Agenda of Shoalhaven Arts Board

Minutes of the Shoalhaven Arts Board

Meeting Date: Thursday, 8 February 2018

Location: Jervis Bay Rooms, City Administrative Centre, Bridge Road, Nowra

Time: 1.00pm

The following members were present:

Clr John Wells - Chairperson

Clr Kaye Gartner – arrived 1.05pm

Clr John Levett – arrived 1.03pm

Ms Alison Chiam

Ms Karen Akehurst

Mr Peter Lavelle

Others Present

Clr White

Jane Lewis – Recreation, Community and Culture Manager

Coralie Bell – Tourism Manager

Karen Patterson – SEC Manager

Bronwyn Coulston – Arts and Culture Manager

Robin Sharpe – Outreach and Digital Services Manager

Apologies / Leave of Absence

An apology was received from Barbara Dawson.

It was also noted that Ian Grant had forwarded his resignation to the Chairperson. Jane Lewis – Manager Recreation, Community and Culture advised that this can be filled as a casual appointment by the Shoalhaven Arts Board.

AB18.5 Additional Item - Condolences to Barbara Dawson

Clr Wells – Chairperson of the Shoalhaven Arts Board and the members of the Shoalhaven Arts Board conveyed their condolences to Barbara Dawson for the loss of her brother.

Confirmation of the Minutes

Note: Clr Levett arrived 1.03pm

RESOLVED (Karen Akehurst / Peter Lavelle)

That the Minutes of the Shoalhaven Arts Board held on Thursday 07 December 2017 be confirmed.

CARRIED

Declarations of Interest

Nil

Reports

AB18.1 Support for Funding Request - Shoalhaven Regional Gallery Climate Control System	HPERM Ref: D18/25664
Note: Clr Gartner arrived 1.05pm
Clr Wells and the members are in support of the request and it was suggested that this matter be reported to Council for allocation of the funds.
Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority) That the Shoalhaven Arts Board 1. Endorses the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery request for $600,000 in capital allocation to the replacement and upgrade of the Climate Control System across the galleries. 2. Champions the integral role of the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery in the cultural fabric of the region and the need to have a climate control system that meets industry standards.
RECOMMENDATION (Clr Wells / Clr Levett) That: 1. Council vote $600,000 from the Strategic Project Reserve for the replacement and upgrade of the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery Climate Control System 2. Staff seek any Grant Funding that may be available to assist with the forgoing capital cost 3. The Shoalhaven Arts Board champions the integral role of the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery in the cultural fabric of the region and the need to have a climate control system that meets industry standards CARRIED

AB18.2 Events and Festivals Based Awards System - Nominations and Process and Presentation

HPERM Ref: D18/30133

It was noted that this will need to be considered by the Mayor in conjunction with the Australia Day Panel.

It was suggested that this matter be deferred to allow staff to meet with the Working Group and the Mayor.

Recommendation

That:

1. Invitations are extended to representatives from all arts organisations in the Shoalhaven to attend an awards focus group, attached to the proposed professional development workshop.

2. The awards be incorporated in the annual Australian Day Awards in two categories:

a. Oustanding emerging artist – any art form

b. Oustanding contribution to arts and culture

RESOLVED (Karen Akehurst / Clr Gartner)

That:

1. This matter be deferred pending further discussions with the Mayor and the Working Group in the near future.

2. A report be provided by staff to the Board on the outcome of the discussions.

CARRIED

AB18.6 Additional Item - Arts Awards and Nowra Buskers Festival

Clr Wells advised that the Arts Board needs to revote funds from the Arts Awards to another purpose. The Balance is approximately $7,500

It was suggested that some funding could possibly go towards hosting a Nowra Buskers Festival

Jane Lewis – Manager Recreation, Community and Culture advised that Staff can research and report back to the Committee for the possibilities of repurposing the funds.

The report can also include consultation with Steve Russnello from South Coast Tickets regarding ticket sales for such an event.

A recent document by MyTravelResearch that was presented to the Nowra CBD Revitalisation Committee will be attached to the Minutes.

RESOLVED (By consent)

That staff investigate and report back to the Committee on the possibility of reallocating Arts Award funding to the possibility of an event such as Nowra Buskers Festival.

CARRIED

AB18.3 Establishment of an Arts Foundation

HPERM Ref: D18/30221

The Committee discussed the need for the right expertise for membership of a working group to work on establishing an Arts Foundation.

