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Increasing access to the arts for regional Victorians: an evaluation of Creative Victoria’s Regional Development program

Executive summary TheRegionalDevelopmentprogramofCreativeVictoriaaimstoincreaseaccesstohigh-qualityanddiverseartsandculturaleventsandactivitiesforregionalVictorians.

Itcomprisestwofundingprograms:

• RegionalPartnershipssupportstheprofessionalmanagementandprogrammingofregionalartgalleriesandperformingartscentres.

• TouringVictoriasupportsVictorianartsorganisationsandartistsintouringworktoregionalVictoriawhereitwouldotherwisebefinanciallyprohibitive.

Eachyear,CreativeVictoriadistributes$3.6milliontolocalgovernmentsthroughRegionalPartnershipsandapproximately$1.2milliontoartscompaniesthroughTouringVictoria.

TheVictorianGovernmentrecentlyconfirmedthisfundingwillcontinueuntil2019.CreativeVictoriahasalsobegunrefiningtheRegionalDevelopmentprograminresponsetothisevaluation.

AssessingperformanceIn2014,CreativeVictoriacommissionedanindependentevaluationoftheRegionalDevelopmentprogramtoassessitsprogressinincreasingaccesstoqualityartsexperiencesforregionalVictorians.Theevaluationalsoexploredthesocialandeconomicbenefitstheprogramgeneratesforregionalcommunities.

Localgovernments,artsvenuestaff,artscompaniesandlocalcommunitymembersparticipatedintheevaluation.Arangeofdatafrom2005to2014wasalsoanalysedtoassesstheimpactoftheprogramovertime.

AvitalartsprogramTheevaluationfoundastrongandcontinuingneedfortheRegionalDevelopmentprogram.

The Regional Development program of Creative Victoria gives regional Victorians greater access to the arts.

A recent evaluation of the program confirmed its success and highlighted the multiple benefits it generates for regional communities.

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ItconcludedtheprogramplaysavitalroleingivingregionalVictoriansaccesstoagreaterquantity,qualityanddiversityofartseventsandactivities.Thiscontributessignificantlytothecultural,socialandeconomicdevelopmentofregionalcommunities.

RegionalDevelopmentprogramsalsosupportthegrowthanddevelopmentofVictorianartscompanies,contributingtoavibrantandsustainableregionalartsindustry.

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1. Introduction CreativeVictoriaworkstomaketheartsaccessibletoallVictoriansandtosupportVictoria’sartists,artsworkersandcreativeindustries.

TheprimaryaimofitsRegionalDevelopmentprogramistoincreaseaccesstohigh-qualityartseventsandactivitiesforregionalVictorians.

Theprogramcomprisestwoseparatebutcomplementaryprograms:

• RegionalPartnershipssupportstheprofessionalmanagementandprogrammingofregionalartgalleriesandperformingartscentres.

• TouringVictoriasupportsVictorianartsorganisationsandartistsintouringworktoregionalVictoriawhereitwouldotherwisebefinanciallyprohibitive.

CreativeVictoriaprovidesacombined$4.8millioneachyearforRegionalPartnershipsandTouringVictoria.TheVictorianGovernmentrecentlyconfirmedthisfundingwouldcontinueuntil2019.

RegionalPartnershipsRegionalPartnershipssupportslocalgovernmentstopresenthigh-qualityanddiverseartsevents,exhibitionsandactivitiesattheirfacilitiesandemployprofessionalartsmanagersandspecialiststaff(suchascurators,technicians,boxoffice,marketingandcollectionsmanagementstaff).RegionalPartnershipsdeliversfundingfor41artsfacilitiesthroughmulti-yearagreementswithlocalgovernmentswhichownandoperatethevenues.

UnderRegionalPartnerships,CreativeVictoriaalsoprovidesadviceandexpertisetosupportlocalgovernmentstoimprovetheirculturalprogramsandinfrastructure.

