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Veronica Calarco ... Co-ordinatorVeronica Calarco is a Visual Artist who has worked in community arts in the ACT, Kimberley and Northern Territory. In the ACT Veronica worked for Megalo Access Arts and Art Monthly Australia and worked on projects with Megalo, Multicultural Arts ACT and DADAACT, completed an Artist in Residence at Parliament House and initiated shields, a travelling community workshop and exhibition project. Veronica worked for the Kimberley Language Resource Centre on publications documenting Kimberley Languages and was the Kimberley and Central Australia Artnote correspondent for Art Monthly Australia whilst in the Kimberly and Northern Territory. Veronica is currently in Wales (July '04 - January '05), UK for six months studying Welsh and Web Design through the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Mapping New Territory aimed to give people with disabilities an opportunity to try four different art mediums (visual, dance, music and theatre) and to train community art workers in facilitating and teaching art classes for people with a disability. As part of the Mapping New Territory Program, workshops and excursions were held in various venues throughout Alice Springs. As part of an outreach program extra workshops were held at Acacia Hill School (a school that caters for 30 children with disabilities), Old Timers Nursing Home (targeting people with dementia and younger people with disabilities in wheelchairs) and Tangentyere (Aborginal teenage girls). An exhibition was held at Watch This Space (an artist run gallery), a dance performance at Witchetty's and a music performance at the Amphitheatre, Town Council Buildings. Participants in the program ranged from 7 years to 90 years, concentrating on intellectual disabilities, some physcial disabilities and mental health. In running such an intensive program MNT attempted to target all ranges of disabilities and disabilties, in particular people who are isolated from the community. As a result of this program, dance classes are now run at the Youth Centre taught by Barrington Seetachet and Cath S. Art classes at the Art Shed taught by Susie Ciavetta and music classes taught by Cameron Wighton.
Alice Springs is a diverse town, with a strong sense of community feeling. The community consists of long-term residents, recent arrivals, and a large transient population that relies heavily on tourism. Though it is isolated geographically it is a proactive, high-energy community that fights to retains its individuality but when necessary pulls together to share resources. Strengths Most organisations and individuals in Alice Springs were and are supportive of this project, lending resources and space freely. The size of the town and community made it easy to access organisations, venues and individuals. Organisations and Individuals who funded and supported the project:
Weaknesses Organisations in Alice Springs experience problems working together and are often competitive (for funding, services, and clients). Several organisations have a history that currently stops those organisations from working together. The program was hosted by CASA and promoted under the banner of CASART. This aspect was percieved as detrimental in getting community organisations involved, as it was seen as a CASA project for only CASA clients. Many face-to-face discussions with organisations and individuals were undertaken to convince them that this program was for all people with disabilities. People in the arts community were, in principle, supportive of this program but the saying, (which I found is a common one here) 'to many hats and not enough heads' was very apt. Most people with the required skills are over committed with projects, committees and other works. This makes it difficult to find time to contribute to yet another program and is not always possible. Recommendations There needed to be more community consultation prior to the program especially from arts organisations as to how they could assist. Asking and expecting assistance once the program was underway was and is unrealistic. Program The program was an intensive five month series of workshops, public talks and forums, excursions and performances. The time frame for all artists was four week blocks with art and dance classes running two evenings a week for the five months. I was employed for a 64 hour fortnight. Due to the obligations of this sort of project I often ended working up to 90 hours a fortnight spread over the 14 days, with a lot of hours not paid or accounted for. During the five months spent on this project I managed to have two weekends without any work. Workshops ranged from one hour to 4 hours and were integrated so that people of different abilities could access all workshops. A $5 fee was charge per person per workshop. At the request of Casa the fee was waived for Casa clients for the last three artists. With the first three artists there were welcome parties and exhibitions. For the launch of the first program an exhibition of Lorna Crane's art work was held at Watch this Space. For Giri Mazella and Kat Worth, welcome parties were held at Witchetty's with exhibitions of work from Lorna's and Giri's residency. Performances were done at completion of Kat's and Jacinta's residency. The project was promoted through mailouts, flyers, posters, advertising (newspapers, e-bulletins, magazines) and direct contact. Strengths With up to eight workshops a week to choose from and four different mediums to be involved in, participants were able to try a large range of activities at different levels. This enabled participants and their support team to find out what they enjoyed, what