‘They'd Rather Go Play Footy’: an Exploratory Study of the Enjoyment and Benefits of the Arts in Western Australia's Remote Murchison Region

Abstract

The role of the arts in the revitalisation and strengthening of Australia's rural, remote, and Indigenous communities has been of particular interest to Australian State and Federal Governments, as reflected through various policy and positioning documents. In order to understand the relationship between the arts and communities, it is important to explore why people engage in the arts and what might be some of the barriers to that engagement. For the rural, remote and Indigenous communities of the Murchison Region, the arts has been a useful way of reaching and engaging with residents to build a stronger sense of community, provide light relief and entertainment, and facilitate communication among community members, government, and industry. However, there are several barriers that impact on the viability of arts projects. These barriers are amplified in rural and remote areas, and particularly for the three case study communities of the Murchison Region for a number of reasons. These include the transient nature of the population, a lack of resources, isolation and remoteness, and local politics, culture and history. The arts can provide a context in which other non‐arts related outcomes, such as health, capacity building, income generation, and so on, are facilitated and achieved. It is important for policy makers to recognise and address the barriers which hinder activity and serve to lessen the impact of the arts on communities.

Developing Praxis: Mobilising Critical Race Theory in Community Cultural Development

“…This evaluation research supports the broader literature about the value of arts practice for promoting participation and contributing to positive individual and group level outcomes (Adams & Goldbard, ; Boal, , ; Carter, Darian‐Smith & Gorman‐Murray, ; Daher, & María Haz, ; Goldbard, ; Matarasso, ; McHenry, , ,; McManamey, ; McQueen‐Thomson, James, & Ziguras, ; Mills & Brown, ; Mulligan & Smith, ; Murray & Crummett, ; Wiseman & Brasher, ), and across the broad areas of economic viability, environment sustainability, social equity (i.e. social inclusion and cultural diversity), civic engagement and community strengthening (Dunphy, ), and rural revitalisation (McHenry, , )(See also Mills & Brown, ). However, through our ongoing engagement with CAN WA, we have increasingly recognised the continuing significance of race in structuring relationships and understandings of self and other, and the limitations of these different projects in effecting substantial and broader level change in a racialised and post‐colonising society.…”

“…an instrumental approach, Mills & Brown, ), without necessarily using community cultural development processes to question the underlying system maintaining oppression. Moreover, the idea that community arts can be used to promote tolerance and intercultural exchange (McQueen‐Thomson et al, ) or create resilience to social inequity (McHenry, , ) can also be problematised, as the notion of tolerance implies a power to ‘tolerate’ (Dussel, ; Hage, ) and adapting individuals and communities to an inequitable societal status quo can be seen as assimilationist. Bringing a critical lens to arts practice and community cultural development can allow us to guard against the romanticising of community culture, in particular Indigenous cultural practice and expression, which will have its own implications, including the essentialising of culture (Dodson, ; Meijl, ), as well as the co‐option of community arts for assimilationist agendas.…”

Impact on community organisations that partnered with the Act‐Belong‐Commit mental health promotion campaign

“…Thus, staff turnover, particularly within the more remote and isolated pilot communities, which are characteristically under-resourced with transient low-density populations and limited resources, is a common difficulty that permeates other amenity and service provision within the region. 25 The impact of these difficulties on the commitment and consistency of partnership outcomes was acknowledged in one of the survey comments: 'we discuss various ideas; when these don't materialise, it is sometimes our reasons not yours'. There is evidence to suggest that overall campaign impact was strengthened by media advertising and additional resources provided through Healthway sponsorships.…”