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Local Partnerships Program

Venues and Galleries supported w

ith Arts Victoria funding 2007/08 - 2012/13

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Local Partnerships Program

Venues and Galleries supported w

ith Arts Victoria funding 2007/08 - 2012/13

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Bairnsdale

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TouringVictoriaTouringVictoriawaslaunchedin1995andprovidestwofundingroundseachyear.ApplicationsareassessedbyapanelofartssectorrepresentativesexternaltoCreativeVictoria.

ApplicantsmustbeVictorian-basedandtouringtoatleastthreedestinations,themajorityinregionalVictoria.TouringVictoriasupportstoursofsingleshowsorexhibitionsoratouringprogram,withfundingfortransport,freight,crating,andaccommodationcostsaswellasartists’touringallowancesandotheron-roadexpenses.

In2012/13,therewere21applicationsapproved,andTouringVictoriasupported195presentationsof36showsat53regionalvenues.

Fundingwasprovidedforsmalltomedium-scalecompanytoursandindependentartists,aswellasformajortoursandorganisationssuchastheVictorianOperaandTheAustralianBallet.

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2. Why fund the arts? Theartsareanessentialpublicgoodthatmakeavitalcontributiontoourcommunities.Asignificantbodyofresearchexistsontheindividualandcommunity-widebenefitsgeneratedwhenpeopleparticipateintheartsacrossarangeofdisciplines.

Thesebenefitsincludebetterhealthandwellbeing;socialcohesionandself-esteem;lesssocialisolation;civicengagement;communityempowermentanddetermination;bettereducationaloutcomes;andincreasedunderstandingbetweencultures1.

Artsandculturecansubstantiallycontributetosocialandeconomicdevelopmentandtotheliveabilityofaplace.

Artsandculturalfacilitiesprovidevibrantanddiverseactivitiessuchasperformances,festivalsandcommunitycelebrations.Publicartworkscontributetowell-designedpublicspace,creatingattractive,accessibleplaceswherepeoplewanttomeetandcreatenewsocialconnections2.

ThesemultiplebenefitsprovidemuchoftheimpetusfortheVictorianGovernment’sfundingofthearts,particularlyinregionalVictoria.

RegionalcommunitieswantaccesstotheartsPeopleinregionalareashavelessaccesstotheprofessionalartscomparedwiththeirmetropolitancounterparts.InVictoria,around25%ofthepopulationliveoutsideMelbourne.

Thereisclearevidencethatpeoplelivinginregionalareasengagelesswiththeartsthantheircitycounterparts.ARegionalArtsVictoriasurveyshowedthat95%ofrespondentsagreedtherewerebarrierstoengagingintheartsinregionalareas,includingtransportandcosts3.

A2013RegionalArtsAustraliastudyreportedalatentdemandforengaginginthearts.Over85%ofrespondentsbelievedtheartsplayavitalroleincommunitywellbeingandentertainmentand90%believedthatincreasedfundingwasrequiredtobuildonexistinglevelsofartsactivity4.

AnindependentstudycommissionedbytheAustraliaCouncil(2014)providesinsightintoAustralian’sparticipationinthearts.Thestudyoffersacomparisonofshiftingattitudesandbehavioursbybenchmarkingthefindingsin2013againstanearlierstudyfrom2009.Thestudyindicatesthatoverallengagementwiththeartshasincreasedandpublicattitudestotheartsareverypositive.Accordingtothestudy,85%ofAustraliansbelievethearts‘makeforaricherandmoremeaningfullife’.Thisisanincreaseof14%from20095.

3. Program evaluation CreativeVictoriacommissionedanindependentevaluationoftheRegionalDevelopmentprogramin20146.

Researchfortheevaluationincludedfocusgroups,interviewsandsurveyswithcommunitymembers,localgovernmentstaff,artsvenuemanagersandartscompanies7.Venue,economicandotherdataacrossmultipleyearswasalsoanalysedtoenablecomparisonsovertime.

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TheevaluationassessedprogressoftheRegionalDevelopmentprograminincreasingaccesstotheartsforregionalVictorians.

