Regional // Regional Program

Regional // Regional addresses barriers to international engagement for regionally and remote focused festivals and platforms. The three-year initiative is designed to seed and support cross-cultural collaborations between Australia and the Indo-Pacific. The program promotes the sharing of insights, long-term connections and development of strategic initiatives, creative exchange and collaboration.

Regional // Regional strengthen the relationships between its members – the Regional // Regional Alliance – through bi-monthly online meetings and in-person gatherings which encourage knowledge sharing and provide a foundation for hybrid and digital exchange and collaboration.

Regional // Regional also offers seed funding towards exchanges, collaborations, and development of new work, as well as community and public activities in partnership with the alliance members’ festival programs.

The program has a direct impact on arts and cultural activity, audience development and diversity outcomes in local regional and remote communities. It is a platform for developing collaborations and new projects for regional audiences both in Australia and the Indo-Pacific.

The Regional // Regional Alliance

The Regional // Regional Alliance is a group of around 30 producers and directors from across Australia and the Indo-Pacific coming together to share insights, address barriers and promote opportunities for international engagement.

Alliance members talk about Regional // Regional

Watch:

• Tama Waipara from Te Tairāwhiti Arts Festival
• Ruchira Das from ThinkArts

Program timeline

October 2024

Following the successful outcomes from the face to face gathering in lutrawita/Tasmania February 2024 the Regional//Regional (R//R), a third in-person Gathering will take place in Gimuy/Cairns, Queensland.

The Regional//Regional Gimuy/Cairns Gathering will continue to prioritise Connection to Country and Culture through shared experience and knowledge sharing among the Regional//Regional cohort. The program will include a two-day workshop with the Far North Queensland arts sector exploring a series of case studies and the responsibility and sustainability of regional arts festivals. 

February 2024

The Regional // Regional in-person Tasmanian Gathering brought brought together the 30 alliance members from regional Australia, Asia and the Pacific. Reflecting on feedback and suggestions gathered from the inauguration event and bi-monthly meetings, the program format prioritised opportunities to experience and understand connections to local context and Country.

August 2022 – June 2024

Alliance members come together through bi-monthly online-meeting to seed and support cross-cultural collaborations, to develop and present new programs in regional communities and build ongoing autonomous relationships and capacity, while also attracting and growing new audiences.

August 2022

After a year of community consultations and stakeholder engagement, the Regional // Regional program was launched in Darwin.

This two-day event brought together the Regional // Regional Alliance members along with government officials, community leaders and key stakeholders to discuss the program and its intended outcomes.

June 2022

An Expression of Interest process was undertaken to create the Regional // Regional Alliance of regional festival directors from across the Indo-Pacific.

Applications were assessed on the following criteria:

• Evidence of innovative and community connected multi-arts festivals or programs/platforms, with a prioritization of cross-disciplinary practice.
• Level of ambition and aspiration to connect with peers and collaborator in the Indo-Pacific.
• Track record of collaborative practice and willingness to listen and share with peers.

October 2021

Leading on from discussions in July, Asialink Arts presented Foreground // Foresight at Cementa's Spirit of 21 event. The program introduced key arts leaders from Japan to discuss arts and culture led community-engaged placemaking and regional renewal.

This session explored future collaborations and possibilities in NSW’s regional communities, inspiring international conversations through a local lens and leading to an actionable future agenda.

July 2021

Asialink Arts developed a panel session to present at Artlands, the Regional Arts Australia national conference. The intent of the discussion was to share insights and consider adapted approaches to the sharing of cultural heritage.

The program explored contextual links between people, place and practice and considers a narrative of art as social change and emphasises the importance of cultural identity.