Falls Creek Australia’s Arts Mountain Arts and Culture Strategy 2016- 2021 5 Year Report Respect for Environment Respect for Culture
AIR 2017, New Work #4, Dore Stockhausen
David Rosendale, Falls Creek, Digital Photograph, May 2017
WHAT WE SET OUT TO ACHIEVE In 2016 Falls Creek Alpine Resort Management Board adopted a fiveyear Arts and Culture Strategy. The aim was to add vibrancy and increase visitation to the resort year-round. Through the arts program, the Board aimed to work with artists to engage visitors in thinking more deeply about the environment and how we can all work together to preserve its natural beauty. The Arts and Cultural Development Committee (the ACDC), was given the job of repositioning Falls Creek as Australia’s ‘Arts Mountain’. Community members joined board members to build an annual program which has included summer Artists in Residence, community workshops, public art and installations and community presentations.
CORE ACDC COMMITTEE MEMBERS Current
Former
Lindy Allen, Board Member and ACDC Chair Roger Kilby, Former Board Member Peter Valerio, Board Member Stuart Smythe, FCARMB CEO Deb Howie, community member, Richard Phillips, Falls Creek Ski Lifts Rosy Seaton, Traverse Alpine Group Lisa Logan, Board Member Brett Williams, Falls Creek Chamber of Commerce Karen Smythe, President, Falls Creek Historical Society Shannon Exelby, community member
FCARMB staff members, Elise Armitage, Jo Prothero, Sarah Watt, Kristie Palmer, Georgie Gavin and Millie Brown have assisted ACDC to achieve its goals. ACDC focussed on four key areas: Aboriginal culture History and heritage A vibrant village A sustainable future
LEFT: Rebecca Jones, new work, Falls Creek 2017
ABORIGINAL CULTURE: Residency with Dr Treahna Hamm In October 2019 renowned Yorta Yorta artist Dr Treahna Hamm spent two weeks in resort, supported by a Regional Arts Fund grant. This was the first time a lengthy artist-in-residence project involving community participants was delivered in Falls Creek. Workshops were daily attended by women throughout the community, students from Falls Creek Primary School and their family members and visitors to Falls Creek. Participants learnt traditional weaving techniques. They created their own work and worked collaboratively on group works exploring our natural environment and landscape. An exhibition featuring 10 completed works, held in the QT Board Room at Falls Creek, was launched by the Federal Member for Indi, Cathy McGowan AO MP on Sat 13 October. The work produced is now permanently held as a collection and exhibited at the Falls Creek Museum and venues throughout the village. A postcard documenting the project and the outcomes has been produced and is available for all visitors to Falls Creek. LEFT: Treahna Hamm, [Top] Children’s workshop, [Bottom] Creation Story, 2018
ABORIGINAL CULTURE: Wilin Centre Partnership In 2017, Falls Creek’s ACDC partnered with the Wilin Centre, the Indigenous Arts and Cultural Development Centre of the Victorian College of the Arts, to support graduates through an annual award valued at $1,000. FCRM hoped the awards would provide a positive pathway for the recipients into Artist-in-Residence program and strengthen the presence of indigenous arts and connection to country within the resort. The option of a future residency will continue to be open to those artists awarded. Award Recipients: 2017: Katie Wularni West 2018: Moorina Bonini 2019: Edwina Green
LEFT TOP: 2017 Award Recipient Katie West in front of her work Muhlu garrwarn/cool time hot time LEFT BOTTOM: 2018 Award Recipient Moorina Bonini, with her work The Other Reclaims
ABORIGINAL CULTURE: Tamara Murray Yorta Yorta, Dudaroah and Barkindtji emerging artist Tamara Murray has been engaged to create a design template for heritage, environment and arts signage within the village, referencing the Bogong Moth, as part of Falls Creek Historical Society’s Digital User Guide. Tamara also delivered Welcome to Country at the opening weekend of several ski seasons.
LEFT: Artist Tamara Murray
ABORIGINAL CULTURE: Wurrinbeena Established in 2013, Wurinbeena Limited is an indigenous artist-led organisation based in Lakes Entrance, focussed on sharing the strength, richness and diversity of Aboriginal culture among a wider audience. A residency at Falls Creek for lead artists Lennie Hayes, Frances Harrison, Elaine Terrick and Catherine Larkins was planned for November 2018. Wurinbeena successfully applied for a Regional Arts Fund grant to support this. Unfortunately the residency didn’t go ahead due to important family business. During 2016-2021, ACDC has trialled various ways of supporting indigenous engagement and has developed important relationships with a number of artists. Building on these connections will be a strong focus of the 2022-2026 Arts and Culture Strategy.
