Project Summary
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.
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 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.
Mycelium 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, collaboration, sustainability and resilience within WA’s regional arts sector
2. Increased wellbeing for individual participants
3. Increased social and cultural vibrancy for participating regional WA communities
Click here find out more about our evaluation strategy.
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)
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