ItalsoexploreditscontributiontoachievingthewidersocialandeconomicgoalsofCreativeVictoriaandtheVictorianGovernment.

SuggestionswerealsosoughtfromprogramparticipantsonhowtheRegionalDevelopmentprogrammightbeimproved.

AvitalartsprogramTheevaluationconcludedthereisstrongandcontinuedneedfortheRegionalDevelopmentprogram.

Ithasavitalroleinimprovingtheoperation,programsandattendancesatregionalartsfacilities:

• RegionalDevelopmentfundingenableslocalgovernmentstoemployskilledartsprofessionalsattheirartsfacilities,includingmanagers,gallerydirectors,curators,marketersandtheatretechniciansandstafftrainedincollectionsmanagementandstorage.

• Itsupportsfacilitiestopresentabetterquantity,qualityanddiversityofartsprogramsforregionalVictorians,includinginsmallertowns.

• Artsfacilitiesarebettermarketedandattractgreaternumbersanddiversityofpeople,includingtourists.

Theevaluationfoundthatgreaterengagementandparticipationofindividualsandcommunitiesintheartsgeneratesmultipleandsignificantsocialandeconomicbenefitsforregionalcommunities.

RegionalDevelopmentfundingsupportssocialinteractionsandconnectionsthatcontributetoindividualandcommunitywellbeingandtotheliveabilityofaplace.

TheevaluationalsofoundthatRegionalDevelopmentfundinggeneratessubstantialeconomicbenefitsforcommunities.Itservesasa‘qualitymark’toencouragegreaterinvestmentinregionalartsbyothers,stimulatesspendingandcreatesjobsacrosslocaleconomies.

TheevaluationalsofoundthatVictoria’sartsindustrybenefitsfromtheRegionalDevelopmentprogram.Ithelpsprovideprofessionally-managedartsfacilitiesinregionalareasandenablesartistsandartsorganisationstotourtoregionallocationsandextendtheirreachandthelifeoftheirproduct.ThiscontributestoadiverseandsustainableartsindustryinVictoria.

Figure1showsthatnearlyall(96%)evaluationsurveyrespondentsstronglyagreedoragreedtheRegionalDevelopmentprogramgenerallymeetstheneedsofregionalcommunities.Themajorityalsostronglyagreedoragreeditgenerallymeettheneedsoftheartssector(86%)andlocalgovernment(87%).

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Figure1:TheRegionalDevelopmentprogramsaregenerallyeffectiveinmeetingtheneedsof:

EvaluationparticipantssaidthatregionalartsfacilitiesandaccesstotheartswouldsubstantiallydiminishifRegionalDevelopmentfundingwasdiscontinued.Thequalityandthenumberofartsandculturaleventsthecommunitycouldaccesswoulddiminish,particularlyoutreachprogramstosmallersatellitetowns.

4. Better arts facilities Almostallsurveyrespondents(9outof10,or86%)stronglyagreedoragreedthatRegionalPartnershipfundingimprovedtheprofessionalmanagementofregionalfacilities.Betterstaffenablesdeliveryofhigh-qualityartsprogramswhichattractmorepeopleandgeneratemoresocialandeconomicbenefits.

ProfessionalstaffTheevaluationfoundthatRegionalPartnershipsfundingisvitalforemployingskilledartsprofessionalsatartsfacilities.Thisincludespart-time,full-timeandcasualartsmanagersandmarketers,theatretechniciansandotherskilledstaff.

AnanalysisofCreativeVictoriaChecklistdata8supportsthis,showingthatEquivalentFull-Time(EFT)jobsatregionalartsfacilitiesincreased21%inthesixyearsto2013,startingjustafterRegionalPartnershipswaslaunched.

*ThesefiguresarethecalculatedmeanregardingthelevelofagreementbasedonafivepointLikertscalewhere:0–1.5=stronglydisagree;1.5–2.5=disagree;2.5–3.5=neitheragreenordisagree;3.5–4.5=agree;4.5–5=stronglyagree.Respondentsweregiventheoptiontoselect‘unsure’.Respondentsrarelyselectedthisoption,howeverwheretheydid,theirresponseswerediscountedfromtheresults.Thepercentagesmayaddupto99or101duetorounding.

