Creative Communities

Creative Communities: Overview

Creative Communities is a holistic platform for a series of programs that provide arts and cultural activities for individuals, groups, organisations and subcultures within the Townsville region.

The aim of Creative Communities is to undertake collaborative partnerships through identified opportunities that support, promote and enhance cultural life in Townsville. Further, these programs also add to the creative economy for artists, arts workers, businesses and organisations in the Townsville region by creating opportunities for employment and business opportunities, which in turn enhances the cultural capacity of the region and provides cultural experiences for Townsville residents.

In total during 2013/14 there were 498 programs delivered at Pinnacles Gallery, Perc Tucker Regional Gallery and outside venues.

The following is a brief breakdown of some of the core programs:

+ art-box is an under 5s program run on the first Tuesday of each month at Pinnacles Gallery, and the third Tuesday of each month at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery. art-box is a free art making activity for under 5s and their parent/ guardian, and has seen an increase in programs and participation during the 2013/14 financial period. James Cook University students have been assisting with this program as a form of professional development through the JCU Student Project Bank initiative. Students devise a workshop, present it to Gallery Services staff and then deliver it before reflecting and receiving feedback.

+ Family Fun Day has become a staple for free children’s workshops on the third Sunday of each month at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery. This free two-hour art workshop is delivered by Gallery Services staff. Each month provides a new art activity that relates to the exhibition on display in the Gallery.

+ Art Workshop Programs occurred throughout the year with a total of 175 workshops delivered for 3 476 participants. Devising and delivering workshops for children, teens and adults creates paid opportunities for artists in our region and is also a revenue source for Gallery Services.

A highlight of the 2013/14 financial year has included a Forward Thinking Fashion workshop for youth led by local fashion designer Cassandra Pons. Pons introduced participants to a range of basic design techniques before challenging them to create a fashion design from recycled materials and modelling it in a Gallery fashion show.

Another highlight was a series of Life Drawing Workshops led by artist Gerald Soworka. Over a six-week period, participants were led through a series of exercises to further observational abilities and their understanding of the human form. This workshop was fully booked out.

+ Art Escape continues as Gallery Services school holiday art program for children to ex plore creativity and have fun making art.

Art Escape provides paid workshop oppor tunities for five artists each school holidays and workshop attendance has been increasingly strong with many workshops booked out or near capacity. A total of 26 Art Escape programs have occurred for 263 paying attendees.

+ Exhibition Launches and Events accompany every major exhibition at both Galleries and in conjuction with the majority of small spaces exhibitions.

Highlights of the year include a staggering 793 attendees to the launch of the Glencore Percival Portrait Painting Prize and a private reception for His Excellency the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia and Lady Cosgrove at Perc Tucker Regional Gallery.