AN ONGOING
success
The impact of the immense challenges posed for businesses, arts organisations and creatives in 2021-22 will continue to be felt for some time.
However, despite this, the Arts, Culture and Tourism department (ACT) still managed to reach great heights over the past 12 months.
The department quickly mobilised to actively support new small businesses and social enterprises across our 14 cultural facilities. We continued our advocacy for growing the visitor economy, delivered multiple on-water activations, developed a national sailing calendar and employed over 200 musicians, artists and educators across the team’s programming.
ACT continues to deliver innovative opportunities and programs that differentiate the destination and position Lake Macquarie as a vibrant city. After an initial soft launch in 2021, Australia’s first permanent multi-arts space, the Multi-Arts Pavilion, mima sprung to life in 2022 with a packed program of music, theatre, opera and immersive video. We also launched Wangi Library Creative Hub, the new Fab Lab at Swansea, the Lake Mac Women’s Sport Festival and the inaugural yapang Emerging Art Prize at the Museum of Art and Culture, yapang.
Across Lake Macquarie, we installed four new public art commissions including a new work Eolian by David Ball within Booragul and a collaborative mural in Argenton by Gus Eagleton and Bronte Naylor. In addition, we delivered a number of commissions as part of the FAST-shared pathway project and implemented a ‘creative skin’ as part of the new MAP, mima construction.
Detail view of Lake Art Prize winner Braddon Snape's artwork
Allusive Object. MAC yapang 2022
and Tourism
Jacqui Hemsley Manager Arts, Culture
Camie Lyons Seed (detail). MAC yapang 2022
$80K Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Program
$80K Regional Growth Fund through the NSW Government $65K Regional Recovery Event Fund through the NSW government
$50K Stronger Communities Programme through the Federal Government
Summer Night Fund through the Department of Planning and Environment $15K $10K Newcastle University
$2.5K Great Southern Nights Culture, Heritage and Arts Regional Tourism (CHART) Program $3K
$2.2K ALIA (Australian Libraries and Information Services) $13,636 Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme (MMAPSS) $25,062 Crown Lands $20K National Australia Day Council Grants Program
created
The Museum of Art and Culture, yapang (MAC yapang) continued to strengthen its connection to the community through arts education programs and the Art in Your Community series. In 2022 MAC yapang showcased artists participating in Lake Mac Open Studios in its Art in Your Community space for the first time, serving as a prepromotional opportunity for the event, and supporting the local arts community. Due to its success Open Studios artists will continue to be showcased in this space ahead of future Open Studios events. MAC yapang
CONNECTIONS
yapang Emerging Art Prize
In 2021, MAC yapang held its inaugural yapang Emerging Art Prize. The biennial prize was developed to celebrate, promote and support emerging Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists from across the country, and in its first year it attracted over 40 entries.
5
Artworks acquired for the MAC yapang collection $15K
Acquisitive prize pool
Engaging exhibitions
In the 2021-22 financial year MAC yapang hosted a range of major exhibitions, and continually strives to deliver engaging, inspiring and thoughtprovoking arts content and experiences to the community. Some of the exhibitions hosted at MAC yapang include Yarns Parai – Stories on Country, Arthur Boyd: Landscape of the Soul, Political Women, Truth in Fire: Tim Georgeson, First Class 21, One foot on the ground, one foot in the water, and JamFactory ICON Kunmanara Carroll: Ngaylu Nyanganyi Ngura Winki (I Can See All Those Places).
yapang Emerging Art Prize winner Maddison Gibbs with her work Shedding Serpents
Exhibition view from the opening of First Class 21
Exhibition view JamFactory ICON Kunmanara Carroll: Ngaylu Nyanganyi Ngura Winki (I Can See All Those Places), MAC yapang. May 2022
1.55 MILLION ONLINE ENGAGEMENT THROUGH ALL MAC yapang CHANNELS
16%
1.5 MILLION SOCIAL MEDIA REACH
26%
13%
21,187 VISITORS TO MAC yapang in 2021/22
$339,250 VALUE ADDED TO OUR CULTURAL COLLECTIONS
Oceania exhibition showcasing the work of Hunter artist Peter Gardiner
Local artist Brett Piva painting a mural at MAC yapang
MAP mima explo
Something beautiful emerges
The Multi-Arts Pavilion, mima opened its doors to the public in October 2021, launching with the sensational inaugural exhibition Emerge by PluginHUMAN.
Emerge was among 10 site-specific works by Australian artists specially commissioned for the new building, including Hiromi Tango’s Mima : Beautiful
Space. This giant luminous work wraps around one corner of the building, creating a beacon that welcomes visitors to the site.
