A cultural strategy is an action plan which guides a cohesive and collaborative approach to cultural development and activity.
This cultural strategy is for everyone on lutruwita/Tasmania’s West Coast, and is intended provide the general public, artists, audiences, venue owners, festivals, tourism associations, businesses and West Coast Council with a shared vision for sustainable arts and culture in the region.
It could be used to guide investment decisions, plan new initiatives and support partnerships.
The Tasmanian Government Culture and Creative Industries Recovery Strategy defines arts and culture as:
The terms ‘culture,’ ‘creative’ and ‘creativity’ mean different things to different people. In broad terms, they describe a wide range of disciplines, activities, collections and practices that are intrinsic to who we are as people and the community in which we live. Culture and creativity is about the stories we tell and how we tell them.
A range of sectors feature creative practice as a core element, including art, architecture, craft, design, fashion, film, music, performing arts, publishing, writing, software, video games, radio, television and other screen-based activity.
Created through community consultation in 2015, the West Coast Community Plan 2025 identified the important role of arts and culture in supporting a connected and inclusive West Coast community.
Since that time, artistic activity has helped to generate change on the West Coast. With a growing cultural reputation, people are choosing to visit, live and invest in the region in part due to an increasingly active and vibrant arts community.
In 2020, West Coast Council identified that a Cultural Strategy would help guide the sustainable development of arts and culture, balancing goals like encouraging new activity, visitation and experimentation, while reflecting the interests of long-term residents and honouring the history of the region. They identified The Unconformity as a facilitating partner on the strategy.
This project aims to engage members of the general public, artists, community groups, cultural organisations and business owners. To accurately reflect the vision, ideas and needs of the community, people of all ages and backgrounds are invited to share their thoughts and ideas on West Coast arts and culture.
Community discussion groups were held across the West Coast in March 2023, followed by a range of online and physical surveys, and a second round of discussion groups in May 2023. The strategy will be finalised in June 2023. After the strategy is presented, future steps will include action planning on how to implement various elements of the strategy.
The West Coast Cultural Strategy will be publicly available on the West Coast Council website.
If you would like to know more about the process or outcomes of this project, please contact The Unconformity at info@theunconformity.com.au or Patternmakers at info@thepatternmakers.com.au.
The West Coast Cultural Strategy has been made possible by the investment of West Coast Council, The Unconformity, Events Tasmania and WD Booth Charitable Trust.
Yes—we are interested in hearing from anyone who has a perspective on, or connection with, West Coast arts and culture.
If you would like to keep updated with the progress of the West Coast Cultural Strategy, you can subscribe to receive email updates here.