Arts and Culture Strategy for whole of shire

Published on 14 February 2020

Last December, Moira Shire Council endorsed its first ever Arts and Culture Strategy 2020-26, heralding in a new era for the development and promotion of the region’s vibrant arts sector.

General Manager Community Sally Rice said this new strategy was the blueprint for Council’s ongoing support for arts into the future. 
“One of the first exciting opportunities will be a call for expressions of interest to establish up to four ‘hubs’ to build creative expertise in Cobram, Nathalia, Numurkah and Yarrawonga,” Ms Rice said. 

“We will ask the community to define the how arts and cultural activities are delivered across the shire and we look forward to providing further details about this shortly.
“We do acknowledge the creative hubs model will see a change in the distribution of arts and culture funding across the shire however Council's overall commitment remains strong as indicated by an increase of $20,000 to the arts and culture budget in the 2019/20 financial year.

“Importantly, this model will be able to provide multi-year funding that allows the hubs to plan over a longer horizon.”
Ms Rice said arts and culture organisations across the shire including MAC Inc were heavily involved in the consultation and development of the new strategy.
“Stakeholder consultation was extensive and when the strategy was in draft form it was released for community review and we received overwhelmingly positive feedback,” she said.

“This enthusiasm is exactly what we hoped to see and it makes us very excited for the future of arts and culture in Moira Shire.”
Ms Rice said she was disappointed in MAC Inc’s decision to disband and thanked the organisation for its efforts in bringing a diverse range of events to the shire.

“It is hoped that all arts and culture groups across the shire apply to establish creative hubs as soon as Expressions of Interest open.”
The Arts and Culture Strategy 2020-26 is available from Council’s website.