The Working Group can invite relevant stakeholders as required.

Legal fees are estimated at $20-25,000.

Recommendation (Item to be determined under delegated authority)

That the Shoalhaven Arts Board form a Sub-committee to establish a Shoalhaven Arts Foundation, consisting of the following members, (insert names).

RESOLVED (By consent)

That the Shoalhaven Arts Board:

1. Form a Working Party to establish a Shoalhaven Arts Foundation, consisting of the following members:

a. Allan Baptist

b. Alison Chiam

c. Nominated Council Staff

d. Clr Patricia White

2. That the working party have the ability to invite relevant stakeholders as required

3. That the working party provide updates to the Shoalhaven Arts Board

CARRIED

General Business

AB18.7 Additional Item - Lake Tabourie Museum

Clr White - advised that she had recently attended a CCB meeting at Lake Tabourie where an item was raised about the Lake Tabourie Museum.

It was noted at this meeting that the Museum had a visit from a Museum Professional as part of the Museum Advisor Program. The representative made comments that the Museum may hold State and National significant pieces.

Bronwyn Coulston – Arts and Culture Manager advised that Council entered into an agreement with Museums and Galleries NSW (MGNSW) employ a consultant (Margo Jolly). The representative works with nominated museums and has been to a number of museums in the Shoalhaven. The representative will work with Museums and their collection records to elevate the museum practices.

AB18.4 Verbal Updates - Entertainment Centre, Libraries and Arts

HPERM Ref: D18/27854

Art Gallery – Bronwyn Coulston

· Collection Valuation completed, waiting on final report

· Discussions have started with Sydney Living Museums regarding expanding our support for the Meroogal Women’s Arts Prize and furthering our partnership with them

· The Museum Advisor Program – a joint project between SCC and MGNSW has started with 5 volunteer led museums in the Shoalhaven now working with museum professional Margot Jolly. Margot has completed her first visit to the museums and will undertake 20 days per annum of consultation and support.

· The Gallery recently completed the MGNSW Standards Program which helps us to identify areas of growth to come into line with national standards for collecting institutions. The final report has been received and the recommendations will be considered against the 2020 strategic plan.

· Events

o Summer sessions to farewell Soft Core went very well with around 150 people taking part in various activities across the day

o The Margaret Dredge exhibition was well received with 35 people attending the ‘In Conversation’ Event.

o Opening of the current exhibitions saw over 300 people at the galleries. The Iconic Houses exhibition was opened by Lindsay Johnston, Convenor, Architecture Foundation Australia.

· Upcoming events and exhibition

o Promiscuous Provenance by Anna Glynn is the major exhibition the gallery has commissioned in 2018. This exhibition will tour following the show at SRGN, and we already have 4 definite tour venues and a further 3 enquiries.

o Jamberoo Mountain Road – opening 9^th June will be a significant exhibition with several contemporary Australian artists taking part including Ann Cape, Elisbeth Cummings, Euan Macleod, Guy Warren and Luke Sciberras.

o We have been approached by a significant Australian contemporary artist to consider a survey show of their works in 2019. This is an opportunity we are working to achieve, but is dependent on improving gallery climate control systems.

SEC Update – Karen Patterson

Highlights for Q2

· Inclusion of 10 additional wheelchair seats in Auditorium

· 3 sold out shows: Guy Sebastian x1/Carl Barron x 2 shows

· Quarter on Quarter 46.5% increase box office sales

· For Entertainment Centre entrepreneurial shows this is a jump from 813 to 2,750

Queens Baton Relay

· Final stop was at SEC. Looked great. Excellent community event. SEC delivered an intensive community engagement activity. 20 children attended the centre for three hours Wednesday to Friday last week, and then all day on Saturday and Sunday where they devised a performance on the premise of Pass Me The Baton! They worked with Queensland’s Circa Training School and Livewire Studios from Milton. Their performances were excellent. Great feedback from the 10-15 year olds and their families.

Coming up:

· The first show for our 2018 Season this Saturday – Tapestry – sold more than 660 tickets

· On Feb 28 the centre is showing a ripping yarn of an Australian play by Last Cab to Dawrin writer Reg Cribb. It’s a 5-hander and we’d love to have your support. Members were asked – if they would like to see more great Australian writing and powerful stories from here and abroad to come and see a show.