worked for them, whether they wanted to pursue the medium further and what times were suitable. Integrated workshops allowed for people of all abilities to work together and to begin to understand other individuals and their disabilities. Excursions were popular with 30 or more attending each excursion. The combination of a social event (bar-b-que in an outdoor setting) and a workshop meant that MNT were able to target more people and introduce them to something they might not attend at an enclosed venue in a workshop structure. The climate and easily accessible natural sites around Alice Springs made these excursions possible. A $5 workshop fee was charged as in most mainstream community workshops there is a cost factor. It also adds value to the activity. The price was set as something that was affordable and that clients were used to paying. This fee was later waived for CASA clients so they could attend more workshops and for others in the community when I felt that the cost was stopping them from attending. The money recieved was then used for MNT expenses, with the extra being returned to CASA. Promotion began with ads in the local paper, Art Monthly Australia and on e-bulletins such as RedHotArts, Arthub and Regional Arts Australia. Notes about the program were mentioned each month in Art Monthly Australia Artnotes, if relevant, and both local papers wrote articles. Mailouts of flyers and invites were posted out to a mailing list which consisted of address from the previous co-ordinator, CASA, Disability Liaison Services, Art Shed, Watch This Space and other contacts made. Flyers and posters were placed around town in popular spaces. Word of mouth, individual meetings and home visits proved to be the most successful way of promoting the project. Weaknesses Workshops were designed to be accessible for all (mainstream and people with disabilities). Though this helped with filling a workshop it often proved difficult for the artists and was not always practical. When people without a disability attended the workshops they often ended up assisting others which inhibited their learning and put them in the role of assisting the teachers. Having people of all abilities in a workshop often means that the teaching is targeted at one level of ability and others of different ability do not get the full benefit of the workshop. Short workshops proved to be the most successful and manageable. After two hours the participants would often get tired or lose concentration. The intensity of the program over such a short time didn't allow for immediate or future planning. With one week between each artist, there was limited time in which to assess the success and failures of the previous stage and where it could go from there. As the funding and current plans focussed on this particular program any plans for the future now require further funding to be sought. This means the energy and interest stemming from this program will have to be generated again if the funds are not forthcoming to ensure the continuity of Mapping New Territories or similar arts program for the community. Participants did not plan what workshops they attended with an aim to learning specific skills. It was hard to get people to book into workshops which made proper planning for the workshop difficult. Attendees were often late which would disrupt classes and made it hard for the participants to join in the flow of the class. Attendance at Public Forums and talks was low, with limited or no attendance from the target group (support workers, administration staff of disability organisations, etc). Casa staff (administration and support workers) did not attend any public forum or workshop. Casa did not attend the Public Forums were the artist's presented their reports. Workshops designed for support workers also had low attendance. When Casa support workers were approached about their non-attendance they said they were unable to get time off work - if they took a shift off then they would lose that shift's pay. The launch and exhibition opening was well attended with the next two welcoming parties receiving less attendees. Due to this no welcoming party was held for the last artist. Advertising in the local papers did not generate much response, with seven calls received in response to ads. Recommendations Project: More time needs to be allowed between artists to allow for discussions about that segment and future planning. When applying for initial funding, funds should be sougth to run weekly classes resulting from the medium with the mentoree. This would give the mentoree opportunity to apply their newly developed skills, continue to develop the participants skills and enthusiasm and continue the energy of the program. Future: Workshops should be planned for the different abilities of participants (low or high support) with at least two workshops in each medium. Future workshops should be based on a semester or term based period with appropriate aims. Artists Four artists from different mediums were invited to Alice Springs to run arts priming workshops for people with disabilities and provide professional development workshops and mentorship to a local artworker. The artists were selected by Jack Nicholas and approved by Casa. Strengths Each artist brought different skills, knowledge and teaching techniques to Alice Springs, which could then be applied to teaching in any medium. All artists were committed to passing on their knowledge and skills to participants, organisations, other artists and support workers and to myself. Artist provided advice and recommendations throughout each stage on how to improve the current project. This was helpful in reaching further audiences and running a more