'They’d rather go play footy': an exploratory study of the enjoyment and benefits of the arts in Western Australia’s remote Murchison region

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 be...

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Main Author: Anwar McHenry, Julia
Format: Journal Article
Published: Wiley-blackwell 2011
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/36585
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author Anwar McHenry, Julia
author_facet Anwar McHenry, Julia
author_sort Anwar McHenry, Julia
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description 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.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-365852017-02-28T01:51:00Z 'They’d rather go play footy': an exploratory study of the enjoyment and benefits of the arts in Western Australia’s remote Murchison region Anwar McHenry, Julia barriers arts change Indigenous policy Australia remote rural culture engagement 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. 2011 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/36585 Wiley-blackwell restricted
spellingShingle barriers
arts
change
Indigenous
policy
Australia
remote
rural
culture
engagement
Anwar McHenry, Julia
'They’d rather go play footy': an exploratory study of the enjoyment and benefits of the arts in Western Australia’s remote Murchison region
title 'They’d rather go play footy': an exploratory study of the enjoyment and benefits of the arts in Western Australia’s remote Murchison region
title_full 'They’d rather go play footy': an exploratory study of the enjoyment and benefits of the arts in Western Australia’s remote Murchison region
title_fullStr 'They’d rather go play footy': an exploratory study of the enjoyment and benefits of the arts in Western Australia’s remote Murchison region
title_full_unstemmed 'They’d rather go play footy': an exploratory study of the enjoyment and benefits of the arts in Western Australia’s remote Murchison region
title_short 'They’d rather go play footy': an exploratory study of the enjoyment and benefits of the arts in Western Australia’s remote Murchison region
title_sort 'they’d rather go play footy': an exploratory study of the enjoyment and benefits of the arts in western australia’s remote murchison region
topic barriers
arts
change
Indigenous
policy
Australia
remote
rural
culture
engagement
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/36585