathon Welch AM, Peacock spoke about the power of music to improve people’s quality of life.

Streetwise Opera uses music as a tool to help people who have experienced homelessness move forward in their lives. They do this through a weekly music programme in 11 homeless centres around England, and by staging professional opera productions. See information on Streetwise Opera

Established in 2000, the company has attracted institutional and critical attention for their progressive productions, including 2004’s Time Flows (“a Handel & Hendrix Experience”) and their recent collaboration with electronic composer Mira Calix, My Secret Heart.

P Abood at Brit Council In Sydney, Matt Peacock, Jonathon Welch and Australian academic Dr Paula Abood gave a public talk in association with Opera Australi. Dr Paula Abood emphasised the need of making arts in Australia culturally and lingusitically inclusive. Currently the field of arts and music is exclusive and accessible to fewer communities. The way forward is by bringing about inclusive models in practice such as Streetwise opera. The talk was attended by social workers, artists and community development workers.

In Melbourne, Streetwise Opera gave music and performance workshops with the Choir of Hope and Inspiration, and Matt Peacock and Jonathon Welch participated in a forum discussing music’s ability to assist people experiencing homelessness and disadvantage.
See Arts at British Council

Curating diversity: a challenge for post-multicultural arts

Written by Administrator Wednesday, 16 June 2010 22:25

Goodwin, Cmielewski and Jakubowicz Goodwin

London Tate gallery curator and Goldsmith's college honorary associate Paul Goodwin (pictured left - using Hipstamatic on iPhone, with Australia Council's Cecelia Cmielewski and ICD Chair Andrew Jakubowicz) has told a Sydney audience on Tuesday 15 June that galleries and museums need to refocus their attention on the centrality of diversity.

Casula Arts launches national project with Muslim women

Written by Administrator Thursday, 10 June 2010 10:54

Community Partnerships

MUSLIM WOMEN'S ART PROJECT

Commencing soon

The Muslim Women's Arts Project is a national arts engagement project, funded by the Human Rights Commission and the Australia Council for the Arts. Scheduled to commence this June Casula Powerhouse is calling Muslim women of to be a part of this national arts initiative. We are looking for eight women artists, artisans, curators, writers and cultural producers and we want you to create artwork with their communities.