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TheevaluationalsofoundtherequirementofRegionalPartnershipsfundingagreementsforvenuestafftoparticipateintheVictorianAssociationofPerformingArtsCentres(VAPAC)orthePublicGalleriesAssociationofVictoria(PGAV)ensuredthatstaffhadopportunitiesforprofessionaldevelopment.

ImprovedmarketingRegionalPartnershipsfundinghelpsincreasemarketingandpromotionatfacilities.Theevaluationidentifiedthatinthesixyearsto2013,marketingexpenditureofregionalperformingartscentresandgalleriesincreasedasubstantial41%.

Themajorityofevaluationsurveyrespondents(78%)stronglyagreedoragreedthatRegionalPartnershipsfundingimprovedthemarketingand/orpromotionoftheirregionalfacilities.Formany,RegionalPartnershipsfundingistheprincipalsourceofqualitymarketingmaterials.

BetterprogrammingTheRegionalDevelopmentprogramisimportantforincreasingaccesstoabetterquantity,qualityanddiversityofartsprogramsforregionalVictorians.

Inadditiontosupportingtheprofessionalmanagementofregionalartsfacilities,itisvitalforenablinglarge-scaleandnot-for-profitartistsandartsorganisationstotourtoregionalareasthroughTouringVictoria.

Nearlyallsurveyrespondents(93%)stronglyagreedoragreedtheRegionalDevelopmentprogramincreasedthenumberofartsprogramsforregionalVictorians.

Mostrespondents(92%)stronglyagreedoragreedtheRegionalDevelopmentprogramenablesagreaterdiversityofartseventsandactivitiesinregionalcommunities.

Weareshowinginternationalqualityperformancesinsmallregionaltowns.Ifyoudidn’thavethatsubsidy,itwouldhappenatamuchlesserscale.WearegoingtohaveaperformanceofCirquedeSoleilplayinghere–internationallyrecognisedperformersplayinghere...it’samazing.

(FacilityManager/Director)

Thisincludesdeliveringadditionalactivitiesandproductsalongsidetheoriginalproductsuchassuchasoutreachprograms,communityengagementandeducationandlearning,aswellasextendingartsprogramstosmallertownsinregionalareas.

Wehaveanoutreachprogram–wherewepartnerwithacommunitygroupinthelocaltown.Alongsidetheshow,thegroupwillrunthebaranddootherfundraisingactivitiesandraisemoneyfortheCFAorthe...SwimmingPool.

(FacilityManager/Director)

Most(87%)surveyrespondentsalsostronglyagreedoragreedtheRegionalDevelopmentprogramhascontributedtomorediversepeopleattendingregionalartsfacilities.

Thefundinghasallowedmetobemoreadventurousinprogramming,particularlyintouringperformances.Itmeanswecanbuyinshowsthatarequiteexpensive,

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maynotattractawideaudience,butprovideauniqueexperiencethatwouldn’tnormallybeavailabletomembersofourcommunity.

. (FacilityManager/Director)

Allsurveyparticipants(100%)saidthatTouringVictoriafundingincreasedopportunitiesforVictorianartistsandartsorganisationstotourdiverseproductstoregionallocations.Three-quarters(75%)stronglyagreedoragreedthefundingcontributestoastrongmarketforartscompaniesandorganisationsinregionalVictoriaby:

• providingopportunitiesforproducersandartiststotourandbuildtheiraudiencebase

• extendingthetouringlifeofVictorianartsproduct.

5. Better communities TheevaluationconcludedtheRegionalDevelopmentprogramgeneratesmultipleandsubstantialbenefitsforregionalcommunities.Theseincludecultural,socialandeconomicbenefitsthatcontributetotheliveabilityofalocalarea.

