What is the Future Arts Movement?
Future Arts Movement was a series of workshops, mentorships, and events for young people aged 12-25 years that connected them to artists and arts organisations throughout Gippsland.
These experiences focused on play, learning, and social connection through creative activities, showcased young people’s artworks, and brought generations of young people together.
Future Arts Movement was run by Regional Arts Victoria and was part of VicHealth’s initiative called Future Reset: Young People, Arts and Mental Wellbeing. Future Reset engaged nine organisations across the state to create events, installations, and other creative projects that ignited social connection among Victoria’s young people in 2023 and 2024. The initiative was passionate about enhancing mental wellbeing through art and creativity – with young people leading the change!
Having identified the Gippsland region as the focus of the Future Reset project, the program called on young people based in Gippsland to play a key role in co-designing creative projects that responded to the needs and voices of their own communities.
This page now serves as a memory book, capturing all the incredible things Future Arts Movement brought to us in 2023-24.
Workshops: Ready, Set, Rock: How to Launch your Band in 5 DIY Steps, Gippsland Circus Workshops, Oil Painting Workshops, Latrobe Portraiture Workshops & Expressions Festival Arts Workshops
Mentorships: Gippslandia Mentorship Program, Bastion Festival Mentorship Program & Young Producers Program
Events: Winter Skate, 2024 Expressions Festival & UpSwing Mini Fest
2023 Programs
Ready, Set, Rock: Workshop
In June 2023, Regional Arts Victoria supported a two-hour workshop led by Raging Hormones, where participants learned five actionable steps to announce their band and establish a self-sustaining music career. The session covered essential topics, including songwriting and recording on a budget, creating a compelling digital presence, engaging with venue bookers to land gigs, promoting music releases, and setting up a pathway for a long-term career in music.
Twelve participants left with a personalised workbook filled with expert advice, actionable steps, and resources to help them take their music career to the next level.
Circus Workshops across Gippsland
Regional Arts Victoria, in partnership with GippSport, provided young people in regional and rural Gippsland with the opportunity to learn new circus skills. By collaborating with local Gippsland artist Wacky Wombat Entertainment, young people aged 12-17 were introduced to innovative ways of engaging with each other and exploring their own potential.
Twelve workshops took place in six different locations across all shires of Gippsland between July and November 2023.
The workshops were well-attended, with high engagement and overwhelmingly positive feedback:
“That’s fun! Is this a normal thing we can do?”
“Dude, where did you find this one? He is off his chops!”
“I always wanted to try this (small cart with pedals). So much fun!”
Gippslandia Mentorship Program
For our second project as part of the Future Arts Movement, we teamed up with the quarterly magazine Gippslandia to deliver the Gippslandia Mentorship Program. This initiative provided 16 mentorships and skills development opportunities for young people aged 15-25 in the Gippsland region.
The program aimed to develop participants’ skills in journalism or art forms complementary to journalism, such as writing, graphic design, photography, and illustration. Sixteen young artists were mentored by Gippslandia contributors, who guided them in developing material for Issue 30 of the magazine.
Participants were paid for their involvement and met online with their mentors over three months, from September to December 2023. An additional session was held in February 2024 for mentees interested in learning the editing and publishing side of the magazine.
Check out Issue 30, the Youth Edition of Gippslandia
Oil Painting in Cann River
In partnership with the East Gippsland Art Gallery, Regional Arts Victoria facilitated a two-day oil painting workshop in Cann River in December 2023. Gippsland artist Nadine Lineham collaborated with students from Cann River P-12 College, guiding them in creating beautiful still-life paintings. The workshop enhanced their artistic skills and fostered a deeper appreciation for the arts.
2024 Programs
Bastion Festival Mentorship Program
Working with the Bastion Festival team in Mallacoota, we enhanced this incredible festival by providing six young people (aged 13-25) with the opportunity to contribute directly to its success.
The successful applicants were employed to either develop a piece of work to be showcased at the festival or assist in delivering the audio-technical elements for the talented musicians who performed. These individuals explored animation, street art, and production techniques, collaborating with industry professionals to deliver the event to an exceptional standard.
The festival was a vibrant celebration of the Mallacoota community and the profound impact of music on their lives. We were fortunate that Regional Arts Victoria’s Future Reset program was welcomed into this space, expanding skills, knowledge, and professional pathways in such an enriching environment.
