Impact
Our projects consistently lead to positive social, health and creative outcomes for partner organisations, participants and communities.
Through involvement in our activities, private sector, non government and government organisations have found new ways of engaging with communities, attained a higher level of visibility and in many cases, have incorporated fresh creative paradigms to achieving their organisational goals.
Participants have reported new levels of self confidence, communication skills, positive well being and feelings of interpersonal and community connectedness.
Whether a community was defined by geography, ability, cultural or ethnic background, age or levels of well being, specific communities have reported they have been able to express their stories and feel that they are better understood across the society.
Process
Kickstart Arts is about creating a world around us that generates health.
We believe that stories have owners who are the right people to tell particular stories. Community participants retain creative control and ownership of all their work. We believe highly realised production outcomes are part of an overall good CACD experience. We practice action research, adaptive management and evaluate our work.
Projects are not tied to specific forms. Relationships formed through projects are paramount and the process is as important as the product. Partnerships are key to all our activities and we work to build bridges across the community and between organisations to make arts and cultural projects that change lives.
St Johns Creative Living Park
Kickstart Arts are working in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services to develop a new centre for social innovation and cultural participation known as St Johns Creative Living Park. This in an innovative initiative that will result in an increase in the scope of arts and health partnerships in Tasmania, new audiences, greater and more diverse participation and inclusion in arts and cultural activity for local people, and breathe new life into a suite of derelict but iconic national heritage buildings located in Hobart’s outer suburb of New Town.
Community Arts Partnership Projects
Kickstart Arts produce community partnership projects, making art with community members that is artistically vibrant, challenging and inspiring. We work closely with a broad cohort of professional, established and emerging artists with extra skills including curation, production, collaborative community development, facilitating group processes and teaching art.
Workshops in Everything
Lifelong, inquiry based learning in an ideal learning environment. People come to us with either something they want to teach or to learn and we assemble communities of learning around the idea or skill, bringing people together to share skills and culture.
Community Venues
Kickstart Arts supports community groups to self produce their events. We offer technical and production support and great venues for community cultural events. Our venues work for all types of activities from small arts festivals, to childrens and family events, to corporate training and media launches.
Music Garden
Indoor and outdoor performances by emerging and established Tasmanian Musicians. The events are friendly, safe and inclusive social evenings. A night market features stalls selling Tasmanian arts, crafts and produce.
Mentorships
We mentor emerging artists and arts workers across a range of artforms, teaming them up with mentors in everything from songwriting to strategic planning. Good mentors provide perspective,offer their insights based on past experience, and help their mentees advance to the next level of their practice by identifying strengths and weaknesses.
Program evaluation findings
Kickstart Arts evaluates every project and program through surveys and conversations with artists, partners, participants and audience
Remembering the Future (2019)
Remembering the Future was a multi art form project in which artists worked with 90+ Primary School students to explore their ideas about the future, the environment, wellbeing and the world of work through making and exhibiting video art and sculpture installations.
Audience survey results
When asked: Can you rate on a the scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most, to what extent did you find this exhibition event as a whole interesting and engaging?
54% gave it 10 out of 10
37% gave it 9 out of 10
6% gave it 7 or 8 out of 10
3% did not respond
The same survey asked: Was the art you saw today relevant to the local and Australian community?
92% said very relevant
6% said medium relevant
2% were unsure
Comments from project partner
"The individuals involved in Kickstart have been outstanding in their professionalism, generosity and levels of expertise with working with students and staff at the school. This has not only included the creative capacities of the artists, but also their interpersonal skills, which enable them to work effectively with the diversity of people that form our school community. Kickstart Arts have enriched the education program at our school by assisting us to support learning that is authentic, deep, and creative."
Comments from audience
“It is very heartening to see our young people thinking creatively about our future – an antidote to all the depressing ‘business as usual’ coming from our so-called leaders.”
“Respectful, thoughtful, creative, contemporary, a great collaboration. It touched my heart.”
“Great to see young kids given a voice, freedom. Because these children are mostly thinking more and more carefully about the future for themselves, and importantly, for everyone else as well. What I saw really supported young people creatively.”
Comments from participants
“The project has changed my point of view, some people don’t understand what danger of the world is in right now, but if we all work together we could make things better.”
“It has changed the way I have been a person because I’ve been really shy and really not creative when other people are around me but now I know that people can count on me and I can work with them, I can be creative and I don’t have to be scared about my creativity.”
“At the start I thought filming was going to be boring and really easy, just a press of the button and it’s done, but it took a lot of work – because we had to learn to use cameras and tripods and interviewing - there is so much more to it than I had thought. It was really great learning all that.”
Creative Workshop Program (2016-present)
In all Creative Workshops in 2019, from 227 responses to our survey, 85.9% rated the quality of the workshops at 8 out of 10 or higher.
Comments from facilitators
BASKET WEAVING
"I had a delightful group of participants and I love teaching this technique because for me it is surrounded by stories. It is great being involved with the Creative Exchange program. I feel supported and it puts me in touch with people who want to learn what I have to offer. This allows me to keep teaching. Kickstart Arts have created an environment where thoughtful teaching and learning is nurtured. People come because they want to learn. They are focused and interested. This inspires me to keep thinking creatively about how I present the workshop."
WHOLEFOODS COOKERY
"Participants were engaged from walking in the door. Each had different strengths which contributed to a really diverse class. We shared how we reduce food waste & I was able to answer any cookery questions. I shared professional techniques that were new to participants. All was taste tested/work-shopped as a group. Engaging with participants is a fabulous way to share skills/info & my passion for making a difference."
Comments from participants
JEWELLERY MAKING COURSE
“Using recycled material for art is fabulous since my art budget is so limited at the school in which I teach. I have been learning how to look at found objects differently and it’s really opened up new possibilities, so that now I can create new things at little or no cost.”
7 ELEMENTS OF ART COURSE
“I finished my project with 4 new techniques learnt. I got so many new ideas for using mixed media, I can’t wait to try them out. Learning about these approaches to creating things in a way that was so well taught has been wonderful. I’m gaining confidence for new techniques.”
Music Program
“We get looked after so well by the Kickstart mob. There’s so much joy going around at these gigs. It’s infectious.” (Food Vendor)
As a result of being part of Music Garden:
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Community partner Bushcare received 5 new membership sign ups.
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The partnering food vendor sold out very early in the night:
Benefits for musicians & bands
Musicians reported many benefits they attributed to playing at the Kickstart Arts Centre, including:
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Increased number of donations to band/musician Kickstarter campaigns,
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Many new followers on Facebook and Instagram,
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High quality recordings created for promotional use,
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Access to new audience members, further exposure of music,
Comments from audience
“A really safe space to bring my 3 year old daughter. She loves seeing the lights in the trees and dancing to the music, and my wife and I are happy to let her run around and play with the other kids”
“I don’t often go to see live music late at night in pubs as I don’t really feel comfortable in those spaces. Tonight I got to see a great band, meet some nice people and eat some great food in a warm and welcoming environment.”
“Congratulations on such a great event to see in the start of Winter. It was so wonderful to experience everything that is great about the community arts scene in Hobart so beautifully embodied in this one delightful evening. A totally non-pretentious evening, where people were friendly, food was filling, the drinks list simple, and of course the music banging. Very reminiscent of a Hobart before Mona, craft beer, overpriced food, and too many hipsters. Well done to all involved, looking forward to the next one.”