BEACH ROAD ARTWORKS INC - ORGANISATIONAL INFORMATION

Vision

A community arts program renowned for its innovative combination of public art and social inclusion.

Mission

At Beach Road Artworks, professional artists work collaboratively with the community to produce high quality public artworks for the local area. We also offer skills-based workshops in a variety of mediums for the local young unemployed community.

Goals

1. Respond to and promote the creative aspirations of the local community through an accessible visual arts program.
2. Create a safe space of social inclusion, which provides an avenue for artistic activity.
3. Provide a community initiative focused on local unemployed youth, offering opportunities to explore and develop personal artwork as well as collaborate on public art projects.

Values

Integrity    Opportunity      Possibility      Creativity     Social Inclusion

The studio is located off Beach Road, Christies Beach, one of the area’s main shopping and services precincts. We work with members of the local community, and our public artwork is displayed at various sites within the City of Onkaparinga.  We are a community cultural development resource for our community, council, local organisations and artists.

Beach Road Artworks was founded in 2001 by Community Arts Workers and program coordinators Irene Dougan and Cheryl Dean. The program has since become firmly established in the cultural life of Southern residents, predominantly as an avenue for artistic activity by young unemployed locals. Our projects are primarily but not exclusively youth focused. The majority of our participants live in the local area, are from the 16 – 30 yr age demographic, unemployed or underemployed and come from low socio-economic backgrounds. Our geographical reach is the City of Onkaparinga, whilst we concentrate mostly on the Christies Beach area.

We are a not-for-profit organization operating since 2001 and incorporated since Oct 2004.  Our staff consists of two Coordinators /Community Artsworkers, and an Admin Assistant / Bookkeeper. Beach Road Artworks has a steering group, which includes representatives from local service providers, community members, and participants. Additional Community Artists and Trainee artists are engaged for specific projects. Students from Tertiary Arts, Youth Work and Secondary School backgrounds are also involved in the workshops as job training placements.

Artworks’ core work has emerged over the last eight years in response to the following challenges faced by our community, social isolation, high-level youth unemployment, and financial and educational barriers to Tertiary Arts education.

During the last seven years Beach Road Artworks has developed effective and supportive networks with local groups and organizations, establishing strong community reputation and goodwill. Community groups and organizations involved ie resource, consultation, participant referrals and general support and enthusiasm for the program include: local community and residents, traders and land owners, Mission Employment Initiatives, Mission SA FLO Program, United Care Wesley, Noarlunga Health Village, JPET(Job placement, employment, and training program for youth), Arts Centre Port Noarlunga, Reynella Enterprise & Youth Centre, and Southern Youth Exchange.

Specific project based funding has been achieved through partnerships with  Health Promotion through the Arts, City of Onkaparinga, City of Marion, South Australia Works – Regions @ Work program (DFEEST), Community Benefits SA, Foundation of Young Australians, Arts SA, Premiers Community Initiatives and the Australia Council for the Arts.

Beach Road Artworks has a strong track record in developing and facilitating large scale community based Public Art Projects. Over the last 8 years we have collaborated with our community on numerous projects with the most significant being the following

Street Gallery 2001 has been ongoing since the opening of Beach Road Artworks, and continues to be an integral part of our Community based Public Art Program. Street Gallery features a series of over 30 murals of handmade clay tiles, which are installed on wall space and bus shelters along Beach Road. A Brochure is available as a walking guide, which lists the artworks and their locations. Funded by Beach Road Main Street Project, City of Onkaparinga, and Mission Employment Initiatives. Street Gallery is presented as an art walk in the annual Adelaide Fringe Festival and SALA Festival

Bus Stops 2003 - 04 A community based public art project which has replaced all eight bus shelters on Beach Road, Christies Beach. The shelters have been specifically designed to accommodate large scale double sided hand made clay tile murals. The artwork has been created working with the themes of travel and the seaside environment. Over 80 community members have been involved in the project. Funded by Beach Road Main Street Project, City of Onkaparinga, The Australia Council Community Cultural Development Board, and supported by Mission Employment Initiatives

Received S A Great Regional Awards 2005, The Arts, Fleurieu Peninsula / Kangaroo Island Region.

Rockpools 2004 - 05 Collaborative Public Art project, which features three circular murals representing rockpools as elements in the art work at the Coast Park Christies Beach Foreshore ‘Taikurrendi’. Funded by the City of Onkaparinga.

The Wall 2006 engaged Artworks Core Group volunteers in the concept development, design, production and instillation of a collaboratively produced connected series of hand made clay tile murals. The Artwork is installed on a prominent wall space on Beach Road, Christies Beach. Funded by Arts SA and The City Of Onkaparinga.

Beach Road Artworks offer a variety of creative Art Workshops for the young unemployed community, including   textiles, mixed media, painting, drawing, screen printing, clay work, and sculpture. Participants have the opportunity to develop their personal art work through experimentation with different media. We encourage the exploration of techniques and ideas by providing a casual and supportive environment. All Workshops are offered to participants free of charge.