cohesive program. Weaknesses Not all artists selected were experienced in working with people with intellectual disabilities. Some artists had previously worked with children and in the mental health field which presented different issues to the ones that needed to be dealt with in this program. The four week residency provided an introduction to the community, but did not necessarily give the artists time to understand and really assess the needs of the Alice Springs community, which they were being asked to comment and advise on, especially as some artists had limited experience in different communities or did not feel they should be involved in anything but presenting workshops. Recommendations Project: Several artists should be initially selected for each medium with a panel (PRG) making the final choice. Artists should stay for a longer time. Mentorship Each artist mentored a local community artist. The mentoree attended workshops, observed and assisted the artist and discussed issues arising from activities in the workshop. Training of the mentoree was informal and the artist and mentoree set their own standards and time they put into it. Each mentoree devoted the four weeks entirely to the program and were all eager to learn and to pass on skills that they had with the community. Mentorees were selected on the basis of their commitment to the Alice Springs community, their current work commitments (all mentorees were able to take the four weeks off from other work commitments and studies to participate fully), their interest in disability and their current community and/or arts practice. Strengths This was the most successful part of the program with all artists praising this component. It provided the artists with someone to directly pass their skills to, discuss the workshops, participants and program and assist in providing local knowledge of the community. All mentorees worked hard and contributed to the program. All were willing to learn and to participate and to continue in an ongoing fashion. Mentorees assisted with extra work such as transport, collecting of workshop fees, promotion, looking after the artist, etc. This assisted the administrative side of the program. There are now four artists skilled in working with people with disabilities; planning classes, teaching, facilitating, etc. All mentorees are involved in community projects and work and will now consider the needs of people with disabilities in the future. Weaknesses Although I was successful in choosing four wonderful mentorees that contribute to the community and contributed at a high standard to the project, the low wages ($250 a week), the expectation that someone is able to devote four weeks out of their normal work life and the full on program did stop others from applying and is something that needs to be considered in setting up future mentorships. As the program expected to get qualified artists to train the wage needs to reflect this. Not everyone is able or willing to take four weeks out at low wages. Recommendations Mentorees need to be paid a liveable wage. Training of two mentorees would make the future more substainable. Participants Participants were predominantly adults with intellectual disabilities. In the beginning of the program participants were drawn from CASA but with promotion and word of mouth people began attending from other organisations and the mainstream community. Strengths Being hosted by CASA meant that the program had an immediate pool of participants whilst I was able to target and concentrate on other participants. Participants have now been introduced to a wide range of mediums and have developed skills in new areas. They have developed recognisable self esteem and self confidence in their ability to interact socially with other people and take pride in their own efforts and achievements. Some participants who were previously isolated in the community have now participated in the community, which has broadened their horizons and opened up a new world to explore and conquer. Weaknesses People with a disability are often not used to movement and freedom to make their own decisions. Because they are often have support workers to assist them in every day activities they and their lives are very controlled. Often in a workshop a support worker or teacher will push the participant into making the movements or participating in an activity, before the participant has the chance to decide what movement they could or would like to make. This takes away the participants ability to make decisions, to find out how far they could push their own abilities and/or overcome their boundaries and inhibits their enjoyment of the process. This has highlighted the necessity for support worker training and for the establishment of processes and procedures for support workers. Punctuality was an issue with some participants up to an hour late for a class. This meant that participants when late would miss the introduction to the class and then could not follow the sequence of the class. Latecomers distract other participants. It limits opportunities for people with disabilities that are offered within the community and disregards the participants rights. It takes a lot of time to convince people who are isolated to participate and can only be done on a one-on-one basis. This often involved visiting a person's place of residence, convincing the support team (especially in the case of people who could not make their own decisions), arranging transport with frequent follow up. People often become comfortable in their isolation and need a lot of hand holding to break through the barriers that have been set in place. Recommendations Workshops should be separated into