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.
Creative Recovery covers the growing network of artists, cultural and community workers taking the lead in helping communities recover from the impact of such disasters through creativity.
Arts Mid North Coast have partnered with QLD based organisation, Creative Recovery Network and is working together for:
- the arts to meaningfully support communities to recover and rebuild;
- the arts to be integrated into and valued as part of broader community recovery efforts;
- local artists and arts workers to gain increased knowledge, skills and confidence to respond to communities in recovery;
- arts and cultural organisations to enhance their capacity to work with communities in recovery and respond in a coordinated way.
We have created this section to post important Creative Recovery networks, studies and projects that we have found on the Mid North Coast and beyond.
The Creative Recovery Mid North Coast project was initiated by Arts Mid North Coast in response to the 2019 / 2020 Black Summer Bushfires which devestated the our region. The project was funded by the Bushfire Community Recovery & Resilience Fund, Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal and Primary Health Network and we partnered with the Creative Recovery Network to deliver this project.
The project consisted of two parts:
1) The delivery of Creative Recovery Facilitator Training Workshops to artists, community & emergency workers, health practitioners and educators.
2) A small grants program available to the Training participants and practitioners to deliver small Creative Recovery Projects with their disaster-impacted communities.
In March 2022, Arts Mid North Coast delivered three Creative Recovery training workshops across the region facilitated by Scotia Monkivitch from the Creative Recovery Network. We are thrilled to have been able to equip more than 50 creative first responders with disaster recovery and preparedness knowledge and facilitation skills to help their communities.
Throughout the second half of 2022 we provided grants for local practitioners to run Creative Recovery projects in our region. Some of these projects have been included below as case studies.
We engaged researcher Dr Emma Gentle to evaluate our Creative Recovery Program which has been included here:
Dorrigo Creative Recovery Workshop
Kempsey Youth Mural
Let’s Zine About It
Biripi Students and Elders Mural Project
We Are All Born Creative – Creative Recovery Program for Young People
Power of Song Workshops
Bellbrook Drumming Workshop
Up Armidale Road and Other Tales – Upper Landsdowne Hall
Weave to Heal – Wingham
Ties That Bind – A Creative Recovery Project
Yarrahapinni Stuarts Point RFS Creative Recovery Project
Creative Connections
FABULOUS! – Mooral Creek Creative Recovery Program
Dawaandi Creative Recovery Workshops
Women’s Recovery Stories from the Black Summer Bushfires 2019/2020
Black Bird Bushfire Creative Recovery Project
Up Armidale Road – a tribute to Nymboida
Up Armidale Road – A Bushfire Tribute to Nymboida
Bushfire Creative Recovery Project – Orara Valley
Creative Arts Therapists Directory
Red Cross Resources
Arts offer the armour to battle Australia’s mental health crisis
National Taskforce for Creative Recovery
Make your Museum or Gallery COVID Safe
Managing your Mental Health After a Disaster
Creating Well Report
Creativity in Crisis: Rebooting Australia’s Arts and Entertainment Sector After COVID
Plans and Policies
Networks and Groups
Christchurch Earthquake
Queensland Floods
Black Saturday Fires, Victoria
Creative Recovery Network is a specialist service provider and advocate for culture and the arts within the emergency management sector. They partner with government, community service, and private sector providers who work in disaster preparedness, response and recovery.
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