LiveabilityAlong-termgoaloftheRegionalDevelopmentprogramistobuildtheliveabilityofregionalcommunities.Liveabilityrelatestothequalityofpublicspacesandactivities,socialdiversity,connectionsandcohesionandemploymentopportunities.

Nearlyallevaluationsurveyrespondents(97%)agreedthattheprogramcontributedtotheliveabilityoftheirlocalcommunity(3%wereunsure).OftherespondentsthatagreethatRegionalDevelopmentcontributestoliveability

• 98%saidthefundingmeantbetterartsprograms

• 96%saidithelpedbuildsocialconnections

• 93%saiditcreativelystimulatedpeople

• 86%saiditincreasedemploymentopportunities

• 70%saiditincreasedtourism.

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Figure2:InwhatwaystoRegionalDevelopmentprogramsbenefitregionalcommunities?

SomeintervieweescommentedthattheartsandculturalprogramssupportedbyRegionalPartnershipshelpedattractandretainprofessionalsessentialtothesuccessofacommunityandthatartfacilitatespopulationgrowthmoregenerally.

Thefundinghelpsensureculturalvibrancywhichinturnattractsorretainspeoplewiththeskillsandcapabilitiesthatthecommunitygenerallyneeds,whichinturnensuresliveabilityandconfidenceinthecommunity'scapacity.

(Seniorcouncilofficer)

Othersspokeaboutthecontributionofquality,diverseandprofessionalartsincontributingtocommunitycohesionandculturalvibrancy.

Increasedartsprogrammingandtheadditionaleventsandactivitiesthataccompanyit,suchasfund-raisinginitiatives,areprovidingthesocialfabricthatisholdingsmalltownstogether.Itprovidesopportunitiesforpeopletomeettogetherandsocialise. (Facilitymanager/director)

EconomicbenefitsTheevaluationfoundtheRegionalDevelopmentprogramgeneratesmultipleeconomicbenefitsforcommunities.

SurveyrespondentssaidRegionalPartnershipsfundingservesasa‘qualitymark’andsupportsartsfacilitiestomaintainandincreasefundraisingfromothersources.

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Most(80%)stronglyagreedoragreedthefundingenablesfacilitiestoleverageotherfunds.Almostthreequarters(74%)believedthefundingencouragedgreaterlocalgovernmentinvestmentintheirartsfacilitiesandprograms.

AnanalysisofCreativeVictoria’sChecklist9datasupportsthis,showingthatlocalgovernmentsincreasedtheirfundingforartsfacilitiesfrom$9millionto$19millioninthesixyearsafterRegionalPartnershipswaslaunched(2005/06to2013/14).ThisissignificantbecausewhileRegionalPartnershipsfundingcontributedjust9%oftheoperatingincomeofregionalfacilitiesoverthisperiod,localcouncilscontributed48%.

Figure3showsthatparticipantsthoughtRegionalPartnershipsalsogeneratesadditionalfundingfromprivatesponsorships,philanthropicorganisationsandfundraisingactivities.Thisissupportedbyananalysisofthetotaloperatingincomesofregionalfacilitiesoverthesixyearsfrom2005/06to2013/14,whichshowstheirincomesincreasedby$15,680,201,or35%.

Figure3:SourcesofleveragedfundingasaresultofRegionalPartnershipsfunding

Mostsurveyrespondents(97%)stronglyagreedoragreedthataprofessionally-managedartsvenuewhichincreasedaccesstohigh-qualityartsprogramsalsobenefitedlocalbusinesses.Thisincludesbusinesseswhichdirectlysupplyorsupportanartsvenueaswellassmalllocalbusinessessuchascafesandthoseinthetourismindustry.

WhiletheevaluationdidnotcalculatetheeconomicimpactsoftheRegionalDevelopmentprogramoncommunities,thebenefitstheartscangenerateforaparticularareahasbeenwelldocumentedinotherresearch.

