Presentation: 'Excellence in the Arts in regional Australia'
Excellence: capital E. It's a wonderful word, an uncompromising word, an aspirational word, a noble, distinguished, reaching, shining, stretching, striving word. It's a word that's out and proud, a word to say with purpose and consequence. Unfortunately in relation to the arts in regional Australia it's a word that has sometimes been sidelined to make way for more 'democratic' language. In the ten years I've lived in regional Australia I've noted a troubling disconnect in terminology between metropolitan arts and regional arts; that words like 'excellent', 'global' and 'elite' are used far too infrequently in the narrative surrounding regional arts.
I want to sound a tiny alarm -- we urgently need to challenge the benign, feel-good language that's habitually used to describe cultural, intellectual and creative life in regional Australia, because it's a product of a national mindset that either can't see, or underestimates, our dynamism and our potential impact on the national cultural landscape. Until we change our language, mindset and practices, in the national cultural narrative, regional arts will continue to play the poor cousin to the 'excellent', 'elite' metropolitan arts sector.
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Bio: Lindy Hume, Artistic Director of Opera Queensland, is one of Australia's leading directors, acknowledged internationally for fresh interpretations of a wide variety of repertoire, and for progressive artistic leadership of a number of Australian arts organisations, most recently Sydney Festival (2010--2012) and Perth International Arts Festival (2004--2007). Lindy was the first Artistic Director of West Australian Opera (1992--1996) and was Artistic Director of Victoria State Opera, then OzOpera (1996--2001). As a director, she has created more than 50 major productions across Australasia, Europe and America. Lindy is recognised as a champion of new Australian work across a range of genres. As Artistic Director of OzOpera, she commissioned the MDTV project, award-winning screen operas with ABC TV, and major Australian works including Paul Grabowsky's Love in the Age of Therapy and Richard Mills' Batavia (with Opera Australia and the Melbourne Centenary of Federation Festival). Lindy's 2001 production of Batavia won the Helpmann and Green Room Awards for Best Director and Best Production. In 2007, she commissioned and directed the world première of Richard Mills/Timberlake Wertenbaker's opera The Love of the Nightingale, one of several new creations for Perth International Arts Festival. Lindy Hume is the recipient of an Australia Council Theatre Board Fellowship and holds a Graduate Diploma in Arts Administration from the University of South Australia. In 2007, she was awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters by The University of Western Australia in recognition of her contribution to the cultural life of Western Australia. She sits on the Boards of South East Arts (Chair), Regional Arts NSW (Chair) and served on the Australia Council's Major Performing Arts Board (2008--2011).
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