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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.

The Creative Recovery Mid North Coast project was initiated by Arts Mid North Coast in response to the 2019 / 2020 Black Summer Bushfires which devastated 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.

Our project comprised three main components:

    1. Creative Recovery Facilitator Training Workshops: Delivered by Creative Recovery Network, these trauma-informed workshops trained 51 creative responders with disaster recovery and preparedness skills and understanding of creative recovery approaches.  Participants included artists, community and emergency workers, health practitioners and educators
    2. Community Projects: Arts Mid North Coast provided quick-turnaround grants to training participants and other practitioners to implement localised Creative Recovery projects. Fifteen projects were supported, engaging diverse groups, including remote and isolated communities, Indigenous communities, older adults, and young people. A Project Officer was employed to support facilitators in developing partnerships and project delivery.
    3. Research and Evaluation Framework: An extensive framework included engaging a researcher to evaluate the project, development of case studies, creation of online resources, and video documentation.

At the project’s conclusion, a group exhibition was held at the Bowraville Phoenix Gallery, bringing together project participants and communities to showcase their work and share learnings and outcomes. This exhibition celebrated the resilience and creativity of the communities, highlighting the powerful role of the arts in disaster recovery.

Our Creative Recovery project exemplifies that the arts are vital in disaster recovery, offering emotional support, fostering community cohesion, and renewing hope. The initiative met immediate psychological needs and bolstered long-term community resilience and unity.

Arts Mid North Coast's Creative Recovery Project was  funded by the Bushfire Community Recovery & Resilience Fund - a joint initiative of the Commonwealth and NSW State Government, Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal and Primary Health Network.

Creative Recovery (1)

Creative Recovery Facilitator Training

Arts Mid North Coast delivered three Creative Recovery Facilitator Workshops in the region - in Taree, Kempsey and Bellingen. The trauma-informed workshops were facilitated by Scotia Monkivitch from the Creative Recovery Network and included local First Nations Elders and cultural leaders.

The workshops equipped 51 artists, community and emergency workers, health practitioners, and educators with disaster recovery and preparedness skills and understanding of creative recovery approaches. The training was also an opportunity to create a community of practice around Creative Recovery in the region.

After the Fires: The Art of Recovery Exhibition

Arts Mid North Coast's Art of Recovery Exhibition was held at the Nambucca Valley Phoenix in September 2023 showcasing the creative work of artists and community members who participated in our Creative Recovery Program.

The exhibition celebrated the conclusion of the program and showcased the resilience and creativity of the communities, highlighting the powerful role of the arts in disaster recovery.

The event was also an opportunity for project participants to share their recovery experiences, as well as learnings and outcomes with each other and with visitors and audiences.

Creative Recovery Projects

Arts Mid North Coast supported 15 projects through our Creative Recovery on the Mid North Coast Program. These projects were delivered by local artists and facilitators for their communities impacted by disasters and engaged diverse members including Aboriginal communities, older and young people.

These projects have been included as case studies below, along with some previous projects delivered by local artists and facilitators.

You can also watch videos of some of these projects supported through our Youtube playlist.

Dorrigo Creative Recovery Workshop

Artist and art therapist Marg Coutts delivered an arts-based, one-day workshop for the Dorrigo community to assist participants ...

Kempsey Youth Mural

Arts Mid North Coast supported a youth mural project with Indo the Artist with young people from Melville ...

Let’s Zine About It

These workshops were brought together by visual artists Jack Hodges and Alejandra Ramirez for youth aged between 18 ...

Biripi Students and Elders Mural Project

This Mural project brought together respected Biripi Elder, Aunty Isabel as the consultant, the Biripi women Elder’s arts ...

We Are All Born Creative – Creative Recovery Program for Young People

'We Are all Born Creative' was a workshop brought together by Karen Kerkhoven, an artist, dancer, and choreographer ...

Power of Song Workshops

Children are impacted by disasters in their own way and their experiences can sometimes be overlooked. Disasters can ...

Bellbrook Drumming Workshop

The Carrai East Bushfire had a devastating impact on the Macleay community causing extensive damage to surrounding areas ...