low and high support or high and low mobility. For the program to be substainable more time needs to allocated to visiting and liaising with possible participants. Punctuallity needs to be addressed in regards to participants rights. Individual consultation needs to be made with the teacher by Support staff or the supporting organisations after a few classes to access whether the participant is suitable for the medium and whether support staff needs to be provided. Participants oftne need to attend up to five classes before this can be decided (some participants need to observe before joining in). This consultation time should be factored into funding. Support Staff Support staff attended the workshops with participants. The artists were able to attend support workers meetings at CASA to talk about the program. Workshops were set up for the support workers, many were unable to attend due to work commitments as this program took support staff out of their normal routine and caring role. Staff often didn't know what their role was in the context of a class. Kat had guidelines developed for Restless Dance Company, which we modified and handed out to support workers. CASA later invited me to present a workshop to Support Workers during their paid time. These guidelines can be found on page ???. Strengths Support staff were open to new experiences and learning new skills and ways of relating to their client. Support Staff set an example to their client in how to participate. Weaknesses If a Support staff didn't want to or couldn't participate this would affect the mood of the class and their client. Shift changes meant that clients would be pulled out of a workshop. Support Staff were unable or unwilling to attend workshops designed for them. Recommendations Training of Support Staff should be run during work hours on their role in workshops. Support Staff who are interested in the workshop should be selected to attend with the participant. Shift changes should be made prior or after a workshop, with enough time afterwards for the participant not be rushed. Project Reference Group The Project Reference Group was set up by Jack Nicholas. The members were Michele Castagna (Disability Liaison Services), Virginia Heydon (Alice Springs Youth Art Group), Robyn Manley (CARDHS), Andrew Harrison (CASA client), Margie Furber (FACS), Chris Absolom (Acacia School), Tashka Urban (musician). Other people were invited to attend representing different organisations but limited time meant that other people were unable to join the PGR. Meetings were monthly, held at Disability Liaison Services Office. Strengths The people invited to be on the Project Reference Group were long-term Alice Springs residents with a good understanding of the community and of the arts and disability sectors. All were keen for this program to work successfully and happy to contribute their knowledge and what time they could. When issues were raised they assisted in any way they could, offering advice and concrete solutions. Weaknesses Although having a CASA client on the PRG was good representation, confidentiality was a problem and it was sometimes awkard to talk a problem out, with extra meetings being scheduled to accomodate this issue. Not all members were able to attend regulary with the same adage of 'to many hats not enough heads' applying. Recommendations People from both arts and disability organisations should be invited and encouraged to join the PRG, especially from CASA, Bindi and St Mary's. Funding The project was funded by The Australia Council for the Arts, ArtsNT, Araluen, Alice Springs Cultural Precinct and Department of Health and Community Services. Other funding was applied for and not received. CASA as hosting agency then picked up the shortfall. Funding shortfall meant the project could not run as originally planned, with cuts to essentials such as materials, promotion, accommodation, transport, wages. My time as co-ordinator was cut short by six weeks finishing one week short of the last artist. This report was then prepared on my own time. The last artist did not recieve the support necessary during her residency because my hours were cut. The last artist also had to find her own accomodation and transport. Visual art workshops had to be restricted because of being unable to buy suitable materials. Other alternatives suggested were to have one less artist visit, but CASA decided to go ahead with the last section of the program. CASA found themselves in the position of having to fund the program out of their own budget. Recommendations Before starting a program of this size there needs to be a stronger infrastructure in place. Secure funding needed to be assured. Funding for the immediate future should be sought when seeking the initial funding. A three to six month wage needs to be sought for a co-ordinator to continue the current program with the mentorees, to seek out more participants and to apply for future funding. Transport Transport is an essential item in any disability program for both the artists who have a lot of equipment to transport and for participants. Transport was provided as inkind support by CASA, Disability Liaison Services, Disability Advocacy and individuals. CASA had initially promised a car in grant applications, but due to other commitments was unable to contribute a full time vehicle to the project. Twice CASA was able to supply a vehicle fulltime - the first artist received a car for three weeks of her residency and the third received a van for the four weeks. When a car was supplied I worked 30-40 hours less in each residency. For the rest of the program cars were arranged on a day to day basis through CASA and other organisations and individuals.
