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What is Art Remedy?

In each episode, we interview artists, arts workers, creatives, community members, researchers and experts from a broad range of disciplines to talk about how the arts contribute in many ways to building better communities.

Narrated by Liv Parker. Produced by Arts Mid North Coast.
Original title track by Stewart Peters / Soundshed Music.

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The Art Remedy Podcast - Introduction.
Original music composed by Stewart Peters (Soundshed Music). Narrated by Liv Parker. Produced by Arts Mid North Coast.

The Art Remedy Podcast Episode 1 - Tile

Episode 1.  Arts in Health Infrastructure - Macksville District Hospital. 

In this episode, we pay a visit to the newly built Macksville District Hospital, opened in 2020, on Gumbaynggirr Country, Nambucca Valley. The new hospital features large scale public art sculptures commissioned through Saltwater Freshwater Arts and created by local Gumbaynggirr artists and community members including school students from Nambucca, Macksville and Bowraville.

Interviews with: Michelle Flanders (Saltwater Freshwater Arts), Ricky Buchanan, Aunty Lauren Jarrett and Brigette Uren, (NSW Health Infrastructure).

Published May 2021.

The Art Remedy Podcast Episode 2 - Tile

Episode 2. Isolation Creation: Art in Lockdown  

We take a bit of flashback to March 2020, when COVID first sent our world went into lockdown. During the pandemic, nearly three-quarters of Australians sought out artistic and cultural goods to improve their mood and quality of life. The very same sector impacted the most by the shutdowns, is also responsible for helping make our lives more bearable during these times. During the lockdowns, many artists took their work online to remain connected with their communities. We documented many of these in the Isolation Creation Section on our website.

Interviews with: Jess Miller (The Art Dept.), Taren Preston (Warina Domestic & Family Violence Services) and Pam Hata. Published August 2021.

Episode 3: Art in Lockdown II: Our Regional Galleries

We continue on from our Art in Lockdown episode, and reflect back on first COVID lockdowns of 2020, and how our arts community responded in a 'digital pivot' delivering innovative ways of reaching their audiences online.

Here on the Mid North Coast, our three Regional Galleries were quick to adapt to new ways of delivering their services to the community. Cath Fogarty - Cultural Development, Gallery and History Services Coordinator at Coffs Harbour City Council, Bridget Purtill - curator at Port Macquarie Glasshouse Gallery and Rachel Piercy - Director at the Manning Regional Art Gallery shared with us their experiences and responses during last year’s Covid lockdowns.

Published September 2021.

Episode 4: Creative Recovery

As we face increasing crises caused by floods, fires, droughts and other natural disasters and now viruses such as COVID-19, the arts can play an important role in the response and recovery process.

In this episode, we meet Scotia Monkivitch - Executive Officer at the Creative Recovery Network, to talk about Creative Recovery - a particular approach using art and creativity as tools to support individuals and communities after a disaster. Scotia is facilitating a training program in Creative Recovery for our region in March 2022.

We also chat with Dr Emma Gentle, a registered and practising art therapist and researcher in Arts and Mental Health who is evaluating our Creative Recovery Program. Dr Gentle has delivered several Bushfire Recovery projects in our region, and in this interview, she provides some insight into the neuroscience behind art-making and recovery.

Published February 2022.

Find out more about our Creative Recovery Program here.

Ep 3 Avatar The Art Remedy (1)

Episode 5: Creative Recovery: Pabi Dawaandi 

Following on from the Creative Recovery Training we delivered in March 2022, Arts Mid North Coast supported several participants to facilitate their own workshops for communities impacted by recent disasters.

In this episode we meet Bernard Kelly-Edwards - a poet, photographer and digital artist from Gumbaynggirr Country who recently ran a Creative Recovery workshop in Sawtell and Toormina. Grounded by his Gumbaynggirr philosophy, Pabi Dawaandi provided a unique opportunity for people to connect to Country, themselves and to each other through a creative process using photography, poetry, music and visual art. We also meet Aiden, Janet and Damien who share their own experiences of the bushfires and the workshop.

Find out more about our Creative Recovery Program here

Credits:
Pabi Dawaandi poem by Bernard Kelly-Edwards / Original background music by Aidan MacGilvray
Recorded at The Shed, Toormina

Ep 6 The Art Remedy

Episode 6: Creative Recovery - Mooral Creek Community 

Mid Coast Artist and facilitator Ann McDermott has recently completed a series of Creative Recovery workshops with her community who have gone through back to back disasters - from the bushfires to floods and Covid 19.

Ann shares what she learnt from our training program and how the Mooral Creek community have come together through making art, sharing stories and food at the Fabulous celebration at their local hall. We also hear from community members Lindsay, Robert and Paula - who share their own experiences of the events.

Find out more about our Creative Recovery Program here

Credits: Interviewed by Lisa Hort.

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Acknowledgement

Arts Mid North Coast acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First Australians and Traditional Custodians.

We live and work across the traditional lands of the Gumbaynggirr, Dunghutti/Thunghutti and Biripi Nations on the Mid North Coast of NSW.

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Arts Mid North Coast Inc
PO Box 115
MACKSVILLE NSW 2447

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