LEFT: Wurrinbeena, Exhibition Opening, Kangaroo Tales, Lakes Entrance, 2015
HISTORY AND HERITAGE: Falls Creek Historical Society Falls Creek Historical Society was established in 2013 to collect, preserve and interpret the unique history of Falls Creek and Bogong High Plains. Activities include interactive and informative displays and archiving using creative approaches to storytelling such as curated walks, village history trails and pop up museum displays. FCHS President Karen Smythe was an active member of the ACDC during the period of this strategy report (2016-2021) and collaborated with ACDC and FCRM on the delivery of a range of programs and new initiatives. FCHS has built an annual program of fundraising including donations from Falls Creek Alpine Association, artist David Rosendale, the Community Fund of Australia Post, various village auction proceeds, an annual Peaks Challenge fundraiser BBQ in Slalom Plaza and a donation of from Falls Creek Ski Lifts in 2017 from the auction of the retired Eagle Chairs. In total, since 2016, FCHS has raised $60,000 of external funding though community fundraising and donations outside of memberships/merchandise) and $20,000 in grants.
Poster, Skiing the Back, Sun Valley, Falls Creek Historical Society and Museum, collection
Falls Creek Historical Society Achievements 2016-2021 Highlights include: 2016: a self-guided Arts and Heritage Walk for visitors 2017: ‘Falls Fashion’, an opening weekend fundraiser featuring snow fashion from local boutiques modelled by Falls Creek staff and board 2017: 70th Anniversary of Falls Creek with celebrations for the first major building in FC, Skyline Lodge, built by the State Electricity Commission. To mark this occasion in perpetuity, a steel cut sculpture by Albury artist Vicki Luke, installed on Bogong High Plains Road, made it possible for visitors to visualise the exact location of the lodge. 2018: ‘Trail, Tales and Tucker’ walks were hosted during the summer period. 2019: FCHS registered for Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) Status. 2019: Production of signage by Indigenous artists Tamara Murray for the Arts and Heritage Walk 2020: Publication of Skippy St Elmo’s memoirs written by Diana Paterson (former RMB Board Member) and Karen Smythe
Garry Moore, Icons 2, 2018
A VIBRANT VILLAGE: Artist-in-residence Program The ACDC established an Artist-in-Residence (A-I-R) program in 2016 to provide an opportunity for all manner of creative people to take time away from their usual obligations to develop their creative practice within Falls Creek’s unique environment. Artists were supported via accommodation, connection to community, marketing assistance, and profiling on Falls Creek website. Over the summers from 2016 to 2021, 33 residencies took place with writers, visual artists, photographers, textile artists, sculptors, videographers, projection artists, virtual reality and sound artists, and academics. Six artists returned more than once to deepen their engagement with the community, the alpine environment and to extend their practice. While in the resort, artists enhanced the year-round visitor experience through workshops, public art works, exhibitions and presentations and created stunning images which were widely published on social media using hashtags #fallscreek, #fallscreekarts and posting to @fallscreek and @falls_creek_arts.
