During the past 12 months Wellington City Council's new City Arts team has been working with the city's arts sector to develop a shared vision for the future of the arts. This was to develop a basis for joint future action involving the arts sector, the Council and other parties, and contribute to the development and presentation of arts activity in the city.

Read summaries from the discussions so far and have your say on The Big Idea forum.During the past 12 months Wellington City Council's new City Arts team has been working with the city's arts sector to develop a shared vision for the future of the arts. This was to develop a basis for joint future action involving the arts sector, the Council and other parties, and contribute to the development and presentation of arts activity in the city.

Read summaries from the discussions so far and have your say on The Big Idea forum.Mapping the Future of the Arts started off with the Council having a wide range of preliminary meetings with diverse sector groups and individuals involved in the arts throughout Wellington. These discussions created a framework for a series of six artform-specific hui held in August/September 08.

Well over 400 arts practitioners [artists, organisations, producers and presenters] have been involved so far. Approximately 90% of these are from the professional sector including artists, producers, educators, managers, funders and representatives of most key arts organisations within Wellington City.

The Mapping the Future of the Arts in Wellington hui were essentially conversations. The facilitated format framed a series of group discussions which allowed for the development of ideas and themes. These explored:

"What we value about the arts"
"Our vision of a healthy arts city"
"The Big Questions we need to answer in order to ensure this healthy future" and some key priorities and possible actions for addressing the Big Questions.

A summary of these hui is available by calling the City Arts team on (04) 803 8399 or emailing arts@wcc.govt.nz It documents some of the clear themes and priorities that emerged from Mapping the Future, highlights some suggested actions and outlines the next steps planned for this ongoing conversation.

If you would like to continue this discussion please do so through The Big Idea Mapping the Future of the Arts forum.

16/10/08