Last February, we ran a survey of members and the wider community to see what people liked and what new things you might like in terms of arts. We reported the results of the survey in the March issue of Valley Voice and elsewhere. Since then, there have been new developments.
Members and the community currently like:
- Our three main activities – music, sculpture, visual arts – we will keep doing them, with a full Music Season across 2025 and the biennial Sculpture in the Valley in spring 2025 (Visual Arts is also biennial, next in 2026)
- 3 to 1 preference for music concerts spread throughout the year (rather than a longer intensive festival, which worked well in earlier years)
Members and the community would also like to see:
- 1st preference – jazz concerts – the strongest preference by far for a new art form
- Next requested live theatre followed by art house films and dance – if we combine theatre and dance as performing arts – there is strong community interest in the performing arts
- Also a strong suggestion for various types of art workshops and talks/interviews
- There was also a request from our members to cater more to younger singles and families
- Finally, a strong preference for expanding into the regions
We have begun to respond:
- Music, sculpture and visual arts will continue to be our three main streams
- Music concerts will continue to be spread-out through the year – details about the 2025 4-concert season to come
- The music group is thinking about how best to incorporate jazz into their seasons – as a start, one of our 2025 concerts will include blues and cabaret
- We have recently presented two art house films, both sold out, and will continue to explore these possibilities
- We have incorporated a number of interviews and in-conversations at visual arts and sculpture events, and two visual arts workshops as part of the most recent Visual Arts Festival, (always successful) and will continue to do so
- We have set lower music concert ticket prices for younger people (30 and under)
What more could we do? We are sure there are more things we can do to bring high-quality arts to the Valley and surrounding regions. To do so, we need new people who are passionate about these art forms to put their hands up to help out, perhaps joining the committee to lead the effort, but most certainly helping organise and present.
- Could we aim to have, say, one classical jazz concert a year?
- Can we continue to offer art house movies, at least one per year?
- Is there interest in the community to possibly start a fourth stream in performing arts?
- Can we get help in publicising our offerings more broadly to the surrounding regions, especially the Southern Highlands, Illawarra-Shoalhaven and South Coast?
If you have ideas or would like to help out, please get in touch with me or with any member of the committee.
Gary Moore
President
president@artsinthevalley.net.au