Designed as a flexible, venue equipped with state-of-the-art technology, MAP mima hosts a program of cultural events year-round, including national and international contemporary art installations, digital art screenings, artist talks, live performances and music.
Artist in Residence program launched
MAP mima launched its Artist in Residence program in February 2022 with local artist Wanjun Carpenter, a mixed media artist whose practice centres on exploration of his own indigenous identity and the construction, misrepresentations, questions and tensions inherent in that identity.
The program provides artists with the opportunity to create work on site at MAP mima over several weeks, culminating in an exhibition and engagement with the local community through an event, performance or talk.
Nurturing new artforms
MAP mima’s curatorial themes are about experimentation, emerging technologies, and creating a place where culture, the environment, audiences and new ideas meet.
New work commissions for the year included Hannah Bronte’s visually stunning multimedia work MOTHERLOAD featuring divine deities that are both ancient spiritual beings and high-tech healers, here to help navigate a switched-on, data-filled digital world. This work was acquired by Lake Macquarie City Council Cultural Collection in 2022.
Diverse events and new audiences
The new pavilion has attracted audiences with a diversity of events including Catapult’s contemporary dance performance, Drift; The Mima Concert with Lake Macquarie Philharmonic Orchestra, The Big Bang with Andy Firth and Goldberg Aberline Studio’s incredible illuminated inflatable installation, Ocean Garden.
The MAP mima stage also provided a new venue for the City’s major events, including for Australian rock legend Russell Morris, who performed as part of the Fast and Loud festival in May 2022.
Kids access new technology
We planned and promoted opportunities for kids to connect with the space and new technologies at MAP mima in ways that are fun, creative and educational.
A great example is the Twang Creator Workshops, which are designed to give kids access to an interactive music app created by local studio Codewise. The app includes a “creator” feature which allows players to design and colour characters on paper, import them into the app and watch them jump and bounce around in time to music.
22,460
TOTAL VISITORS
$105,950 ARTWORKS COMMISSIONED
$53,200
VALUE ADDED TO CULTURAL COLLECTIONS
2084 WORKSHOPS AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS ATTENDANCE
52
# WORKSHOPS/ TALKS HELD
$14,361
GROSS REVENUE RAISED
Mixed media artist Wanjun Carpenter.
Hannah Bronte’s multimedia work Motherload.
Catapult's performance of 'Drift'.
‘Twang’ by local studio Codewise.
Live Music Lake Mac December – May 2022
Musicians from near and far performed in Warners Bay and Rathmines Theatre as part of the Live Music Lake Mac series featuring Josh Cunningham, the
496
Total attendance 1.5M Overall advertising reach
Mark Wells Big Band and Kyle Lionhart.
A Live Music Lake Mac gig featuring Josh Cunningham and Felicity Urquhart.
1,759,090
37,861
Tantrum drama workshops at Warners Bay Theatre, baramayiba and MAP mima
11 teens and eight seniors gained drama and performance skills and performed an end-of-year show for their family and friends at the MultiArts Pavilion, mima.
100 Years of the History of Dance at Warners Bay Theatre, baramayiba 100 Years
145 Total attendees $3,457 Revenue Australian Haydn Ensemble - Beethoven's Eroica 144 Attending
Tantrum Youth Theatre group outside the Multi-Arts Pavilion, mima
Haydn Ensemble perform at Rathmines Theatre, nawayiba.
We celebrated LAKE MAC CULTURE
History Illuminated
The program delivered 38 events over 10 days with more than 1300 people attending the November 2021 edition.
Write Here Festival
The annual literary event featured 33 writers and delivered 18 programs in March 2022.
Dobell Festival
The Festival provided a month-long celebration of art and creativity, shaped by the works and life of Lake Macquarie’s most famous artist, Sir William Dobell.
The June 2022 program delivered:
54 programs
21,620 attendees
Lake Mac GLAM
145 people attended the three-day program, consisting of an Indigenous priorities in GLAM masterclass and a two-day conference that showcased innovation within our industry.
Former Governor General and Defence Force Chief Sir Peter Cosgrove at History Illuminated.
Artist Wendy Sharpe presents at Mac yapang.
Multi-Arts Pavilion, mima Curator and Operations Cordinator Pippa Budge.
