Regional Review
Issue No. 13 - October/November 2003
Country Arts Sets Regional Scene
On the evening of Friday, 24 October Goolwa’s waterfront came alive with a major public event involving a broad cross section of the community —— local artists in particular.
Local children led a parade through the main street of Goolwa from 5:30 down into the wharf area, where an entertainment stage buzzed throughout the evening with acts including a young funky local band and a performance by Whyalla—based D’Faces of Youth Arts. There were activities for children and roving performers.
This was all part of Country Arts SA’s Third State Regional Arts Conference at Goolwa in October called Navigating Community Through the Arts, the Value of Sustainable Partnerships. The Country Arts SA organisation is dedicated to fostering the arts in regional communities. Headquartered in a gallery and display space at Port Adelaide, Country Arts is a facilitator tasked with managing government funding and seeking help from the business community.
Essentially, the goal is to build up awareness of community assets. Each regional community in South Australia has a unique cultural as well as a unique physical identity. Country Arts SA works with local steering committees who host conferences, to ensure that each program reflects the local environment, local issues and local talent.
This is not big—ticket stuff; a very little money is made to go a long way. For instance, when Federal Minister for the Arts and Sport, Senator Rod K...
