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Voices is a Major Cultural Event
19 June 2004
We hear lots about lifestyle, jobs, and sport on the Sunshine
Coast but 'culture' is a word that isn't used very much. We have an
increasingly busy but regretfully decaying centre at Nambour, an
ever-changing proposal for central Maroochydore that has been
controversial and dormant for some time, a Caloundra gallery
currently enmeshed in censorship controversy, and then there are
the myriad of arts activities that are spread throughout the
region, as well as the prospect of a film studio for Coolum.
But when you consider the wide range of options available for
one million people in Brisbane, and yet we can't point to one major
piece of cultural infrastructure for a quarter of a million people
on the Coast, you begin to wonder whether we are investing enough
in those aspects of life that an increasingly discerning and
sophisticated population also want.
From the university's point of view we are working with
developers, schools, and individual benefactors to see whether we
can together begin to turn around the cultural under-provision.
We now have a new art gallery, and with Education Queensland and
Chancellor State College we are together scoping some
initiatives.
Another closely linked school is Immanuel Lutheran College with
whom we jointly sponsor the highly successful cultural festival,
'Voices on the Coast' every year.
This arts and cultural festival is in its ninth year and it's on
again next week from Tuesday to Saturday, with each day having a
different feature or emphasis.
The Festival brings authors, poets and illustrators to the Coast
and it is becoming more popular with each year's expansion of the
program, to include a wider range of activities with appeal to all
ages, but with a special focus on developing students' views. Some
of the presenters actually attended the Festival as students and
now are returning as acclaimed authors in their own right.
The main student-focused days will be at the University on
Wednesday and Thursday with over 7,000 students attending in the
bookings so far. On Tuesday there is the Festival launch, a
writer's panel on Wednesday, an emerging writers' bistro on Friday,
and a literary breakfast on Saturday.
There are more than a dozen presenters in the student sessions,
and there are also dramatic performances as well as special
workshops with university stars like Karen Brooks and Gary
Crew.
Each year the program has evolved as a result of audience
feedback and there are increasing numbers of workshops and
community events as more people want to gain insights into the
techniques and successes of these authors and performers.
For these thousands of students and hundreds of adults who are
involved in 'culture' is something that through novels, poems, or
drama, enriches their lives, and for them is often much more
satisfying than some other crowd-cheering pursuits.
When books like Richard Florida's 'The Rise of the Creative
Class' analyses powerful economic, job-generating areas of the
United States and elsewhere, his conclusions point to the new
entrepreneurial classes seeking a liberal and cultured environment
in which to live and socialise. You can even see it happening in
the James Street area in Brisbane where the cultural and economic
are so intertwined, and there is great potential here.
The Sunshine Coast has to place a greater emphasis on things
cultural, and the USC-Immanuel 'Voices on the Coast' is an
important contribution to elevating cultural awareness and
participation.
Professor Paul Thomas is Vice-Chancellor of University of
the Sunshine Coast