Artist-In-Residence Program: Costs and Benefits Artists were in resort for a total of 504 artist/days, an average of 15 days per artist per residency. The direct cost to FCRM over the five year period for the 33 residencies was $8,500 in cleaning fees. For this small investment, the artists delivered: 21 community engagement workshops 20 exhibitions/presentations (8 at Falls Creek, 12 in galleries across VIC, NSW and the ACT) 12 new public artworks to Falls Creek collection (indoor and outdoor) 2 new publications, Kelly Gardiner’s “The Adventures of the Bushranger Captain Lightning and that Other Girl,” a fictional story for teenage audience and Sarah Allen’s illustrated children’s book “Jumping Joeys” about Australian marsupials
LEFT: Artist and illustrator Sarah Allen at Falls Creek Primary school with Nikita, Reeve and Scarlett, 2021
A VIBRANT VILLAGE: Arts Projects Big Fella Hiroyasu Tsuri is a contemporary artist also known as TWOONE. Hiro was one of Falls Creek’s first artists-in-residence who painted the brown water tank at the top of Ory’s trail with a large and striking image of the Bogong Moth. FCRM undertook a crowd-funding campaign to fund this, raising just over $10,000. BigFella, as the work is now known, is one of Falls Creek’s most iconic art works, surprising first-time visitors with its stunning emergence around a corner on the last leg of the home trail. After completing BigFella over an intensive two-week residency, Hiro returned to Falls Creek later in 2016 and created four more iconic graffiti works throughout the village: Powerful Owl: side wall of the Man Hotel Currawong: painting a rear external wall at Diana Lodge Huski: painting a Huski on an internal wall at Huski Astra: Internal public works on walls in apartments
LEFT: Hiroyasu Tsuri, Big Fella, 2017
Vic McEwan, Bogong Moth Projection, Nordic Bowl, 2017
A VIBRANT VILLAGE: Arts Projects Clouds and Symphonies Contemporary arts organisation, the Cad Factory, based in the NSW Riverina, works internationally to deliver new, experimental work guided by ethical principles, people and place. Principal artists Vic and Sarah McEwan collaborate with communities, artists and local government. Vic won the coveted Council for the Humanities Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) Australian Prize for Distinctive work in 2018. In 2016, Vic McEwan undertook a two-week residency engaging with the local community, creating soundscapes and projecting images onto landscapes including Ruined Castle and Mount McKay. Vic developed ‘Clouds and Symphonies’ which received $35,000 in Australia Council funding. The project aimed to help the community navigate an increasing challenged environment. Vic returned in 2018 and 2019 to interview some of Falls Creek’s most-loved ‘elders of snow’ and has since developed a multi-media work honouring these people and their stories. Vic has not yet been able to return to Falls Creek to present the work, due to Covid19.
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: Flower of the Alpine Sun A key focus of our 5-year plan has been to commission a major public art work to act as a ‘destination’ marker, an itinerary driver, with the capacity to draw people from the region, from Melbourne and further afield, to experience its beauty. In 2018 ACDC formed a working party headed by life-long Falls Creek skier and Founding Director of the Melbourne Prize, Simon Warrender. They recruited a Curatorial Panel including: Professor Marie Sierra, Deputy Dean, Head of School, University NSW Australia Art & Design Professor Chris McAuliffe, School of Art, Australia National University Bryony Nainby, (then) Director Benalla Art Gallery. Australian artist Giovanni Veronesi’s concept ‘Flower of the Alpine Sun’ was considered a stand-out. Perched at the top of a rocky outcrop near Cloud 9, the work will invite the viewer onto a walkway that will deliver them into a golden orb where they will be encompassed by our exquisite alpine landscape.
LEFT: Giovanni Veronesi, Flower of the Alpine Sun, concept drawing, Winter
Giovanni Veronesi, Flower of the Alpine Sun, concept drawing, Summer
Flower of the Alpine Sun: A Tourism Driver This year-round tourist drawcard will help revitalise the local economy. Recent tourism research reports have painted a promising picture for the capacity of an iconic look-out to draw new tourism into Falls Creek, estimated at between 70,000 and 210,00 new visitors in the green season. The estimated annual green season direct spend for overnighting Victorian visitors to Flower of the Alpine Sun in Falls Creek is valued at $11.25m and $33.75m. The research suggests that the estimates for new visitation in green season will be matched by an equal number of new visitors in winter. Flower of the Alpine Sun has the potential to be a game changer for driving new tourism to Falls Creek. FCRM is working on a number of fronts to achieve the funding needed to create the work.
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: Feastival Following the 2020 bushfires that affected the North-East region FCRM has made several grant applications to support initiatives that will support business activity. Feastival, originally planned for late winter and now programmed for February 2022, was developed as a performing arts and dining festival. The aim is to attract an ‘arts and culture’ market who would stay overnight and participate in free and paid events at venues throughout the village driving a positive economic impact for stakeholders. Through performance and dining events, free music and exhibitions, the festival will showcase the talent of Falls Creek and its artistic partners. If successful there is potential to run seasonal Feastival events in both the white and green seasons.