• AneconomicimpactassessmentoftheWangarattaPerformingArtsCentre10(WPAC)founditattracted5,200additionalvisitorstotheregioneachyear,whoinjectedapproximately$1.6millionintothelocaleconomy(2011/12).TheWPACalsogenerated19.5EFTequivalent

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jobsatthevenueandwithinlocalbusinesses.Areturnontheconstructioninvestmentforthevenuewaslikelytobeachievedwithin5.5yearsandforevery$1ofoperationalsubsidytheVictoriaGovernmentandlocalcouncilprovided,areturnof$1.80fortheregionaleconomywasgenerated.Further,thevolunteerbaseatWPACgrewfromfouratitspreviousageingvenueto44volunteersatthenewprofessionally-managedvenue,withvolunteeringhoursincreasingto1,410hours,representinganestimated$28,200ineconomicadded-value(2011/12).

• AKPMGreportintotheeconomicimpactoftheVictorianArtsandCulturalSector11determinedthatit“addeddirectvaluetotheeconomyof$6.1billionandemployedtheequivalentof68,000fulltimeworkers”.Further,in2011,itwasdeterminedthat400,000culturaltourists(touristswhoattendthreeormoreculturalattractionsduringtheirvisit)visitedVictoriain2011.ThereportalsoincludesacasestudyaboutBendigoArtGallery’scontributiontothelocaleconomy.Thegallery,whichreceivesRegionalPartnershipsprogramfunding,generatedapproximately$16.3millionforthelocaleconomywithits2012‘GraceKelly:StyleIcon’exhibitionalone.

• A2014reportontheeconomicimpactoftheculturalinfrastructureoftheEvocitiesofNSW12foundthe26culturalfacilitiesofacoalitionofregionalNSWcouncilsgeneratedanaveragereturnoninvestmentof69%forlocal,stateandfederalgovernments.The500volunteersengagedacrossthesefacilitieswereestimatedtohavecontributedapproximately25,000workinghoursatanestimatedvalueof$500,000.

CulturalandsocialbenefitsThereisevidencetosuggesttheartsplayanimportantroleincontributingtotheliveabilityofaplace.Ithasbeenfound,forexample,that85%ofAustraliansbelievethearts‘makeforaricherandmoremeaningfullife’13.

Figure4showsthemajority(76%)ofevaluationparticipantsstronglyagreedthatRegionalPartnershipscontributestoavibrantandsustainableregionalartsindustryandall(100%)stronglyagreedoragreedthatcommunitiesinregionalVictoriavaluetheprofessionalartsonoffer.

Socialbenefitshighlightedbyevaluationparticipantsincludedgreatersocialinteractionsandconnectionsbetweenpeoplefromawiderangeofbackgroundsandagegroups.Peoplereportedthatgettinginvolvedinartsactivitiesandeventscouldbuildconfidence,skillsandcommunitycohesion.

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Figure4:Towhatextentdoyouagreewiththefollowingstatements?

6. Improvements Thethree-yearRegionalPartnershipsagreementswerehighlightedasakeystrengthforthecertaintyitprovideslocalgovernmentsandartsfacilities.Itallowsfacilitiesandorganisationstoforwardplanandleveragefundingfromothersources.

Smallerandlargerartscompaniesidentifiedsomedifferentneedsinrelationtoplanningregionaltours.Somelargercompaniesarekeenforgreatercertaintyinfundingtoenablethemtoplanuptotwoyearsahead.Somesmallercompaniessaidthatgreaterflexibilityinfundingwouldenablethemtorespondtoopportunities.Thereforeitwassuggestedthatdifferedmodelsoftouringsupportmayneedtobeexploredanddeveloped.

However,commontocompaniesofallsizesistheneedforlong-termplanningthataddressescommunityengagement,audiencedevelopmentandcollaborativepartnerships.

FundingmodelsDuetothedifferentneedsoflargerandsmallerartscompaniesandorganisations,itwassuggestedthatTouringVictoriafundingwasseparatedintodifferentcategoriestocatertotheparticularprioritiesofeach.

