Impressions of April

Poem

Arts-health intersections : a model of practice for consistency in the arts-health sector

The field of Arts-Health practice and research has grown exponentially in the past 30 years. While researchers are using applied arts as the subject of investigation in research, the evaluation of practice and participant benefits has a limited general focus. In recent years, the field has witnessed a growing concentration on the evaluation of health outcomes, outputs and tangential benefits for participants engaging in Arts-Health practice. The wide range of methodological approaches applied arts practitioners implement make the field difficult to define. This article introduces the term Arts-Health intersections as a model of practice and framework to promote consistency in design, implementation and evaluative processes in applied arts programmes promoting health outcomes. The article challenges the current trend to solely evaluate health outcomes in the field, and promotes a concurrent and multidisciplinary methodological approach that can be adopted to promote evaluation, consistency and best practice in the field of Arts-Health intersections. The article provides a theoretical overview of Arts-Health intersections, and then takes this theoretical platform and details a best model of practice for developing Arts-Health intersections and presents this model as a guide.

Auspices

Poem about global warming, eco-criticism, the pastoral myth.

Snowy Owl

Poem.

Testimonial

Print poem

Crow

Poem.

Fishing for Eels

Poem.

The process of remembering with The Forgotten Australians : digital storytelling and marginalized groups

Digital storytelling projects have proliferated in Australia since the early 2000s, and have been theorized as a means to disseminate the stories and voices of “ordinary” people. In this paper I examine through the case study of a 2009 digital storytelling project between the Australasian Centre for Interactive Design and a group identifying as Forgotten Australian whether digital storytelling in its predominant workshop-based format is able to meet the needs of profoundly marginalized and traumatized individuals and groups. For digital storytelling to be of use to marginalized groups as a means of communication or reflection a significant re-examination of the current approaches to its format, and its function needs to undertaken. This paper posits new ways of utilizing digital storytelling when dealing with trauma narratives.

The Botanist at his Mother's Grave

In this poem about processing human grief, I consciously drew on eco-critical theory – (Wilson 1992, Bate 2000) – and Darwinian literary theory (Carroll 2004) to explore the tension between ideas of the ‘natural’ apprehended through the senses, and poststructuralist ideas of the construction of reality through language.

Inside the pleasure dome : cultural tourism on Australia’s Gold Coast

The City of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, will host the Commonwealth Games in 2018. In advance of the Games, the City is beginning to reposition the traditional marketing programs that were based around the four S’s- ‘sun, sand, surf and sex.’ There is a new emphasis on urban sophistication, sport, science, education and the environment. At the same time, local communities are asking for renewed attention to residential issues, particularly relating to recognising the importance of culture to the region. In this paper I explore the development of integrated computer technologies (ICTs) as a way of linking tourism, culture and place in the experience economy of the Gold Coast. The discussion is framed by theories of the post-tourist, contemporary cultural tourism and the role of mobile technologies, and the figure of the ‘referential tourist.’ An examination of stakeholder responses to changing business and social frameworks on the Gold Coast shows how discussions about a range of issues coalesce around cultural tourism. Local communities have the opportunity to engage with the new tourist as they move quickly between leisure and cultural experiences, at once connected to tourist expectations but increasingly self-directed. The Surfers Paradise Nights campaign, which is based around social media, is a case in point. This campaign aims to interest visitors in becoming a part of a familiar third place, an online space, but one that will sustain an emotive connection to the physical location and events. The paper also draws on research carried out in Brisbane, Queensland, in relation to building connections between place and culture on designated, self-directed journeys via iPhone technology. Participant responses indicate the importance of narrative to developing cultural frameworks.

Dr. Seuss and the "Great Balancing Act" : Exploring the Ethical Places You’ll Go Within Australian Sport, Exercise, and Performance Psychology

Stories by children’s writer Dr. Seuss have often been utilised as non-traditional narrative reflections regarding the issues of ethics and morality (Greenwood, 2000). Such case studies are viewed as effective teaching and learning tools due to the associated analytical and decision-making frameworks that are represented within the texts, and focus upon the exploration of universally general virtues and approaches to ethics (Hankes, 2012). Whilst Dr. Seuss did not create a story directly related to the sport, exercise or performance domains, many of his narratives possess psychological implications that are applicable in any situation that requires ethical consideration of the thinking and choices people make. The following exploration of the ‘ethical places you’ll go’ draws upon references to his work as a guide to navigating this interesting and sometimes challenging landscape for sport, exercise, and performance psychologists (SEPP).

Performance in the spotlight : exploring psychology in the performing arts

Sport and exercise psychologists are often sought after to apply their knowledge, skills and experience from a sporting context into other performance-related industries and endeavours. Over the past two decades, this has noticeably expanded out from a natural progression into the performing arts with other ‘typical’ performers (e.g., dancers, actors, musicians, singers) through to people who work in high pressure environments that consist of clear performance outputs and requirements that are usually linked to high impact consequences for non-achievement (e.g., lawyers, surgeons, executives, military personnel, safety professionals). Whilst these areas of application continue to increase in popularity and performance psychology is more readily recognised as an important factor in people performance across industries, the use of psychology within the performing arts continues to deepen and solidify its value as an essential and critical factor for success. This article focuses on the contribution of psychology to the performing arts that I have observed over more than 20 years – obtained through a variety of roles primarily within the dance sector including as performer, educator, health professional, researcher, commentator and senior leader.

Five minute call : where are you just before the curtain goes up

For any dancer, whether a student or professional, the five minute call is the final prompt to say ‘Get ready, you’re about to go on!’ It can be a time of cool confidence or a last minute rehearsal of steps; joking with colleagues to take your mind off the performance, or a period of overwhelming anxiety about everything that could possibly go wrong.

Motivations and barriers to crowdfunding

This modest study is a snapshot of Australian donor motivations and donor barriers to crowdfunding, and provides some tentative recommendations to Artsupport Australia on ways crowdfunding uptake in Australia might increase. Limited qualitative data was gathered from 17 participants who have used crowdfunding in Australia such as: creative producers seeking funds; financial crowdfunding donors; Artsupport Australia mentors of artists who are using crowdfunding; and crowdfunding site stakeholders. These recommendations contribute ideas for development and implementation that align with the Australia Council for the Arts priorities, particularly to ‘build programs that support artists through all stages of their careers and to increase support for the arts from the business and general community through cultural philanthropy’ (Artsupport Australia website).

Words and Silences : The journal of the International Oral History Association

Words and Silences is the official on-line journal of the International Oral History Association. It is an internationally peer reviewed, high quality forum for oral historians from a wide range of disciplines and a means for the professional community to share projects and current trends of oral history from around the world. We are extremely pleased to release the first online issue of Word &Silences. This e-journal is the result of long standing discussion and debate about the best way to publish a quality bilingual oral history journal (including a blind peer reviewed section) as a viable solution to mounting difficulties associated with publishing in print. We have discovered that an online version is also not without its challenges and requires tremendous labor intensive dedication. We strongly encourage members to assist us with small review process tasks in the future, so that we can ensure the sustainability of an annual W&S publication for our members and beyond.