Making Spaces: How can the arts teach us, if it can’t reach us?
Blacktown Arts | where are we?
- Blacktown City is located on Darug Country in Western Sydney.
- Current population: 332,000
- 45% of population are under 35yrs old
- 2.7% of population identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander
Community profile
More information
Bidwill & FUNPARK
- Located in the Blacktown City suburb of Mount Druitt
- Population of approx 5000
- Average age 25
- Average income $686.00
- Unemployment rate 10.5% compared to 5.7% in greater Sydney
(See demographics)
FUNPARK:
Festival launched in 2014
Led by artist Karen Therese and facilitated by residents, local community organisations and arts organisations.
Encourages community to work together and produce the event
Fosters a positive perception within the community about themselves
(See Video)
Youth Theatre Initiatives:
Led by Natalie Rose and Christopher Dunstan
Encourage participants to create, devise and develop the production from concept-performance.
The Drawing – 2015
The Hungry Games – 2016
Youth Theatre Group – 2016 – present
The West Sessions
Initiated in 2016 by Eric Fortaleza and Dom Cabrera, through the 2016 Creative Residency Program.
Returned in 2017 as part of our curated performance program as – The Western Sydney Jam Session.
Began with a large pre-existing network of musicians – teens and young adults.
Forced us to consider creative and sustained ways of engaging this community with our brand identity as “Blacktown Arts”, rather than just connecting with us as a venue.
Network of Musicians.
Spotify Playlists.
(Featured artist: Kealoana Stevenson)
Creative Arts Fund
Goal: To increase the number of applications from local youth organisations from 10 to 15 in 2017
Strategy: Targeted advertising campaigns on Facebook and Instagram
Outcome: 15 applications were received from local youth organisations
Cost: $680.27
Read more about the Creative Arts Fund:
Successful applicants
Moving Forward
VIDEO: Darrin Baker, We Are Astronauts
Earlier this year we commissioned artist Darrin Baker to work with the Bidwill community to present a new video work as part of FUNPARK 2017. Darrin and the community have encapsulated perfectly the landscapes of Bidwill, the macro and micro nature of community engagement and the ethos that our artists embody through their work with the people of Bidwill.