Supported in principle – As per recommendation 2.5, an arts organisations collaboration funding model will be developed for consideration by government as part of the State Budget process.

The COVID-19 Arts Grants Support funding program, delivered in early 2020, included a pilot Arts Organisations Collaboration grants category for major arts and cultural organisations, the small-to-medium sector and independent artists. The category was designed to encourage collaboration, with the intent to support the development of new work in new ways, and to explore true cross-sector collaboration through the sharing of resources and knowledge for mutual benefit.

The findings of this pilot grant category have informed the Major Projects - Collaboration grants category included in the new grants funding model launched in August 2020.

Government has implemented this recommendation and the collaboration grants are now embedded in Arts South Australia’s grants funding model.

Additionally, state government entities with an arts or cultural heritage purpose are now eligible for federal funding through the RISE fund, expanding the prospective pool of funds for collaborative projects.

Supported in principle – We will work with key institutions and stakeholders to investigate the options to collectively develop The Story of South Australia.

Comprising representatives of Adelaide Festival Centre, Art Gallery of SA, Artlab Australia, Carrick Hill, History Trust of SA, SA Museum, State Library of SA, State Records, State Herbarium and Botanic Gardens, the Digital Access Consultative Group (DACG), was formed to address recommendation 4.1, the release of South Australia’s Arts and Culture Digital Access Plan (DAP). The DAP identified opportunities for digital collaboration across both major and dispersed collections and has been instrumental in the delivery of recommendation 8.2.

The DACG has actively developed collaborative principles designed to significantly expand public digital access and preservation, and this recommendation provided a platform to exercise this work and develop a digital portal as a launching point to tell the Story of South Australia.

Some 50 objects drawn from the collections of the DACG were digitised and loaded into the portal. A shortlist of items or identities was established, comprising multifaceted stories with input from multiple collections, including: Don Dunstan, Light’s Plan, the Holden Story, The Star of Greece, Stanislaus Kotkowski, and Kaurna Shield. Ways of exhibiting these stories digitally through the portal were explored, resulting in 76 objects profiled, 23 collection connections, with 2-4 collaborating partners as part of the pilot.

These collaborations have brought numerous and disparate collecting institutions together, finding connections between institutions that had previously been siloed. There is strong support from the DACG for continuing the collaborations and making this work public.

Government’s direct response to this recommendation is now complete, and this work will be carried forward by the DACG and its constituent organisations.

Supported in principle – In collaboration with key stakeholders, we will explore the options to implement this recommendation.

Arts South Australia provided funding to support the City of Adelaide to develop and produce an Art Publication which will celebrate Adelaide as a Creative City and aims to tell the history of Adelaide through a presentation of local artworks, buildings and objects.

The publication, a boxed series of cards, will present artworks and objects to tell the story of Adelaide’s unique identity, reflecting Kaurna culture and history, whilst highlighting and celebrating Adelaide’s reputation as a Creative City. Works will be drawn from the collections of Adelaide’s major collecting institutions, representing a range of public art, memorials, architecture and artefacts.

Arts South Australia continues to work with the City of Adelaide, as a stakeholder to deliver the intention of this recommendation.

Supported in principle – A program will be developed in collaboration with the sector for further consideration.

Since the release of the Arts Plan, a range of initiatives have emerged that are fostering collaboration across the arts and culture sector and contributing to the delivery of this recommendation.

Examples of these initiatives include:

• the creation of the $10.2m Arts Recovery Fund to support recovery and reimagining in South Australia’s arts and culture sector in response to the impact of COVID-19
• the commencement of quarterly sector meetings of chairs and CEOs of all the resident and non-resident companies that utilise the Adelaide Festival Centre
• the appointment of David Rathman as ambassador for the Aboriginal Art and Cultures Centre (AACC) now in development at Lot Fourteen
• the formation of the Cultural Institutions Storage Steering Committee (CISSC), which meets weekly to identify and implement options for the long-term storage of the State’s collections
• the release of South Australia’s Arts and Culture Digital Access Plan (DAP) which aims to identify opportunities for digital collaboration across both major and dispersed collections
• the signing of a memorandum of understanding by the Tourism Industry Council of South Australia, the Arts Industry Council of South Australia and Festivals Adelaide to drive cross-industry collaboration and advance cultural visitation in South Australia.

Additionally, the sector’s response to COVID-19, combined with strategic responses by arts organisations to the Arts Plan, has fostered collaborative, dynamic and enhanced communication across and beyond the sector.

Acknowledging this, a less formal program of cultural ambassadors is being considered, to provide leadership and foster collaboration across the arts and culture sector, amongst government agencies and other related sectors, where areas of greatest need and opportunity are identified. For example, through the delivery of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Strategy for South Australia, the Arts and Cultural Tourism Strategy, and other Arts Plan recommendations and sector initiatives.

Government’s formal response to this recommendation is now complete.

Arts South Australia will continue to engage with sector and government stakeholders to identify suitable representatives for key Arts Plan and sector initiatives.