An arts and cultural strategy for a rapidly-growing Geelong

> THE CONTEXT

With a population of over almost 259,000 people, the City of Greater Geelong is Victoria’s largest regional city. In 2017 over 16,000 Geelong citizens contributed to the development of a 30-year vision for the city and region – Clever and Creative. At the heart of the community’s vision is the desire for Greater Geelong to be recognised regionally, nationally and internationally as a creative City.  In 2017 Geelong was designated Australia’s first UNESCO City of Design. This designation is about using creativity and innovation to build more sustainable, resilient and inclusive communities.

> THE BRIEF 

Building on this process, Positive Solutions was contracted in 2020 to assist the City of Greater Geelong with their Arts and Cultural strategy, articulating a vision, and framing the long-term cultural goals of the City.

The Arts and Cultural Strategy would lay out a strategic framework for supporting and growing arts and cultural activity in Greater Geelong for the next ten (10) years. It required practical steps and performance measures for realising this vision and unlocking the community’s creative potential in a four-year action plan. Close consultation with Council stakeholders and with the broader community were requirements of the process, as well as the development of operational tools to assist the implementation of the Strategy.

> OUR APPROACH 

The consulting team worked closely with officers in the City to develop the Arts and Cultural Strategy. The project was initiated with individual interviews with identified Council stakeholders. It built on wide-ranging community consultation that Council had undertaken in developing the Clever and Creative vision. Central to the project was in-depth sector engagement, through a series of targeted round-table group discussions and individual interviews. The engagement highlighted aspirations and concerns of the community and the arts and creative sector from a range of different perspectives.

> THE RESULT

The Arts and Cultural Strategy 2021 – 2031 provides a framework and vision that will guide and strengthen arts and culture in Geelong. It was endorsed by Council in October 2021.

The Strategy aims to create a more sustainable and thriving region through investing in arts and culture, supporting creative communities and helping the industry to recover from the impacts of COVID-19.

More than 1,700 voices contributed to the development of the Strategy. It focuses the City’s attention on priorities for the sector and the community’s aspirations and leadership. It is supported by an implementation plan with measurable actions.

Read the Strategy here: Arts and Cultural Strategy 2021 – 2031, City of Greater Geelong