Mycelium is a 3 year connection & collaboration project within WA’s regional arts sector to nurture resilience, sustainability & vibrancy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspired by Mycelium in nature - the network of fungal threads essential to soil fertility and flourishing - the Mycelium project in WA’s regional arts eco-system, is a strategic, state-wide, initiative co-designed to respond to the challenges and opportunities of COVID-19 to grow networks of exchange and support between regional arts groups, regional arts practitioners and the communities within which they operate.
Mycelium explores a co-creation model for a future ongoing triennial ‘regional arts festival’ that helps strengthen & celebrate contemporary regional creative practice by empowering participants and engaging both regional & metro audiences.
“The challenges presented by COVID-19 have deepened the sense of social, cultural and artistic alienation felt out here in the Goldfields. Now, more than ever, there is a need to connect and collaborate with like-minded organisations to grow a more resilient regional arts sector.”
John Scott, Secretary, Kambalda Arts & Cultural Centre (One on One Learning Conversation, September 2020)
“As one of the founding partners in the ‘Connect to The Creative Grid’ project, Arts Narrogin were impressed by the skill and tenacity of the team at Southern Forests Arts to bring together a new network to grow vibrancy and sustainability in the regional visual arts sector. Rather than create an isolated, one-off project in one community, they generated and delivered a project that had genuine impact across regional WA.”
Cait Stewart, Manager, Arts Narrogin
[Extract from Letter of Support for Mycelium project 2020]
“Our participation in the Creative Grid was highly valuable to local artists and the whole community. We very much look forward to participating in future initiatives”
Cheryl Weston, Manager, Carnarvon Art Gallery & Public Library
[Extract from project review 2019]
Just to make it clear:
Mycelium is a guiding metaphor for the project.
Mycelium isn’t a project about fungus. We won’t be growing mycelium or mushrooms (unless you really want to).
We are using an existing network in nature as the inspiration framework for connection and collaboration within our sector.
If you’re still confused, send us an email.
Project Vision
A connected, collaborative and sustainable WA regional arts sector with greater resilience to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic (and other challenges) through the exchange of ideas, expertise, resources and support that grow shared vision, opportunities and benefits, including increased wellbeing for individual participants and social and cultural vibrancy for participating regional WA communities.
Project Outcomes
1. Increased connection within WA’s regional arts sector
2. Increased collaboration within WA’s regional arts sector
3. Increased sustainability within WA’s regional arts sector
4. Increased resilience within WA’s regional arts sector
5. Increased wellbeing for individual participants
6. Increased social and cultural vibrancy for participating regional WA communities
Click here find out more about our evaluation strategy.
“Mycelium is a participatory project targeting the not for profit arts, culture and community development sector. It will connect diverse organisations from small and large rural, regional and remote communities in order to create and/or strengthen the networks that are so important for the exchange of ideas, expertise and resources.”
Carolyn Marks - Director, Contemporary Art Spaces Mandurah
[Extract from letter of Support 2020]
“We would like to host a Mycelium gathering in Broome – to help connect individual arts practitioners to our organisation as well as an event to better connect the many arts organisations in our town that co-exist, yet rarely co-operate.”
Naomie Hatherley - Kimberley Arts Network, Broome
[Extract from letter of Support 2020]
Project Values
- Connection
- Collaboration
- Creativity
- Community
- Sustainability
Project Timeframe:
Mycelium will be delivered in four distinct stages
- Stage 1: Scoping (June - December 2020)
- Stage 2: Connection (January - June 2021)
- Stage 3: Collaboration & Creativity (July 2021 - June 2022)
- Stage 4: Community & Celebration (July 2022 - June 2023)
Project Management:
Mycelium is the second project of The Creative Grid collective.
The Creative Grid was formed in 2017 through the Regional Arts Partnership Program (a pioneering funding program developed by Regional Arts WA).
It is a project-specific network of regional community organisations and independent arts practisers, connected to relevant metro-based Peak Service Organisations.
The collective is coordinated by Fiona Sinclair in conjunction with Southern Forest Arts.
Creative Corner will work with The Creative Grid to ensure our current sector networking and capacity-building projects intersect for broadest possible benefit. As one of five Regional Arts WA hubs, Creative Corner is developing a range of initiatives to support arts organisations and artists in the South-West region. We see great value in creative cross-pollination, aligning with our organisation’s objectives and those of the Mycelium project.
Stuart McMillan, Creative Corner - Hub Coordinator, Margaret River
[Extract from letter of Support 2020]
Development Ethos:
The Creative Grid utilises a combination of approaches to project design and delivery:
Abundance mindset - not a scarcity mindset - based on trust and reciprocity
Co-design - the project is collectively, planned, developed and delivered
Emergence is embraced - the project is adaptive and evolving
Grass-roots - growth from the ground up, not the top down
ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) principles
Covid-19 has presented difficult, varied and evolving challenges to WA’s regional arts sector.
It has highlighted sector vulnerability to disruption from global forces and the need to mitigate adverse impacts from future adversity by increasing resilience at a personal and collective level.
Isolated individuals and organisations have less capacity to endure stress and thrive, unable to tap into the exchange of ideas, expertise, resources and support that come from being part of a larger network.
The sector also suffers; deprived of the unique insights and contributions of disengaged individuals and organisations, the network’s growth potential is minimised.
Mycelium addresses the regional art sector’s need to create bold - yet relevant, strategic and achievable - opportunities that connect individuals and organisations in shared purpose.
Through collective envisioning, collaborative implementation and leveraged investment the project will not only help sustain but also enliven the regional arts sector going forward.