· Advance bookings for commercial hires are extremely healthy.

Working on: Sponsorship policy, an internal uniform policy, and we’re currently scoping our 3-5 year business & marketing plan.

Workshops:

The Tourism Department’s Shannan Perry-Hall is seeking quotes from two local companies. One of our ideas is to seek quotes from a regional even marketing guru so that the workshop can be relatable in terms of local events, marketing channels media etc. Evaluation tools and results used for local events.

It is intended these workshops, focusing on social media and data collection( to assist with event evaluation and eligibility for grant applications) will be delivered in the north and the south of the Shoalhaven in winter – traditionally a quieter time for event planners/committees. The intention is to offer a post-workshop networking opportunity.

We’re aiming to have the toolkit available in May. It will be linked to Council’s tourism grant opportunities. The toolkit will also highlight available grants both local and State. The toolkit will sit within the Business-to-business website for Events on Council’s Tourism website.

Library Services – Robin Sharpe

· Preparing to take delivery of the new Library Mobile Van that will be used predominantly in the Southern part of the Shoalhaven. This vehicle does not require a special driver’s licence allowing all staff to potentially use it. The current schedule is being reviewed in order to accommodate the new van. Launch date is July 1^st.

· The Gen Connect program (delivered in partnership by Shoalhaven Libraries and Community Development) that provides tech assistance to seniors delivered by students of Nowra High has been nominated for a Local Government Excellence Award. This program ran in 2017 and provided much needed one on one tech assistance and also had a huge social connection and engagement impact for both seniors and young people.

· Shoalhaven Libraries have been promoting their newest e resources including OverDrive and Borrow Box which are ebook and e-audio platforms, Kanopy and Beamafilm which are film streaming products and Pressreader which contains over 7000 newspapers from around the globe. These resources are user-friendly and the promotion has been very successful.

· The café in the library foyer will reopen in the coming weeks under the operation of aquatics.

AB18.8 Additional Item - Shoalhaven Literary Awards - Incorporation

Clr Wells advised that the Shoalhaven Branch – of the Fellowship of Australian Writers can no longer take on the Shoalhaven Literary Awards. Council had already provided a donation for $1,500 to the Fellowship of Australian Writers. Clr Wells advised they wished to return the funds.

It was suggested that the Awards be held in conjunction with the Shoalhaven Readers and Writers Festival.

Karen Akehurst (Event Coordinator – Shoalhaven Readers and Writers Festival) advised that she will contact Colleen Duncan to discuss the possibility.

RESOLVED (By consent)

That Council:

1. Confirm with Fellowship of Australian Writers NSW that they are not going ahead with the Shoalhaven Literary Awards 2018

If part 1 is confirmed,

2. Seek the return of the $1,500 donation that has already been allocated.

CARRIED

AB18.10 Additional Item - Albury City Council - 2017 Creative Economy Strategy

Jane Lewis – Manager Recreation, Community and Culture advised that she had met with representatives from Albury City Council presented their Albury Creative Economy Strategy 2017-2021.

The plan took a number of years to create and was established by the Economic Development Department.

The Plan covers Arts and Culture and how this has an economic impact on the City. There is also a range of data in the plan. The links to the documents are as follows:

Landing Page:

http://investalbury.com.au/resources/ecodev-reports

Direct Link:

http://online.fliphtml5.com/zfst/apax/

The Shoalhaven has all of those elements and needs a way that we can bring it all together, with the right help to develop a strategy.

Bendigo is another good example of where arts and culture are strong driver of a Creative Economy. There is huge potential for the Shoalhaven and gives regional areas a point of difference and potential competitive advantage for investment and lifestyle choices.

Recommendation (Clr Wells / Alison Chiam)

That in the planned Councillor Briefing sessions related to CL18.12 – Notice of Motion Health Professionals and Businesses in Shoalhaven and CL18.27 – Beyond Plastic Pollution, the session cover information on the Albury Creative Economy Strategy 2017-2021, taking into account the work done throughout regional Australia in this space.

CARRIED

AB18.10 Additional Item - Resignation - Ian Grant - Shoalhaven Arts Board

Clr Wells advised the Committee that he had just received an email from Ian Grant who advised that he will be resigning from the Shoalhaven Arts Board.

