The Arts on Top Forum was recently held at the Bunya Mountains. A breathtakingly beautiful, special, and ancient place. A part of the Wakka Wakkka nation and holding deep significance to many Aboriginal tribes as an important meeting place. The keynote address by Dr Bianca Beetson gave us all space to pause and engage in Dadirri – the process of deep listening, as described by the 2021 Senior of the Year, Dr Miriam Rose Ungunmerr AM.

In a world full of uncertainty and constant change, this was a forum of good news stories; the sharing of best practice stories and arts industry bodies detailing their level of support across the many incredible and varied projects in their region.

The forum gave a pause to the busy-ness of the daily routine, gave a chance to connect with other artworkers and associated professionals. Personally, it is both reassuring and somewhat intimidating – all at once, to be in the company of fellow creatives.

An emerging growth industry in the arts is disaster recovery artworkers. Artworkers go into communities post natural disaster, giving space via creative arts workshops to the trauma following a disaster for everyone. Holding space for the processing of the emotions associated with the event – the intensity, trauma, fear, grief. We are complex beings, it is important to acknowledge the series of emotions that we go through, and important for children to have a space to explore the complex emotions they are feeling.

Presentation by GOMA staff, Henri Van Noordenberg and Terry Dean, looked at several areas around community and regional engagement in the arts. This was followed with a clarification of what is arts learning. The following explanation was offered: Arts learning is about process, the skills of process, being aware of the cultural lens through which you ‘see’ and ‘understand’ things, decision making and communication.

Art is complex to unpack and explain, I thought the following was an articulate explanation: art takes the abstract to the tangible and then back to the abstract.

The tricky interface between the creative project and the way arts is required to be quantified for understanding by departments and funding bodies, becomes easier the more partnerships develop to allow for multiple minds to interpret an idea giving professional insight to where it fits in the boxes.

To gain support for the arts as artists we need to understand its’ relevance in society and communicate that clearly. What I took away from that is: keep on doing awesome creative arts and music events that challenge, comfort, heal, inspire awe and wonder, and thought, provoke conversation, and create beauty.

- Mel Forbes, TN Arts Projects