Open Studios is a biannual event that allows local artists and makers to throw open their studio doors to the general public. Art lovers are given the opportunity to meet artists, learn about the creative process and experience a unique behindthe-scenes look. Visitors are also able to purchase unique artworks to take home
$155K
Estimated Economic Impact
106,649
Total social media reach
$45,767
Total ASR (Advertising Sales Rate)
CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES
Engaging
CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES
Art commissions, residencies, placements and open studios events are among a wealth of creative opportunities we promoted to a growing audience of artists, curators, arts organisations and creative producers
$200,000 art commissions for Fernleigh Awabakal Shared Track
The Fernleigh Awabakal Shared Track (FAST) is a shared pathway linking the end of the Fernleigh Track at Belmont with Blacksmiths Beach, creating a 27km active transport route from Murrays Beach to Adamstown. Since 2019, as the FAST project has developed, Lake Macquarie City Council has commissioned special public artworks across the track's many sites, helping to express connection to country and the area's cultural significance. The Track is due to be completed in 2023.
Brian Robinson, Ocean Guardians, 2017, Cast aluminium with carved mineral
$330K in commission funds awarded to artists in 2021-22 period
$305K in commission funds to be awarded to artists in 2022-23
Multi-Arts Pavilion, mima - Catenary and A Night in Lake Macquarie
Celebrating the building's experimental nature is The Catenary, a collaboration between Lake Macquarie City Council and the Design Lab at The University of Sydney. Led by Dr Luke Hespanhol, students of digital placemaking have developed an interactive digital public art piece along the Speers Point Park promenade.
360 Video Projection Masterclass
We offered a funded five-day intensive masterclass that enabled artists to experiment with projected imagery in the Cube at MAP mima.
Augmented Reality Workshop
MAP mima’s Augmented Reality Workshop gave students, artists, designers and creative workers the opportunity to experiment with augmented and virtual reality tools, and to collaborate on an augmented reality project over three days.
Fab Lab
In 2022, we celebrated the opening of the Lake Mac Libraries Fab Lab at the Swansea Centre. This facility is the first of its kind in the Hunter providing a cutting-edge space for people of all ages to create, invent, learn and innovate.
The Multi-Arts Pavilion, mima puts on a show in Speers Point Park.
Fab Lab Lead Claire Chaikin-Bryan uses the facility's new 3D printer
Chris Edwards and Heather Clarke, Dilly Bag, 2022, woven steel, concrete on sandstone
OF
thefutureEMERGED LIBRARIES
Sugar Valley Library Museum
As part of our commitment to COVID economic recovery for the City, ACT will be undertaking a number of initiatives that will provide platforms for artists, musicians and tourism businesses to recover and grow. Projects include completing a mapping report for the creative sector, expanding our Open Studios offering, a live music program and major events that support local business.
Self Access – Assessing further opportunities and implementation in some libraries.
Through the growing addition of self-access services, delivered through integrated hardware and software, library users will have greater flexibility to utilise our services at times that are better suited to their needs. With the inclusion of these technologybased services, Lake Mac Libraries will provide additional access to our primary libraries by 35%. This will benefit a range of visitors including students, shift workers and cultural groups who typically don't align with existing operating hours.
Windale Hub, bilyabayi
Construction works commenced on the Windale Hub, Bilyabayi - a high-tech facility featuring flexible social spaces and library functions. Designed as Windale’s community loungeroom, it will provide a safe, relaxing and welcoming space for people to come together to learn and create. The project is due for completion in mid-2023.
Wangi Library Creative Hub, wanji wanji
More than just a library, the Wangi Library Creative Hub, wanji wanji is the first creative venue in the Hunter Region to operate under a ‘community self-access’ model and is the first co-located library and art studio.
It is a great space for the community to come together for a range of activities like workshops, book clubs and community meetings. The facility also features refreshed spaces for books and other items for loan, designed and constructed by the Wangi Men’s Shed.
Wangi Library Creative Hub users can use their library card to enter the building during nonstaffed hours allowing them to browse and borrow library collections, pick up reservations, use the public PCs, printer and copier, and return borrowed items. The introduction of self-access to the facility has allowed for an increase in access to library services – since the library opened in 2021, self-access has been used 1,663 times.
The refurbishment was funded by the NSW Government’s Stronger Countries Community Fund and Council.
MyMonitor
We introduced a new online system called MyMonitor to help simplify access to a number of our services. MyMonitor is a cashless solution which allows members to pay for printing, scanning, fees and other services, both online and at each of our nine library branches. In addition, MyMonitor allows members to book computers online, schedule print jobs from home to pick up in branch and provides the capacity for users to print from their own devices.
Readers Advisory
To engage our community and customers in reading, themed reads and reading lists were developed throughout the year. Additionally, bookmarks, social media and our webpage are used to showcase the library’s collection.
Artist's impression, interior of Windale Hub, Bilyabayi
DELIVERED
Events and Festivals in Lake Macquarie
There were 240 event licences issued, with an estimated economic impact $12m and 223,000 people attending an event in the city. This is an increase from 2020-21 where the estimated economic impact was nearly $9m with 190,000 attendees. The 2019-20 edition generated an estimated economic impact of just over $7.5m with 178,000 attendees.