Up Armidale Road and Other Tales – Upper Landsdowne Hall

‘Up Armidale Road and Other Tales’ community event coordinated by Lisa Hort was held at Upper Lansdowne Community ...

Weave to Heal – Wingham

Delivered by artist Jill Watkins and the Womens Kind Collective, and facilitated by weavers Donna Atkins and Kaz ...
ties that bind

Ties That Bind – A Creative Recovery Project

Ties That Bind was a community weaving project, facilitated by Jasmine Avery of Ulong. Residents of the Eastern ...

Yarrahapinni Stuarts Point RFS Creative Recovery Project

Mid North Coast arts organisation SmartArts facilitated this project, working with the Yarrahapinni - Stuarts Point Rural Fire ...
Vivianne Hazenveld Creative Connections Workshop photos of participants

Creative Connections

Arts Mid North Coast supported artist Vivianne Hazenveld to facilitate her 'Creative Connections' art workshops in Wauchope. Participants ...

FABULOUS! – Mooral Creek Creative Recovery Program

Artist Ann McDermott delivered FABULOUS! for her community in Mooral Creek in the Manning Valley. Held at the ...

Dawaandi Creative Recovery Workshops

Gumbaynggirr artist Bernard Kelly-Edwards hosted workshops in Sawtell and Toormina across three weekends in August, 2022 supporting people ...
Women's Stories MVNS

Women’s Recovery Stories from the Black Summer Bushfires 2019/2020

Manning Valley Neighbourhood Service Validation Project The aim of the Manning Valley Neighbourhood Service Validation Project was to ...

Black Bird Bushfire Creative Recovery Project

Born in response to the 2019 Bushfires in the Nambucca Valley, Black Bird Creative Recovery Project provides communities ...

Up Armidale Road – A Bushfire Tribute to Nymboida

The tiny village of Nymboida was decimated on November 8th, 2019, with two thirds of its residents left ...

Bushfire Creative Recovery Project – Orara Valley

Over 150 primary school students in the bushfire-affected Orara Valley took part in a Creative Recovery Project spearheaded ...

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.

Impacts of Creative Recovery

Creative Recovery Network and the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR) partnered to investigate the role that ...
Arts Therapists on the Mid North Coast

Creative Arts Therapists Directory

Creative Arts Therapy is a form of therapy, and includes disciplines such as art therapy, dance/movement therapy, drama therapy, music therapy, poetry therapy, ...
Image of Red Cross volunteer with community group

Red Cross Resources

If you want to prepare for disasters, have experienced a disaster or are recovering from a disaster, Red ...

Arts offer the armour to battle Australia’s mental health crisis

Mental health and wellbeing are topics that are all too familiar for many working in the arts – ...

National Taskforce for Creative Recovery

The National Taskforce for Creative Recovery has released a set of recommendations calling for creative practices and the ...

Make your Museum or Gallery COVID Safe

All businesses can now check, test and promote their COVID Safe credentials through the NSW Government’s online COVID ...

Managing your Mental Health After a Disaster

Scotia Monkivitch from the Creative Recovery Network has compiled these resources to assist those who have been impacted ...
creating well

Creating Well Report

Creative Recovery Network (CRN) and Community Arts Network (CAN) recently released a report calling for new standards of ...
Creativity in Crisis: Report by Australia Institute

Creativity in Crisis: Rebooting Australia’s Arts and Entertainment Sector After COVID

New research from the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work, written by Senior Economist Alison Pennington and Monash ...

Plans and Policies

Part of the problem with disasters is that people and communities only think about what to do after ...

Networks and Groups

A response to various disasters has seen some organisations develop or take on specialised roles in disaster recovery. ...

Christchurch Earthquake

The Canterbury 7.1 earthquake struck at 4:35 am local time on 4 September 2010. Damaging aftershocks followed the ...

Queensland  Floods

In late 2010, a series of devastating floods hit Queensland forcing the evacuation of thousands of people from ...

Black Saturday Fires, Victoria

Following the tragic Black Saturday bushfires, the Victorian State Government (Arts Victoria) rolled out an arts-led initiative to ...
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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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