Culture and arts deliver positive outcomes

More than two million people attended performances, over 38,000 actively participated in creative activates, and volunteers contributed $1 million worth of time to the local arts and culture scene from 2018 to 2022.

That is according to the Strategy for Culture and the Arts 2022 report card, which was tabled at Council today, and provided a final analysis of the five-year plan.

Adopted in 2018 following extensive consultation, including discussions with over 280 people across 84 organisations and groups, the assessment of the strategy has been undertaken each year in partnership with Associate Professor Lisa Law from James Cook University and Dr Russell Milledge, along with research collaborator Professor Bruce Prideaux from CQUniversity.

The final assessment included feedback from each year’s State of the Arts in Cairns Report (SoArts Report), which revealed that despite two of the five years being impacted by COVID-19, over 90% of the strategy’s goals were achieved.

In the five-year period of the Strategy for Culture and the Arts 2022 the following key outcomes were noted:

More than 2 million people attended performances and 38,000 actively participated in creative engagement activations across the region.Creation of more than 6,000 short term job opportunities and 29 long-term job activations in the creative sector.Over 1,500 people volunteered their time with an economic worth of over $1 million.Opening of two major venues, Cairns Performing Arts Centre (2018) and Court House Gallery (2021).Launched the arts and culture map (2018) as a central information point for arts and culture activities across the region.In partnership with Arts Queensland continued to activate the Regional Arts Development Grant Fund, supporting 340 projects with over $2 million investment.Increased focus on young people and programs that deliver pathways for further education and employment opportunities.The recruitment of an Indigenous Project Officer in 2019 and First Nations Curator in 2023 strengthening relationships with First Nations communities and activated creative programs across all art forms.Re-imagining historical buildings and connecting creative spaces by harnessing the natural environment through placemaking initiatives expressed in the Strategy for Public Art and Placemaking adopted by Council in 2020.