ExperiencedandlargerproducersandartcompanieswithaprovenTouringVictoriatrackrecordcouldpotentiallyapplyforblockortriennialfunding.Thiswouldprovideahigherdegreeofautonomyinthewayfundingisused.Forexample,fundingcouldbeusedtosecureatourtwoyears

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downthetrack,ortotouranemergingproductionatshortnotice.Greaterautonomyandflexibilitywouldgiveartscompaniesandorganisationstheopportunitytorespondtoemergingartproductsandbyincreasingfundingtimelines,artcompaniesthatengageinlonger-termplanningwouldhaveincreasedcertainty.

Forotherproducers,thefundingarrangementscouldremainthesameaspresent.Iftheycontinuetoengagewiththeprogramanddevelopapositivetrackrecord,theycouldalsohaveopportunitytoapplyformoreautonomous,long-termfunding.

SomeparticipantsalsobelievedtheTouringVictoriaprogramcouldsupportemergingartproductbyprovidinganoptionforsmaller,quickresponsegrantsforone-offtoursbysmallerindependentcompanies.

CommunicationSomeimprovementsincommunicationbetweenCreativeVictoriaandapplicantsforTouringVictoriafundingweresuggested.Thisincludedfurtherdefinitionof‘touringproduct’aswellaswhatconstitutes‘regional’and‘metropolitan’Victoria.

CreativeVictoriahassincetakenanumberofstepstoimprovecommunicationwithapplicants.Forexample,adefinitionofwhatconstitutes‘regional’isavailableonitswebsiteandanyguidelinechangesarehighlightedontheTouringVictoriawebpage.

ResearchSomefacilitymanagersanddirectorsexpressedtheneedforgreaterunderstandingoftheimpactoftheartsonaudiences.Itwassuggestedagreaterbodyofresearchmightbuildthecapacityoffacilitiestotailortheirprogrammingtosuitdifferentdemographics.

PerformancestandardsSomerespondentssuggestedmakingsomeoftheperformancestandardsforRegionalPartnershipsfundingmoreexplicit.Forexample,whilethefundingagreementrequiresthatvenuestaffaremembersoftheirprofessionalnetworks,somearguedthatmembershipdoesnotnecessarilyfacilitateparticipation.ItwassuggestedthefundingagreementsincludesomeKPIslinkedtoactualattendanceatprofessionaldevelopmentevents.

OthersbelievedmorespecificoutcomescouldbedevelopedbyCreativeVictoriaandlocalgovernments.Forexample,thefundingcouldaimtosupportspecificsocialandeconomicgoalsforregionalcommunities.Inconsideringthis,itisimportanttonotethevaluethatmanyattributetothecurrentRegionalPartnershipsprogramisitsautonomyinhowfundingisinvestedandanydecisiontorequiremoretargetedKPIswouldneedtoconsiderthis.

AnalysisofperformancedataCreativeVictoria’sChecklistdata(2013)revealedcertaintrendsforselectedmeasuresforbothregionalgalleriesandperformingartscentres.Attendancenumbers,EFTstaffingnumbersandmarketingexpendituredecreasedforgalleries,whiletheyincreasedforperformingartscentres:

• Galleriesspent16%lessonmarketingwhileperformingartscentresexperiencesa13%increase

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• EFTstaffatgalleriesreducedby1%whileperformingartscentresexperienceda12%increase

• Attendances(paidandunpaid)atgalleriesdropped11%butincreased23%atperformingartscentres.

Whilevariationsinaggregateddataneedcarefulanalysisastheremaybeisolatedfactorsatplay,ifChecklistdataforsubsequentyearsshowsthesetrendscontinuing,furtherinvestigationmaybewarranted.

CreativeVictoriaalsoacknowledgesthattheeffectivenessoffacilities’performancecanonlybeassessedthroughcarefulconsiderationofarangeoffactors,includingaudienceexperienceandcommunityengagement.

