A trio of events has caught our eye at Artstate Bathurst, the upcoming regional arts conference and festival organised by Regional Arts NSW.  It’s all happening from 1 to 4 November. Read on!

Nextwave screening

Bathurst Regional Art Gallery
Friday 2 November, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Free and no bookings required

Young people across Regional NSW are telling stories through film, thanks to the Screenwave International Film Festival’s (SWIFF) Nextwave program.

Artstate Bathurst audiences will have the opportunity to see a showcase of 15 of the best short films made by young regional Australians from the past three years. SWIFF’s Nextwave program includes workshops in 65 high schools across Northern NSW at which students learn about filmmaking and mental health.

For more on the Nextwave Screening, visit here.

Panel

Coota’n’Coona: Small Town Solutions to Inclusive Arts Practice
Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre (BMEC)
Friday 2 November, 3:45 pm – 5:00 pm
Included with conference registration

Elise Magrath, Cultural Development Officer, The Arts Centre Cootamundra
Allison Reynolds, President and Public Officer, Creatives Collective

Elise Magrath and Allison Reynolds will explore inclusive initiatives in Cootamundra and Coonabarabran in this Artstate Bathurst session moderated by Executive Director of Eastern Riverina Arts, Scott Howie.

Ripple Effect

Elise will share her successes with Ripple Effect, a regional, inclusive multidisciplinary youth arts initiative between Murmuration and The Arts Centre Cootamundra (TACC). A best practice model for inclusive arts development, artist-led arts centre activation and skills exchange, this two-year partnership has included artist residencies, youth workshops, public events, professional development forums and live performance. These activities have laid the foundations for TACC and the community to build longer-term inclusion strategies for inclusive arts development in the region.

Creatives Collective

Creatives Collective ARI Inc. was formed in June 2017 after the local arts and craft group in Coonabarabran closed their (non-accessible) visual arts weekly practice down. Not to be deterred, Allison Reynolds worked to develop an inclusive artist run initiative that has seen significant growth since their first staging of a festival celebrating art, diversity and culture. Hear about how this art-based social enterprise in Coonabarabran is supporting local artists and people with disability, while attracting tourists to the region.

Presentation

Reconnecting to Place: Creating Community Post-Disaster
Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre (BMEC)
Saturday 3 November, 3:45 pm – 5:00 pm
Included with conference registration

Zeb Schulz, Artistic Director, RealArtWorks Inc.
Sunita Bala, Creative Producer, RealArtWorks Inc.
Mat Daymond, Artist, RealArtWorks Inc. and Tralala Blip
Mike Smith, Artist, RealArtWorks Inc. and Tralala Blip

How can the creative skills and experiences of a minority create powerful community change?

This Artstate Bathurst presentation will be a creative investigation into recovery and resilience through the notion of post-disability. This session will explore how a flood affected city was united through a series of innovative projects based on community narratives.

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Image: still from the 2017 Best Film winner, Perdu, directed by Tallulah Remond Stephen

The page was first published on 19 September.