MAV is currently developing a new platform for the exploration of arts and cultural practice with artists of colour and culturally and linguistically diverse artists and communities. With the aim of beginning in 2021, this will be a springboard for building cultural, social and knowledge capital on diversity in the arts.

We feel that it has never been more important for diverse artists to tell their stories. The impetus for this platform is the real and terrifying threats to our pluralistic, multicultural society, from the forces of bigotry and intolerance. We hope that artists will invite us, through compelling and transformative work, to imagine a future in which our diversity is one of our greatest assets.

We hope to present a unique annual program where contemporary arts practice is challenged and transformed by deep engagement with artists and cultural practices from across Victoria and the globe.

We anticipate holding events over 10 days in October 2021, to deliver the following outcomes:

1. An artist led platform that privileges the lived experience of artists of colour and culturally diverse artists, free from racism and other forms of structural disadvantage that currently underpin significant underrepresentation in the arts;
2. Redefining multi-disciplinary artistic practice, to enable dynamic, new artform development, through the application of contemporary lenses and constructs, such as interculturalism, intersectionality and intergenerationality;
3. An exploration of culturally safe and appropriate practice, to inform the sector on best practice approaches to engagement with artists of colour/culturally and linguistically diverse artists, audiences and artsworkers;
4. International engagements between local, diasporic artists whose flourishing relationships with creatives from their homelands that have transcended time and space to create living cultural threads; and
5. Cultural leadership programs that strengthen the capacities of artists to lead creative practice and address the significant underrepresentation of people of colour in leadership roles across the arts sector.

This work will be led by creatives of colour who identify as people of colour or culturally diverse, reflecting our commitment to authentic leadership and self-determined practice. We are also committed to designing, building and curating with artists and communities, so that the platform is directly informed by and responds to their lived experiences. This project will also reflect our ongoing commitment to engagement with First Nations artists, led by First Nations artists.

If you are an artist/creative of colour or identify as culturally diverse and think you might be interested in collaborating with us in some way on this initiative, please let us know by filling in a brief EOI below. This does not commit you to anything, but we’d love to know more about you and will send you more information about the process as we go forward.