Regional Rail Revival Creative Strategy

1 July 2021

1. Introduction

The Regional Rail Revival Creative Strategy is an opportunity to celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of Victoria’s regional creative industries. The Creative Strategy supports working with regional artists and cultural organisations, engaging local communities and celebrating the creative culture of Victoria’s First Peoples.

The Regional Rail Revival program will see upgrades across all regional passenger train lines in Victoria creating better connections between people and places across the State. Through the Creative Strategy, Regional Rail Revival is committed to enhancing people’s experience of journey and place by working with regional artists and communities to deliver creative outcomes as part of these upgrades.

Regional Victoria is home to diverse and vibrant creative industries that contribute significantly to the State’s creative economy. Cultural tourism is also an important driver for the State’s creative economy. Victoria’s regions boast some of Australia’s leading regional galleries, museums, festivals, and performing arts venues. These include the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Bendigo Art Gallery, Shepparton Art Museum, and Geelong Arts Centre.

Australia is home to the world’s oldest continuous culture. The Creative Strategy supports engagement with Victoria’s Aboriginal communities and a commissioning approach that encourages opportunities for Victorian First Nations artists. The unique skills and perspectives that these artists bring can inform deeper connections to place, country and community for us all.

By providing opportunities to Victoria’s regional artists and creative practitioners, the Creative Strategy can help contribute to sustainable creative industries in Victoria’s regions. High quality public art and creative design outcomes, delivered as part of the Regional Rail Revival program, will enhance people’s experience of journey and place and leave a positive civic legacy for Victoria’s regional communities.

Purpose

As part of a commitment to delivering high quality projects, RRR has developed the Creative Strategy to provide guidance to project teams and delivery partners when commissioning creative works on regional projects.

The Creative Strategy sets out key themes, objectives and guidelines for delivery partners to consider when engaging artists and communities on creative works.

RRR vision

Creating opportunities, connecting people, delivering excellence for a more liveable Victoria.

First Peoples Acknowledgement

We acknowledge the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land we now call Victoria. We recognise and respect the continuing connection to land, water, and community, and we celebrate the history and contemporary creativity of the world’s oldest continuous living culture.

2 Creative approach

2.1 Embedding art on RRR projects

As a State Government body responsible for a wide portfolio of rail infrastructure projects, RRR works closely with delivery partners to ensure best practice in the delivery of creative responses.

Across RRR projects, artists and creative practitioners are commissioned to inspire positive community outcomes that are embedded in the delivery of projects.

There are proven benefits for embedding creative works as part of rail infrastructure projects:

create welcoming spaces and destinations for people and communities
enhance the commuter experience of travel and journey
harness the energy, creativity and innovation of the creative sector
foster community and cultural identity, health and wellbeing, inclusion, and leave a positive civic legacy.

2.2 Curatorial rationale

The Creative Strategy supports a wide range of creative opportunities in diverse places and communities across Victoria’s regions.

This requires a consistent curatorial approach to drive high quality outcomes across projects.

The Curatorial Rationale sets out expectations and considerations to help guide delivery partners in their responses to the Creative Strategy.

Prioritise people’s experience of journey and place in creative or artistic responses
Support collaboration between artists and design and delivery teams
Establish good governance and best practice approach to commissioning creative works
Encourage sustainable arts practices and minimise creative initiatives which have negative environmental or social impacts
Develop responses which align creative activities with the project and its delivery program
Consider temporary creative activations during the construction phase and permanent artworks as part of legacy design
Explore opportunities to align creative programming with existing regional events and festivals
Develop digital communications and engagement strategies to support creative opportunities
Undertake high quality visual documentation of creative works commissioned for the project

2.3 Creative Strategy objectives and guidelines

The Creative Strategy has four key objectives which map out areas of interest and importance for the Regional Rail Revival program.

These objectives and guidelines will assist delivery partners to respond to this strategy.

Deliver regional and locally relevant creative responses

Responding to the local community context is a central focus of the Regional Rail Revival program. The Creative Strategy encourages drawing themes from community – people, places, histories and stories – to inform artist briefs and creative responses. This community centred approach supports deeper engagement with local communities and artists.

