Spirits in Bare FeetSpirits in Bare FeetBest practice community consultation and collaboration

Dr Rebecca Scollen

USQ ArtsworxUSQ Artsworx(www.usq.edu.au/artsworx)(www.usq.edu.au/artsworx)

Not-for-profit production house at University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba

Collaborate with students and their lecturers in the School of Creative Arts at USQ to produce a range of arts and cultural events and activities throughout the year.

Toowoomba, SW Qld and Fraser Coast

USQ Children’s FestivalUSQ Children’s Festivalwww.usq.edu.au/artsworx/www.usq.edu.au/artsworx/childrensfestivalchildrensfestival

Yearly children’s festival Produced for 4 – 12 year olds Live theatre production at the USQ Arts

Theatre Visual art exhibition in the USQ Gallery Creative arts workshops delivered

directly into primary schools

2009 Children’s Festival2009 Children’s Festival

Spirits in Bare Feet by David Burton – original play and world premiere performance

Place Markers Indigenous art exhibition (variety of artists)

Creative art workshops, centred on the themes of Spirits in Bare Feet, led by Indigenous artist Kim Walmsley.

Development of Development of Spirits in Bare FeetSpirits in Bare Feet

150 years of Queensland

School teachers seeking more Indigenous cultural content

Centre for Australian Indigenous Knowledges (CAIK)

www.usq.edu.au/caik

Gummingurru Gummingurru www.gummingurru.com.au/HomePagewww.gummingurru.com.au/HomePage

Uncle Brian Tobane and Donna Moodie 5000 year old Aboriginal stone

arrangement site Located just west of Toowoomba (near

Gowrie Junction) Male initiation ceremonies/Multiple tribes Travel to Bunya Mountains for Bunya

Nut Festival

1800s land purchased by European settlers

1910 all Aboriginal people forcibly removed from the region

1950s Jean Gilbert shows her father the ‘fairy rings’ and so starts the process to identify the site and its significance and hand the land back

2008 Gummingurru officially handed over to the care of the Gummingurru Aboriginal Corporation.

Company Company

David Burton – guest playwright Mary-Ann Vale – guest director Michael Brown – guest composer and

musician Chris Willems – set designer Carolyn Taylor-Smith – costume designer Cast and crew – USQ theatre students

Consultation and CollaborationConsultation and Collaboration

Regular phone calls and meetings with the custodians throughout the process:

Drafts of the play In the rehearsal room Input into design and promotion

Outcomes for GummingurruOutcomes for Gummingurru

Significant media coverage for Gummingurru –

ABC Landline, ABC Stateline, Channel 9 News Brisbane, newspaper coverage and websites

Raised awareness of Gummingurru and local history

The very first time the story of Gummingurru has been told via live performance

Generated pride and satisfaction that story has been told to so many

Encouraged greater number of visits to the site

Outcomes for USQOutcomes for USQ

USQ students learn directly about community consultation and collaboration, and Indigenous cultural protocols

USQ demonstrates it capacity to engage with communities and utilise its resources to benefit communities in regional Qld

Delivery of a theatre production that is very well received by the public

Helped raise money and awareness about Gummingurru

Thanks to supportersThanks to supporters

Breez Finance – sponsor of USQ Children’s Festival (2007-2009)

Q150 community fund RADF CAIK USQ Faculty of Arts Channel 9 News and ABC Landline Our audiences

Dr Rebecca Scollenph. 07 4631 2774rebecca.scollen@usq.edu.au

www.usq.edu.au/artsworx