When the artist and co-ordinator had full-time access to a car the program run smoothly. Without a car a lot of time went into looking for transport - often not knowing if there would be transport until the last moment. It made it hard to plan the days ahead and also meant that if unexpected opportunities to meet with people arose it was not always possible to take advantage of them. Recommendations A dedicated car is needed. Venues Witchetty's was orginally selected as the venue for all workshops, but with lack of funding and previous bookings other venues had to be sought. Final venues were Territory Craft, YMCA, Youth Centre, Art Shed, Garden Room, excursions to outdoor venues. Accessiblity was the main consideration in choosing venues to hold workshops. Lack of funding also meant selecting spaces that could provide the for free or at a low cost. Not all buildings in Alice Springs are set up for easy accessibility. Venues like Watch This Space and the Art Shed, although accessible (ie low or no steps) do not have accessible toilets (the Art Shed used the passage to the toilets as storage space and for the program cleaned it out). Territory Craft was accessible but has a lot of equipment that makes it hard to move wheelchairs around and does not have an accessible toilet though there are some nearby for use during the day. As in all art venues in Alice Springs the height of tables are unable to be adjusted to suit wheelchairs. The Garden Room has one accessible door and accessible toilets. Witchetty's (as a fairly new building) is accessible in all ways. YMCA is accessible, though has a step leading into the room. The Youth Centre is accessible, with parking at the rear, though the toilets were a walk from the venue. Having the workshops at different venues allowed for participants to visit different organisations and mainstream venues. Being in venues were passersby could see the workshop allowed for people to ask questions and sometimes join the workshops. This could also prove to be a problem as participants got used to attending one venue and would occassionally turn up at the wrong venue. Costs for venues ranged from free as inkind support (Territory Craft, The Art Shed, Watch This Space, The Garden Room, The Museum) $15-16.50 hour (YMCA and Youth Centre) to $124 day (Witchetty's). Accomodation Accomodation was planned for the Messhouse at Araluen. Due to previous bookings and no budget other accomodation had to be sought. Artists were finally placed in a one bedroom unit at the Sienna Apartments in Heavitree Gap, 5km from town. This was the cheapest accomodation Alice Springs has for short-term stay ($165 per week, Messhouse $330/w or $550 in tourist apartments). Sienna Apartments proved to be a problem for transport as there was restricted public transport and with the equipment and materials each artist required for workshops transport had to be provided. I lent a bike to two of the artists, which was good for out of hours transport but not appropriate for in hours transport and only appropriate for the artists who were fit. Office space was provided as inkind support by CASA and later by Disability Liaison Services. Office space at CASA was in a shared office with two Support Client Officers, which led to concerns about privacy issues as I was privy to private phone calls and conversations about CASA clients. It also made it hard to invite outsiders to the office. There was one slow computer to be shared between three people. Disability Liaison Services then offered space and a computer. This proved to be more successful as it was in town which made accessitibility to all venues and people easier and had a fast computer that only I accessed. It was also a good venue for making contacts for possible participants. Working in both offices, especially CASA's, gave me an insight in how disability works in both an organisation and in the community.
For further information contact vmcalarco@bigpond.com. |
