GARMA FESTIVAL, 7-11 AUGUST 2009

Key Forum: Creative Industries, 8-10 August

The Key Forum at the 2009 Garma Festival will focus on Creative Industries.

While the theme title and fine details of this nationally significant Forum are yet to be announced, we can say that it will include important discussions covering various sections of the Creative Industries and on issues and practices surrounding cultural outputs and inputs, and commercial opportunities afforded Indigenous Australians through training, development and practice in:

• Design
• Music, composition, publishing and audio
• Graphic art
• Multimedia
• Film and photography
• Performance arts
• Visual arts
• Broadcasting and electronic media
• New media – animation, games, internet content design
• Professional writing and editing

One of the central issues and challenges to be discussed at the Key Forum on the Creative Industries will be the extent and nature of Creative Industries interface with Indigenous Australians, including cultural and commercial rights, and the place of traditional art.

The Key Forum will run for three days from Saturday 8 to Monday 10 August 2009 at the Garma Festival site at Gulkula.

As well as the Key Forum and integrated academic presentations on language and culture, Key Forum participants also have the opportunity to watch the daily bunggul and music performances, enjoy Garma art exhibitions and projects, and participate in evening and night activities.

The Yothu Yindi Foundation, and its comprehensive set of programs, especially the Garma Festival, the annual collaborative work the Garma Panel, and the Indigenous Recording and Multimedia Training project, already have many significant creative industries outcomes and benefits. These include:

• The opportunity for the artistic and cultural skills of Indigenous people (both collectively and individually) to be recognised, celebrated and showcased and for these artists to be paid for their efforts
• Assistance for Indigenous artists to achieve their cultural, artistic and commercial aspirations through boosts in presentation, arts activities and economic returns
• Significant economic benefit to the entire community through increased visitor numbers to the area; through making people aware, worldwide, of the region its history and people, through Festival-related employment; and through sales of bark paintings, yidaki and other arts and crafts
• The documentation of Festival activities provides a unique contemporary archive of traditional cultural material. There is already many hours of file footage stored as a result of Garma Festivals 1999–2007 (and, it is anticipated, 2008)
• Assistance in the professional development of Indigenous artists or arts workers in Indigenous arts organisations in arts management practices.

These benefits and practical, positive results will be enhanced and complemented by the outcomes of the Garma 2009 Key Forum on the Creative Industries.

Click here to register your interest in attending this Key Forum on www.garma.telstra.com