Groundswell: OUR HISTORY

GROUNDSWELL: Creative Thinkers, Creative Solutions was founded by Sydney-based independent choreographer and actor, Annalouise Paul in 2009.

A year later with the support and collaboration of several others, a public forum was hosted on 14 October 2010 at Opera Australia premises in Surry Hills. The aim of the forum was to initiate positive ideas and alternative enterprises to create a stronger professional presence for this important sector for Australian arts and its audiences.

GROUNDSWELL was immediately embraced as ‘much-needed’ and ‘long overdue'.

A second industry forum, Multicultural Arts Forum 2012, was held at Carriageworks, Redfern, bringing together over 180 artists, arts workers, policy-makers, arts leaders and critical thinkers from NSW and across Australia to share ideas, perspectives and experiences on how to reap the benefits of our culturally diverse arts. With 34 speakers, moderators and presenters and 20 performers, this forum exceeded expectations, presenting a diverse and inclusive range of approaches to cultural diversity in the arts.

In December 2012, Groundswell incorporated under the name of GROUNDSWELL ARTS NSW. We are currently preparing to launch the organisation on the 13^th of February 2014 at the Sydney Opera House.

ACTIVITIES TO DATE:

• October 2010 - GROUNDSWELL: Creative Thinkers Creative Solutions first public forum held at Opera Australia, Surry Hills.

• November 2010 - Forum report delivered to Hon. Minister for the Arts, MP Virginia Judge, Arts NSW and Australia Council for the Arts.

• January/February 2011 - Meetings with (formers) Arts Minister MP Virginia Judge and Shadow Arts Minister, Anthony Roberts prior to their election campaigns. Both political parties agreed multicultural arts is an essential valuable asset in NSW, for cultural life of all Australians and as a creative industry that needs to be addressed in terms of a funding a peak body for NSW.

• March 2011 - Delivery of a proposal for seed funding to Arts NSW for research and report into the needs and issues of the multicultural arts sector and a business plan model in the development of a peak body.

• April 2011 - Research study approved and funded by Arts NSW. The Terms of Reference complete and research to be conducted by an independent consultant.

• November 2011 - Arts NSW agreement to a new terms for a 'scan' of the NSW arts sector and some financial support towards Multicultural Arts Forum 2012.

• April 2012 - GROUNDSWELL: Creative Thinkers Creative Solutions presents Multicultural Arts Forum 2012, its second industry forum held at Carriageworks, Redfern.

• September 2012 - Multicultural Arts Forum 2012 Final Report is released.

• December 2012 – GROUNDSWELL: Creative Thinkers Creative Solutions incorporates under the name of GROUNDSWELL ARTS NSW, putting in place matters of governance and legal compliance.

• Jan-Dec 2013 – GROUNDSWELL ARTS NSW entered a strategic planning and fund-seeking phase.

• February 2014 – the launch of the organization and new website is scheduled for 13^th February 2014 at the Sydney Opera House.

GROUNDSWELL has garnered strong support from the wider arts sector across Australia as the voice for multicultural arts in NSW. GROUNDSWELL gratefully acknowledges all of the artists and arts workers for their ongoing contributions as we would not have been able to achieve our objectives so far without you. We thank the following organisations for their in-kind support.