Young Producers Program
In partnership with the West Gippsland Arts Centre, we delivered the 2024 Young Producers Program, employing six young people aged 14-23 to plan, design, and deliver the 2024 Expressions Festival.
Over eight months, six young producers (aged 14-23) were paid to craft a vibrant night celebrating visual and performance art, alongside six bespoke free workshops facilitated by Gippsland-based artists for young people.
The workshops, covering writing, theatre, visual art, music and songwriting, photography, and film, ran from July to August, with over 40 young people from Gippsland participating. The program empowered young creatives to take the reigns and encourage youth into the spotlight!
Latrobe Portraiture Workshops
Regional Arts Victoria, Arts Access Victoria and Latrobe Regional Gallery collaborated to host inclusive Portraiture Workshops, where participants explored self-portraiture photography using recycled disposable cameras. Guided by artists from Hillvale Photo, attendees learned to use re-di disposable cameras and create captivating portraits.
As part of the program, a young local emerging artist was employed to learn how to run community workshops. This provided them with hands-on experience and mentorship, fostering their professional growth and equipping them with the skills to lead creative initiatives in the future.
The workshops provided ten participants with professional knowledge, technical coaching, and valuable practice time, leaving them inspired and equipped with new creative tools to further their artistic journeys.
Image: Anne Moffat. Lillian & her garden, Yallourn, 2023. An older woman in a fabulous pink top and pants, posing in the middle of her garden surrounded by powerlines.
Bad Kids Program in East Gippsland Shire and Wellington Shire
In collaboration with East Gippsland Shire Council Wellington Shire Council, and artist JOF Makes Art, our latest project, Bad Kids, was a workshop series for students aged 12 – 18.
During these workshops, young people had an opportunity to work with lead artists JOF O’Farrell and + Zak Pidd and emerging East Gippsland Artists Amy Allender and Olivia Lay to learn, explore, and create visual art pieces and music, in response music and songs written by Gippsland based artists. The goal was to inspire participants to create work reflecting what they were hearing and experiencing.
These visual artworks were then taken, and transformed into large scale projections that were displayed as living backdrops at two events:
– Winter Skate in Cann River, July 2024.
– UpSwing Mini Fest in Bundalaguah, November 2024
Bad Kids empowered young people to take over a space, giving them a platform to showcase their voices and connect with their community.
Winter Skate (Bad Kids Event)
The exhilarating world of Winter Skate was celebrated at the Cann River Community Centre and its new skatepark as a highlight of the East Gippsland Winter Festival. The event brought the community together, offering skating (before the rain set in, interactive activities, delicious food, and live performances by Regional Arts Victoria’s Bad Kids Project.
RAV’s Bad Kids hosted captivating visual and performing arts workshops leading up to Winter Skate. The event featured an outdoor stage, top-notch equipment, and live projections showcasing local youths’ artworks, illuminating the entire community – which all moved inside due to the wild winter weather. But a good time was had by all!
Expressions Festival Artist Workshops
As part of the 2024 Expressions Festival, RAV along with West Gippsland Arts Centre hosted a series of creative workshops for young people.
Workshop One – Script and Story, led by playwright Stephanie Clark, allowed participants to explore character building, script formatting, and audience connection.
Workshop Two – The Workshop Floor helped participants transition theatrical scripts from page to stage with Stephanie Clark.
Workshop Three – In the Studio offered photography techniques with Lauren Murphy to elevate participants’ visual storytelling.
Workshop Four – DIY Songwriting and Recording with Lucy and Nick from Raging Hormones taught songwriting, DIY recording, and self-releasing music.
Workshop Five – Open Studio with artist Emma Hearnes provided a collaborative space for visual arts feedback and development.
Workshop Six – Short Film Making with filmmaker Ashley Ball focused on storytelling and cinematography for aspiring filmmakers.
A bonus workshop series was sponsored by Voice for Choice, to allow visual artist Emma Hearnes to run visual at workshops at Learning Independence for Everyone over two exciting sessions.
All workshop participants were encouraged to submit their work to the 2024 Expressions Festival in October.
2024 Expressions Festival
Information coming soon
Information coming soon
UpSwing Mini Fest
Information coming soon
Contact:
For further information on the Future Arts Movement projects, contact:
Stephanie Clark
Coordinator, Future Reset
E: [email protected]
M: 0474 915 748
Supporting partners:
