Cultural Plan 2013-2016 final.pdf - Coffs Harbour City Council ...

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As adopted by Council on 28 February 2013 The absence of welcoming signage on the Pacific Highway entrances to Coffs Harbour was seen as a lack of community self-respect e.g. “we don’t even have a welcome sign!” Signage in general in Coffs Harbour attracted a lot of negative comments in consultations. Tourists’ satisfaction with signage in Coffs Harbour is also very poor: 24% versus 36% for the comparable municipalities. Dissatisfaction with both directional and site signage was raised by a number of those consulted, refecting on both their own experience and that of visiting family and friends: “When you get to the Plaza, you wouldn’t know that you could turn off and be less than one km to the beach.” Community suggestions of particular merit include: Establishment of a process of selecting high design utilitarian objects into council developments and refurbishments in highly visible locations with locally distinctive designs; The erection and well-considered placement of flag poles with attractive banners can add to a festive sense and would be a useful adjunct to the community celebration program run by Council; Sculpture should be placed where it can be seen clearly– there is difficulty placing sculpture in an already visually cluttered environment; and Integration of cultural material such as Aboriginal design or environmental poetry into interpretative signage. 11. Community celebrations and cultural diversity Council supports a suite of well-attended community celebrations (see Attachment C) often at the Botanical Gardens, such as Harmony Day and the Japanese Festival of Children’s Day (Japanese Children’s Day) or the Jetty Memorial Theatre, such as the Refugee Film Festival. A number of these celebrations have a particular focus on the cultural diversity of the Coffs region. They provide opportunities for members of diverse cultures to show living aspects of their heritage – from dancing, music, visual arts and crafts – and to share their foods with other residents and visitors. Page 48
As adopted by Council on 28 February 2013 This creates a suite of opportunities on which to build further cultural development activities where the aspect of the existing event becomes either the launch or culmination of a project. It is suggested that children and young people become the particular focuses for these extensions. 12. Children, young people, seniors and people with disabilities 12.1. Children At school Schools in the Coffs Harbour region often invite artists of various types into their schools and this activity could be extended. Regional festivals, professional theatre and music events and community celebrations bring performers, writers and other types of artists into the area. This creates opportunities for schools to invite artists from outside the region to extend their stays to share their skills and experiences at schools. Short extension programs can involve workshops, demonstrations or talks at interested schools. An important aspect of such contact is that students realize that finished creative products, such as books and films, are produced by real people and are usually the result of a lot of work over a long period of time, often with setbacks along the way. This can be encouraging to young people who realize that they should not expect perfection on their first attempts at, say, making a video clip, and that persistence is as important in creative projects as in other aspects of life. It can also increase their appreciation of arts as audience members. Schools in the region can also consider longer and deeper involvement with artists both from the local region and elsewhere through Artists in Schools programs. This will provide students and teachers with first-hand opportunities to work with professional artists over a period of time, enriching school arts programs and encouraging future artists and arts audiences in all art forms. School holidays Both visitors and residents will appreciate undercover sessions for children during school holiday, especially during wet weather. It is proposed that each Council facility investigate its capacity to host further classes or workshops during school holidays (there are already some, such as those run by the library) and promote them to schools, parent groups and Page 49
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Cultural Plan 2013-2016 final.pdf - Coffs Harbour City Council ...

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