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October 2007

Welcome to the October 2007 Positive Solutions newsletter and to our new web site. Thanks to everyone at Designfront and Digicon!

This month’s issue details our new projects, progress reports and our continued commitment to the development of the body of knowledge on board governance.

Positive Solutions Celebrates Ten years

2007 will see Positive Solutions celebrate ten years in business in Brisbane. To mark this auspicious occasion, we have planned a series of informative and celebratory events in the Metro Arts Gallery during the week of 22-26 October. This will include an exhibition of a selection of works from the new Mater Mothers Hospital collection in Brisbane, one of a number of projects we have been working on for Mater Health Services over the past nine months.�

Gadens Top Ten 2007

After two successful annual exhibitions, the 2007 Gadens Top Ten will be launched on Wednesday 24 October at their annual client party. The exhibition is testament to Gadens Lawyers continuing support of Queensland visual artists. The 2007 exhibition features a diverse range of works with a particular emphasis on emerging painters and photographers from Queensland. Artists include Paul Mumme, Vivienne Kelly and Renata Buziak, Jennie Jackson, David Smith, Dane Lovett, Lisa Christensen, Kirra Jamison, Tony Albert and emerging film makers Jules Pitts and Miles Blow.

Artists such as Kirra Jamison and Dane Lovett were recently profiled in the 2007 Spring edition of Art and Australia by Alison Kubler ‘as producing arguably some of the most visually exciting work in the country’.

We hope you can view the exhibition located in Gadens Laywers Brisbane’s office foyer Level 25 240 Queen Street Brisbane from 24 October until 23 November.

NEW CLIENTS

Geelong Cultural Precinct

The Victorian Government has commissioned a master-plan for enhancing Geelong’s cultural and civic precinct. Positive Solutions is assisting planning consultants, Biruu, and Williams Ross Architects by undertaking a demand assessment for proposed new facilities at the Geelong Performing Arts Centre and for a significantly enlarged Library.

Monte Sant’Angelo Mercy College

In common with many schools, Sydney’s Monte Sant’Angelo seeks to continuously improve its facilities. Effective fund-raising and marketing are essential to achieve this. With John Godfrey, of Artful Fundraising, Positive Solutions is reviewing the School’s development and marketing functions, and advising on forward planning for these areas, and on related governance issues.

Caloundra City Council and Ken Hinds

Following acceptance of our initial scoping study for this unique project in June this year, we have been engaged jointly by the City Council and Ken Hinds to undertake a detailed feasibility and business planning exercise for a new Regional Gallery for the southern end of the Sunshine Coast.

PROGRESS REPORTS

Artists, Billy Missi and Dennis Nona, Gab Titui Art Centre, Thursday Island

Indigenous Arts in Far North Queensland

We are delighted to report that the Queensland Government has committed to investing $10.73 million in a new Indigenous arts program in Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait over the next few years. We understand that the report we produced last year on the sustainability of art centres in the region assisted the clients Arts Queensland and QIAMEA in preparing the case for investment. Furthermore $1.63 million of the funding will be invested in a Cairns based print centre and we congratulate KickArts, who we assisted in preparing a feasibility study and business plan for the facility in initiating this venture.

For further information and to download the Backing Indigenous Arts brochure visit the Arts Queensland website.

Mater Health Services

Positive Solutions has been working closely with the Mater Health Service to develop a program to assist with the relocation of the Children’s Oncology Department to the Royal Brisbane Childrens Hospital.

Brisbane photographer Martin Smith (recently featured in 2007 Primavera at the MCA, Sydney) was commissioned to create a series of work for staff and children transferring to the Childrens Hospital. This series consists of abstracted imagery from the ward and text from a children’s song. In addition, emerging jeweller Dan Cox was commissioned to create 30 brooches as a gift for staff. Dan selected the theme of hands – a representation of an in-house program in which children trace their own hands.

Dan Cox 225.jpg

Brooches, created by Dan Cox

Far North Queensland artist Jill Chism, has been selected to create a concept design for a monument to celebrate 100 year contribution of the Sisters of Mercy to Mater Health Services. The monument will be launched in April 2008.

Darwin City Waterfront

Congratulations to the Toga Group on their highly successful inaugural TogArt NT award 2007 and the winner Chayni Henry. Click here to read a review of the exhibition recently published in Artlink.

Q Theatre, Auckland
As Q Theatre (formerly New Theatre Initiative) progresses towards its $17million fund-raising target, Positive Solutions recently assisted with the preparation of Q Theatre’s submission to the New Zealand Lottery.
Q Theatre, Artists Impression

COMPLETIONS

Gold Coast Cultural Facilities Framework

Following an audit we carried out for Gold Coast City Council in 2006, we have recently prepared a Framework for the future development of arts and cultural facilities in the City.

The Framework:

links to local and regional planning priorities
highlights key gaps in provision which have been identified through the audit and through other reviews of the arts and creative industries locally
provides a consistent and structured approach for future investment in cultural infrastructure

Positive Solutions is also working with Architectus and Core Economics on master-planning for the Evandale site, where the Gold Coast Arts Centre and Council’s main administrative offices are based. In the future Evandale may become a substantially enlarged cultural precinct.

Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre

We recently completed a study to assist Brisbane Multicultural Arts Centre evaluate their options for future accommodation. The study included advice on positioning BEMAC within the proposed new Multicultural Centre at Kangaroo Point.

An Arts Centre for Brimbank

Melbourne’s Western suburbs continue to expand – and community and cultural facilities need to keep pace. With Williams Ross Architects we recently completed a feasibility study, business plan and site evaluation for Brimbank City Council on the development of a new arts centre. Central to the study was consultation with some of the area’s many community groups, and evolution of a concept appropriate to this diverse area’s needs.

OTHER NEWS

Welcome to New staff

The last few months has seen Positive Solutions welcome several new administrative staff. Diana Hargreaves and Erin White joined Positive Solutions as part-time administrative assistants in the March and June respectively. Megan McCormack will be filling in for Sarah Greenwood as a part-time administrative assistant while Sarah is on maternity leave.

Finally, congratulations to Sarah and Gav on the birth of their beautiful baby girl, Ella!

A printer friendly version of this newsletter is available here.