Stimulatingregionally-producedartproductSomebelievedthatRegionalDevelopmentfundingshouldhavemoreofafocusonworkingwithregionalcommunitiesandfacilitiestostimulateandinspirelocalcreativeindustries.

Theysuggestedmoreprofessionalartsworkshopsandtrainingopportunitiesatregionalgalleriesandperformingartscentrescouldhelpaddressthis.Developinganetworkofregionally-basedartisticdirectors,curatorsandfacilitymanagersanddirectorsmightalsohelp.

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End notes 1Petri,I.(2013),TheValueofPresenting:AStudyofPerformingArtsPresentationinCanada,CanadianArtsPresentingAssociation(CAPACOA)andStrategicMoves.Accessedat:http://www.capacoa.ca/valueofpresentingdoc/ValueofPresenting_Final.pdf(Retrieved7/7/14).

Evans,J.,Bridson,K.,&Minkiewicz,J.(2013),DemonstratingImpact–FourCaseStudiesofPublicArtMuseums.AsiaPacificSocialImpactLeadershipCentre,MelbourneBusinessSchool.Tabitha,R.W.,&Rentschler,R.(2005),‘Towardanewunderstandingofthesocialimpactonthearts’inColbert,F.(eds).AIMAC2005:Proceedingsofthe18thInternationalConferenceonArtsandCulturalManagement.HEC,Montreal,Quebec.2ArtsVictoria(2008),TheRoleofArtsandCultureinLiveabilityandCompetitiveness:SubmittedtoVictorianCompetitionandEfficiencyCommission’sInquiryintoEnhancingVictoria’sLiveability,p.4.Accessed24July2014athttp://www.arts.vic.gov.au/Research_Resources/Research_Publications/The_Role_of_Arts_and_Culture_in_Liveability.3RegionalArtsAustralia(2013),SharpeningtheArts,p.5.(Viewsgatheredfrom2,488participantsfromover100communities,speakingonbehalfof458,522people).4Australia Council for the Arts (2013), Arts in Daily Life: Australian Participation in the Arts, p. 18.5AustraliaCouncil(2014),ArtsinDailyLife:AustralianParticipationintheArts,p.10.Accessedon21July2014athttp://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/200927/Arts-in-Daily-Life-Australian-Participation-in-the-Arts.pdf.6SynergistiqPtyLtdconductedtheresearchandevaluation.7Includingfocusgroupsandinterviewswith:keystakeholdersandcommunitymembersatBendigoandSale(27peopleintotal);onlinesurveys(66respondents);andtelephoneinterviewswithkeystakeholders(18).88ChecklistdatareferstocollatedacquittaldataprovidedtoArtsVictoriabylocalgovernmentsthroughtheRegionalPartnershipsprogram.9ChecklistdatareferstocollatedacquittaldataprovidedtoArtsVictoriabylocalgovernmentsthroughtheRegionalPartnershipsprogram.10EssentialEconomics(2013),WangarattaPerformingArtsCentreEconomicImpactAssessment.Accessedatfile:///C:/Users/matth/Downloads/FINAL_FINAL_report_Wangaratta_PAC_Economic_Impact_October_2013.pdf(Retrieved23September2014).11KPMG(2013),EconomicImpactoftheVictorianArtsandCulturalSector.Accessedat:file:///C:/Users/matth/Downloads/Economic_Impact_of_the_Victorian_Arts_and_Cultural_Sector_2013%20(1).pdf(Retrieved23September2014).12MuseumsandGalleriesNSW(2014),AddingValue!:AReportontheEconomicImpactoftheCulturalInfrastructureoftheEvocitiesofNSW.Accessedathttp://www.academia.edu/7929497/Adding_Value_A_report_on_the_economic_impact_of_the_cultural_infrastructure_of_the_Evocities_of_NSW(Retrieved23September2014).13AustraliaCouncil(2014),ArtsinDailyLife:AustralianParticipationintheArts.Accessedathttp://www.australiacouncil.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/200927/Arts-in-Daily-Life-Australian-Participation-in-the-Arts.pdf(Retrieved21/7/2014).