A new report ‘Recalibrating culture: production, consumption, policy’ from the Institute for Culture and Society at Western Sydney University sheds new light on the nature of artistic and cultural practice in Western Sydney. Supported by ARC Linkage Projects funding, Professor Deborah Stevenson and her team investigated the needs and practices of ‘suburban or peri-urban’ artists, a group that is frequently overlooked in studies of creative and cultural production. Their research found that these artists, who ‘earn below the national artist average income’: regularly collaborate across artforms; tend not to formally associate with cultural institutions and use digital technologies to build new audiences.
The report notes that, contrary to popular stereotype, suburban artists ‘often did not match the rather stereotyped image of the young, ‘hip’, urban, mobile creative worker around whom much creative industries discourse revolves.”
The report recommends greater support, profile and infrastructure suitable that is suitable for the needs of this particular cohort of artistic producers.
The report is available at: https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/1239999/recalibrating-culture-report.pdf
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