240
EVENT LICENCES
$12m
ESTIMATED ECONOMIC IMPACT
223K PEOPLE PARTICIPATING
$35,291 generated in ticket sales
Fast & Loud Festival, May 2022
Fast and Loud was a funded community event that spanned over 2 weekends featuring adrenaline-pumping action on and off the water held from the 13-22 May around Lake Macquarie. Featuring two jam packed weekends of action and various large-scale events.
Increased social media engagement to 199,984 people across Council channels
↑169,848 people above KPI
(Key Performance Indicator)
Increased overall media value to
$125,092
↑ $60,002 above KPI
Increased overall media reach to 791,230 people
↑ 191,230 people reached above KPI
Increased website visits to the dedicated event landing page to 29,093 visits
↑ 19,093 visits above KPI
1145 entrants
Let’s Fish
This event was our first major event since the 2021 lockdown restrictions eased in November 2021. Let’s Fish Lake Mac saw 1145 anglers competing in a COVID-safe format to take home $20,000+ in prizes. Approximately 45 percent of participants were from outside the local government area - a great outcome for our accommodation and other local providers.
148,266 people reach via social channels
196,870 people reached via media Newspaper, TV, radio & online publishers.
2640 tickets sold
Women In Sport Festival
The first event of its kind, coinciding with International Women’s Day, the inaugural Lake Mac Women in Sport Festival is a three-day event held in March to celebrate the best of Women in Sport in the Hunter and Australia.
2,640 attendees
20,000 spectators
Float Your Boat 2022
We welcomed over 20,000 spectators to this event generating an estimated direct economic impact of $450,000 with a $35,000 investment from Council.
Sunset at Float Your Boat Festival 2022
Entrants fishing in Let's Fish Lake Mac 2021
Women in Sport Festival 2022 open day participant
Ash Grunwald Live at Fast and Loud Festival 2022
Elevated
DESTINATION MARKETING
Fly/drive destination awareness & visitor conversion campaign
A six-week campaign targeting out-of-state travel shoppers via an online channel with a goal of increasing visitor bookings and overnight visitation.
3,695,645 impressions across all campaign channels
203 overnight stay’s booked at Lake Macquarie hotels
A deep dive into Lake Macquarie
Using geotracking technology to promote Lake Macquarie to interested visitors. The social promotion was shown to visitors when tracking picked up they were in close proximity to Lake Macquarie to showcase our diverse range of things to do in the area.
The program had the following supporting article - Take a deep dive into the Lake Macquarie region | Visit NSW
178,804 unique impressions 136,383 people reached
LAKEMACQUARIE Lake
Dudley beached named 11th in top 20 beaches by Tourism Australia.
Times listed as a destination with a stack of tourism attractions on offer to an audience of over 1 million readers. Media coverage for The World Air race received national attention appearing on:
Regular coverage by high-profile online publishers Australian , Broadsheet, Delicious, Escape, Holidays with Kids, News.com.au, Pedestrian.TV, Traveller (Fairfax), Time Out, Urban List, Vacations & Travel, Yahoo Lifestyle Australia and 9 Honey.
Macquarie
Television
Ran between April-June 2022 targeting the Hunter Valley, Central Coast, and Upper North Coastal regions.
LookingAhead
Tourism Ambassador Program and roving Visitor Services
2023 will see the introduction of the Tourism ambassador program and the delivery of two roving tourism kiosks. These kiosks will move between key tourism sites around the lake as well as attending events throughout the year to promote Lake Macquarie.
Redeveloping the VisitLakeMac website and Industry Partnership offerings
In 2023, Lake Macquarie Tourism will launch a newly developed web experience across the VisitLakeMac website that will enhance value for tourists searching for events, businesses, experiences, and attractions in Lake Macquarie. The website will continue to promote the destination, grow the visitor economy, and draw awareness nationally to our vibrant city. The website will also assist in the redevelopment of the Lake Macquarie Tourism Partnership program and its offerings ensuring that the platform is able to easily support and promote local tourism industry businesses.
One Act Play Festival
In mid-2022, we announced the One Act Play Festival: a new theatre competition showcasing short, sharp and exhilarating one-act plays from the Hunter and beyond. The festival is an exciting opportunity for emerging and well-versed playwriters and will give the performance industry a much-needed boost after the pandemic. The festival will see hundreds of patrons through the Warners Bay Theatre doors, with the participants being able to invite friends and family along to their performances. The One Act Play Festival is supported by the NSW Government through Create NSW.
One Act Play Festival
