The Australia Council for the Arts has announced a major overhaul of its structures and processes, in an effort to function as a stronger catalyst for arts growth and development across the country. Australia Council CEO, Ms Jennifer Bott, said today the planned changes would position the Council, as the Australian Government’s arts funding and advisory body, to take a greater leadership role in the sector. ‘The Australia Council has to drive improvements in the arts sector, by building the capabilities of artists and arts organisations, and by looking for ways to increase support for the arts from all sources,’ Ms Bott said. ‘In 2004 we have been reviewing our role and our organisation to ensure we are a catalyst for greater impact.’ The overhaul was spearheaded by a Council task force who have been consulting with staff over the past six months. The group, headed by the Council’s Deputy Chair, Terrey Arcus, included Council members Michael Snelling (then Chair, New Media Arts Board and then Acting Chair, Visual Arts/Craft Board), Adam Lewis, (Community Interest Representative), Ian McRae (Chair, Theatre Board) and Jennifer Bott, Australia Council CEO. The Council reports that a wide range of options were considered by the task force, before final recommendations were presented, then formally endorsed by Council heads at a meeting in Sydney yesterday. Among the changes afoot, the existing Community Cultural Development Board will be dissolved and its activities integrated into all artform boards. ‘Rather than being focused in one operational area, the Council’s long-standing commitment to arts in the community would be embraced across the entire organisation, with CCD outcomes continuing to be a vital component of what we do,’ said Bott. ‘We would be giving increased support to this area, but with stronger emphasis on arts activity.’ Other modifications include merging the existing Audience and Market Development Division into the Community Partnerships and Market Development Division (with a head of Community Partnerships to coordinate all-of-Council strategic support for CCD and other arts activity in the community, along with youth and seniors, education and regional arts activities); and the creation of a new department - Key Organisations - to handle the Council’s relationships with the 120 small-to-medium arts organisations receiving triennial grants. Additionally, the current New Media Arts Board will be dissolved, with arts covered under that umbrella shifting to a new Inter-Arts Office that will support hybrid practice, as well as directing artists working across hybrid artforms to relevant Boards for peer assessment. ‘This cross-arts section will allow artists working across multiple artforms to connect with the best people for their needs,’ said Ms Bott. ‘It broadens the scope of what they can do, and what we can do for them.’ Digital media arts would be handled by an enhanced Visual Arts/Craft Board, and by the Music Board. In the Council’s Arts Development Division, the current roles of Artform Managers would be elevated to Artform Directors, to drive artform overview across all areas of the Council - and to give a stronger external focus, engaging with Australian artists, companies and interest groups, and representing the artform in the public arena. ‘We need to focus on supporting excellent, innovative and distinctly Australian artistic creation,’ Ms Bott said, ‘by building a vital and more viable art sector, and ensuring that all Australians are engaged with and enriched by the arts.’ Council Chair, Mr David Gonski AO, seemed confident things were moving in the right direction with the changes. ‘Under this plan, the Council will decide the most critical areas that need to be addressed and apply its resources accordingly,’ he said. ‘The reorganisation will more effectively bring artform, sector and other stakeholder issues to the Council table.’ The Council last undertook a review in 1996, which resulted in greater emphasis on audience and market development and paved the way for wider acceptance of Australian arts at home and overseas. For more information, CLICK HERE.