Jane Lewis – Manager Recreation, Community and Culture advised that the Shoalhaven Arts Board can fill this as a casual vacancy to and until 30 June 2019.

RESOLVED (By Consent)

That a letter be sent to Ian Grant thanking him for his contributions to the Shoalhaven Arts Board.

CARRIED

There being no further business, the meeting concluded, the time being 3.04pm.

Clr John Wells

CHAIRPERSON

Shoalhaven Arts Board – Wednesday 09 May 2018

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AB18.12 Art Acquisition Subcommittee - Formation - Membership

HPERM Ref: D18/141858

Group: Finance Corporate & Community Services Group

Section: Recreation Community & Culture

Purpose / Summary

To appoint the members of the Art Acquisition Subcommittee as per the Shoalhaven City Council Art Collection – Acquisition and Management Policy (POL18/23).

Recommendation

1. That the Art Acquisition Subcommittee of the Shoalhaven Arts Board be established as per the Shoalhaven City Council Art Collection – Acquisition and Management Policy (POL18/23) with the following members:

i. Clr John Wells (as Councillor member nominated by Council),

ii. Alison Chiam (Arts Board representative as nominated by the Board),

iii. Barbara Dawson (Arts board representative as nominated by the Board),

iv. Manager – Arts and Culture as Convenor,

v. An invited / co-opted member of the arts community.

Options

1. Adopt the recommendation as printed with the nominated members.

Implications: The Art Acquisition Subcommittee can meet to move on a number of donation, acquisition and cultural gift approaches that have been made to the Shoalhaven Regional Gallery and continue to develop and grow the collection as part of the Terms of Reference and Policy.

2. Choose not to fill the Acquisition Subcommittee at this time and defer the matter to a later meeting.

Implications: A potential delay in the acquisition subcommittee formation will see some artists choose other venues to approach for donations and cultural gift acquisitions, limiting the opportunity of Shoalhaven City Council to further the development of the collection.

Background

The Board, in accordance with clause 3.7 of the Terms of Reference, has the right to establish subcommittees as deemed appropriate to assist in fulfilling its role and purpose. This report recommends the establishment of the Art Acquisition Subcommittee of the Shoalhaven Arts Board as per the Shoalhaven City Council Art Collection – Acquisition and Management Policy (POL18/23) and the appointment of members. This subcommittee will make recommendations to the Shoalhaven Arts Board on the acquisition and purchase of works for the Shoalhaven City Art Collection.

Recent approaches have been made to Council regarding its possible interest in acquiring works. The establishment of the subcommittee and appointment of members therein will enable this process to progress.

The Policy states that an invited / co-opted member of the arts community shall be asked to join the subcommittee. In previous years this position has been held by Deborah Ely (CEO Bundanon Trust) who brought considerable knowledge and valuable advice to the committee.

Deborah will be approached to join the subcommittee again, however, if she is unable to do so, the alternate community members to be approached are Natalie McDonagh, Director / Curator of SeeChange Festival or Robert Hollingworth, Artist and Founder of The Wall Gallery in Ulladulla.

Community Engagement

The acquisition of artworks for the Shoalhaven City Art Collection through donation, loan, purchase or Cultural Gift Program benefits the community by providing access to artworks of significance, that reflect the local landscape, history and community and supports the growing art industry. The Art Acquisition Subcommittee reflects the interests and desires of the community and ensure the relevance and interest of the collection for the entire community.

Policy Implications

The Arts Acquisition Subcommittee will be formed as per the revised Shoalhaven City Council Arts Collection – Acquisition and Collection Management Policy POL18/23.

Financial Implications

A budget amount is allocated each year for the purchase of works for the collection, and unexpended funds are accumulated in an Arts Reserve to form a growing resource to manage the collection - (POL18/23, section 3.1.2). Currently there is $6,200 in the 2017/18 budget (job number 21596 / 10729) and $25,000 in the Arts Reserve.

Under the Policy (POL18/23) section 4.1.8 ‘No acquisition will be made which compromises or jeopardises the financial viability of the Collection budget.’

Risk Implications

Continued delay in forming the Art Acquisition Subcommittee will see some approaches for gifts being rescinded and offers made to other institutions. There is a reputational risk that artists of note will no longer make offers to Council due to deliberation processes taking longer than is reasonable. The collection may not grow and develop in a way that reflects the Gallery’s exhibition programming and the aspiration of artists to have works in Council’s collection.