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: International Arts Collaborations Simon Beck UK based artist Simon Beck is renowned for giant drawings in the snow. In 2019, FCRM was approached to support a commercial shoot which didn’t eventuate but FCRM invited him to visit the resort in Winter 2020. This has been postponed twice due to Covid19 and it is now planned for 2022. Simon would produce several giant works of art, about 150m in diameter, using snowshoes and a compass. He marks out reference points, often working overnight or returning the next day to complete the drawing. The work will be photographed and filmed using a drone and the images will be available for the resort to use for promotional purposes. While in resort he will deliver a public workshop about the way he works. This would be Falls Creek’s first collaboration with a snow artist with an international profile and will promote Falls Creek to a new international audience, both from the snow sports arena and cultural tourism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVWoOBEtE2M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5ykaVnq5gg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pt4HgCMQxHI LEFT: Simon Beck, [Top] Snow drawings 2016 [Bottom] Sand drawing 2021
BENEFITS OF THE ARTS PROGRAM Social and cultural benefits Falls Creek is the only Victorian alpine resort to present a broad annual arts program, supported by a 5-year strategy. The arts program creates a vibrancy through delivering workshops, exhibitions, artists’ talks and events and public art. Falls Creek has confidently positioned itself as ‘the arts mountain,’ and this confidence grows year on year, inspiring some of Australia’s most well-known and respected artists to help us realise our boldest visions. The local community has been able to actively participate in workshops via the childcare centre, the school and those presented for the general public. These experiences enable participants to create a stronger sense of unity and resilience. While in resort, the artists are constantly posting to social media. Pageviews of Falls Creek’s art and culture webpage has increased pageviews by 89.92% in the past 12 months.
LEFT: Swift Creek Artists, Top L, Artists’ Talk; Top R Artists’ Workshop; Bottom, Exhibition Invitation, 2018
Social and cultural benefits: Stats and Facts 2,640 participants were directly engaged either as workshop participants, interviewees or audience members at exhibitions. The National Association of Visual Art estimates the cost per engagement at $16.60. The direct value of the engagement at Falls Creek is $43,860.
12 new public art works valued at $122,000 have been created as part of the ACDC’s art program over 2016-2021 Approximately $62,000 of external funding sourced through grant funding for art projects A further $750,000 secured for a major public art work Flower of the Alpine Sun
LEFT: Treahna Hamm, Children’s workshop, 2018
Image: Tracey Johnson, Tambo Crossing artist, Regenerate, ink and collage
Artists-in-Residence Program: Stats and Facts A total of 34 artists spent a total of 532 days in the resort. The value of the time artists spent in resort, developing new work and working with the community, is estimated at $280,000 or just over $8,000 per artist. Artists were not paid for their time in residence. The program costs FCRM $8,500 in cleaning fees. The direct spend by these artists in resort is calculated at $219 per night, a total of approximately $117,000 over five years. The return on investment is 14:1, that is, for every dollar invested in the A-I-R program by FCRM, $14 is spent directly in the village. Artists delivered 21 community workshops, 8 exhibitions/presentations in Falls Creek and 12 exhibitions across Victoria, NSW and the ACT.
Writer Kelly Gardiner LEFT TOP & BOTTOM: High Country Maps and View from Mt Cope RIGHT TOP & BOTTOM: Working style with sticky cards stuck on wall and ‘Scrivener’ software
WHAT THE ARTISTS SAY The value of the Falls Creek arts program to the artists themselves is vital in the development of their own practice and careers. In their own words… VIC McEWAN “I am completely surprised by how much I love it here.” REBECCA JONES “The un-interrupted time away from daily tasks allowed me to develop painting theories around capturing the ever-changing environment and ecology of Falls Creek.” KELLY GARDINER “Day after day I’ve been thinking about nothing but writing. In those minutes between waking and sleeping lie moments of creativity and clarity.” ALASKA YOUNG “Although humans can have a detrimental impact on the environment, there is a beautiful part of humanity that falls in love with places of natural beauty.”
WHAT THE ARTISTS SAY DR TREAHNA HAMM “Doing workshops with small communities reinforces my own cultural activity, reinforces my ancestry and the importance of referencing and sharing knowledge. I learn a lot from the participants, you put what you learn into your work and you have your ancestors’ voices coming through the work.” KIRRILY ANDERSON “Having access to this residency had a significant impact on my practice and the direction of my work.” SARAH ALLEN “It was an enormously rewarding time and has given me much inspiration for future work. I feel very fortunate that I had the chance to enquire and learn about the alpine ecosystems.”
LEFT: Artist, Kirrily Anderson, Rocky Valley Dam, 2020
Report prepared by LINDY ALLEN Chair: Falls Creek Arts & Culture Development Committee Falls Creek Resort Management Board Jan 2022
LEFT: Sophie Dieu, Dam Wall Performance, 2020