With 20% of public cultural funding in Australia coming from local government, it’s important that councils share knowledge of best practice in collecting data, cultural mapping and arts planning.
All Culture is Local is a resource developed over a five-year Australian Research Council project linking four universities, four local governments, and peak regional, state and federal agencies. Through case studies and ‘recipes’, the Cultural Asset Mapping in Regional Australia (CAMRA) Toolkit offers tips for better planning in rural and regional cultural development like:
- Reuse existing data to save money
- Use creative engagement for better results
- Include everyone, not just the ‘usual suspects’ and the loudest voices
- Use internal council expertise for research, and share the results with the local cultural sector
- Broaden the definition of local creative industries
- Work collaboratively to share data at regional, state and federal levels to save money
The 2013 CAMRA research was one of the resources sniffed out by Nickin Alexander from UTS: University of Technology Sydney who has been helping us look into best practice, strategic advice and some general top tips on improving cultural diversity in the arts as part of a literature review on public discourses around cultural diversity in the public domain. Stay tuned for more practical strategies and lessons learned from Australia and around the world.
Visit camra.culturemap.org.au to learn more!