Local governments and community groups should be engaged in the creative process to ensure that creative themes and public artworks align with community expectations. Focused community consultation can reveal insights that may also help inform local context. Public artworks delivered as part of regional projects need to be considered, open and accessible, site responsive and complement the environmental or social setting.

2.3.1.1 Guidelines

Commission creative works that respond to local context and are considered appropriate in size, scale, theme, budget, artist selection, and community and cultural setting
Respond creatively to the cultural identity of places through themes developed with community
Support creative works that are open and accessible, encouraging meaningful engagement across diverse audiences
Consider community stakeholder engagement in the creative response process including local government, schools, and interest groups

Working with local artists, creative practitioners and cultural organisations

Regional artists understand the local context of the communities in which they live and work and can offer meaningful creative responses that resonate with people and places.

Providing opportunities for local artists builds capacity in regional creative industries and contributes to a positive legacy outcome for projects. Engaging regional arts and cultural organisations can reveal locally important creative themes and considerations, and assist with access to established networks of local artists and creative practitioners.

2.3.2.1 Guidelines

Develop a commissioning approach focused on regional artists and creative practitioners
Provide opportunities to artists representative of our diversity including artists of different cultures, genders, abilities, as well as both emerging and established practitioners
Explore collaborations with local arts organisations and cultural institutions
Promote creative opportunities through regional channels and networks
Ensure local representation on advisory panels

Ensuring appropriate opportunities, engagement and consultation

The land we now call Victoria is home to 38 traditional language groups and to South East Australian Aboriginal art and culture. The Regional Rail Revival program presents an opportunity to celebrate and promote contemporary Victorian Aboriginal art and creative practices to a wide audience in regions across the state.

The Creative Strategy supports working with First Nations artists to develop meaningful public art which explores connections to deep-rooted Indigenous knowledge of land, water, and community. Engaging with Traditional Owners and Aboriginal communities is a vital part of the creative process and will inform the appropriate use of themes, stories, and designs of proposed public artworks.

2.3.3.1 Guidelines

Develop creative themes that are respectful of and value the cultural knowledge of Victoria’s First Peoples
Consider a commissioning approach that delivers opportunities for First Nations artists
Support development opportunities for young and emerging First Nations creative practitioners including artists, curators, and designers
Engage with local Traditional Owner groups early in the development of creative projects
Ensure First Nations representation on advisory panels

Achieving positive outcomes through good processes and collaboration

Supporting artists through the design and installation process is critical to ensuring an embedded and high quality outcome that meets project, artist, and community expectations. Establishing robust frameworks for the commissioning process – from beginning to completion – will ensure fairness and transparency in the artist selection.

Once commissioned, the relationship between artists and design and delivery teams should be collaborative with the open exchange of ideas leading to enhanced outcomes and shared success. Artists should be supported by project teams in planned community engagement which may form part of the commission.

2.3.4.1 Guidelines

Write artist briefs in a manner which clearly defines the creative opportunity, artist deliverables, selection process, and artist fees
Establish advisory panels which have creative expertise and/or local knowledge, and are governed by Terms of Reference
Pay artists industry standard for their time undertaking concept development and artwork production; and pay honorariums to shortlisted artists depending on deliverables of the selection process
Support artists working with design and delivery teams to ensure embedded outcomes are delivered within project scope and timelines
Acknowledge artist intellectual property rights and moral rights, and Indigenous intellectual and cultural property rights when working with First Nations artists, communities and Traditional Owners.

Original artwork complete 1999, augmented reality addition complete 2019

Overview

Geelong’s waterfront is lined by 104 bright bollards depicting characters from the town’s past. Artist Jan Mitchell created the sculptures from demolition waste. The sculptures extend across 48 sites and form a popular walking trail. Local historical figures including local First Peoples are featured, with additions of contemporary figures to broaden the project’s appeal. The Activate Geelong App allows viewers to engage with the stories behind the bollards using augmented reality.

Relevance

The artworks depict the rich histories of regional Victorians, integrating First Nations culture, early migrants, and modern icons connected to the city. The artist’s unique cartoon-like style creates a consistent identity throughout the project, drawing interest from tourists and helping citizens connect to their stories of their town.

Governance

City of Greater Geelong

Ownership and maintenance

City of Greater Geelong

Download

Regional Rail Revival Creative Strategy (PDF 3.4 MB)