Overview
The 2004 Pilot Program focused its year of activities on the North West region of the State, incorporating schools in and between the Dubbo, Bourke and Moree areas. During the course of the year, over 2500 students from 116 schools benefited from direct participation in the program. The 2004 Pilot Program consisted of a number of strands, as listed below.
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Visual Arts Camp for Indigenous Students
The 2004 Arts Access Camp gave 17 Indigenous students from 6 high schools in North West NSW the opportunity to work intensively with a small group of professional artists in a residential setting. The Camp took place from 10-14 May at Echidna Gully in Armidale. Workshops were conducted by painter/musician Dale Huddleston, photographer Mark Rogers and Head of Koori history and culture at the Powerhouse Museum, James Wilson-Miller. The Camp resulted in significant positive outcomes for the students in terms of their artistic, personal and cultural development, and the strengthening of their knowledge and pride in their own Indigenous culture was particularly noted. The Camp also provided a unique professional development opportunity for the 5 teachers and Aboriginal Education Assistants who attended along with the students.
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Performing Arts Touring Program
The 2004 Performing Arts Touring program took place from 30 August – 10 September. Productions of Sprung by Monkey Baa Theatre for Young People and Buzz, Thump, City, Jump by Australian Theatre of the Deaf toured to venues in Nyngan, Gilgandra, Moree and Walgett.
Students from public schools located in North West NSW and categorised under the Country Assistance Program (CAP) or Priority Schools Funded Program (PSFP) were invited to attend one of these productions free of charge, with all associated transport costs also covered by the NSW Ministry for the Arts.
Approximately 2500 students from 51 schools attended a performance under the auspices of the program in 2004. These were students for whom access to a high quality theatrical production would have otherwise been restricted as a result of geographic, financial or other constraints.
An additional benefit of the 2004 Performing Arts Touring Program was the opportunity for touring productions to present a community performance in each town they visited. This opportunity provided volunteer presenters in these communities with free access to a quality performing arts product.
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Arts Industry Teacher Placement Program
A unique professional development opportunity, the Arts Industry Teacher Placement Program provided high school creative arts teachers with the opportunity to reconnect with the professional side of their chosen artform by way of a four week work placement with a professional arts organisation or institution. In 2004, a visual arts teacher from Wee Waa undertook a placement at the New England Regional Art Museum in Armidale, and a music teacher from Coonabarabran undertook a placement at the Australian Chamber Orchestra in Sydney. Both placements took place during Term 4. The teachers assisted with general duties as well as making significant contributions to the education programs of each organisation.
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Metro Strategy
In 2004, a grant of $5000 each was provided to three Sydney-based performing arts companies and/or venues to enable them to provide ticket and travel subsidies to assist disadvantaged school students to attend their performances. These grants collectively enabled an additional ….students from …. schools to attend a professional theatrical performance in 2004. Whilst living considerably closer to the city than their regional counterparts, these students were found to nonetheless lack economic and/or cultural access to such productions.
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Outcomes
The 2004 Pilot Program was found to contribute significantly to the opportunities for disadvantaged school students to engage with and benefit from the arts. Specifically, the program increased access for remote students and teachers to professional arts experiences; increased student enthusiasm for and interest in the arts; provided unique professional development opportunities for teachers, and offered schools an alternative means of addressing syllabus outcomes.
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