The Centre and the Making Change Taskforce is seeking the expertise of a consultant, organisation, consortia or professional, that will manage the ‘Making Change Strategy’ and work closely with the taskforce in the delivery phase of the strategy. The engagement will be managed through a contract engagement to Geelong Arts Centre and will run until November 2024.

The G21 region’s first Creative Industries Strategy ‘Making Change’ launched in October of 2021 and was developed in a unique collaboration of local arts and member organisations, with Geelong Arts Centre leading the development of the plan from the inception of the project; helping to author to project brief, as a financial contributor and on the Project Steering Committee.

The new ‘Making Change’ Creative Industries Strategy provides a five-year framework for our regions’ growing creative industries sector and includes focus on industry & skills development, greater digital access and increased cultural tourism. Through extensive industry and government consultation and using an evidenced based approach, a strategy has been developed that provides a clear vision, mission, guiding principles, case for support and importantly has 10 clear goals and 22 recommendations.

The Creative Industries Strategy also aligns with a range of concurrent policy initiatives including the Victorian Government’s Creative State 2025 and the City of Greater Geelong’s Arts and Cultural Strategy 2021-2031, and new Council Plans across the region’s local governments.

At a high level, the Making Change Strategy Consultant, either an individual or entity (‘the Consultant’), will foster a culture of collaboration and aspiration, to deliver a region of creative industries leadership and innovation connected to global networks.

Specifically, the Consultant will be driven by a commitment to:

grow creative practice connected to place through formal training, peer networks and life-long learning;

nurture participation and engagement; and

enable the development of bold and innovative products, experiences, and services across the region.

The Consultant will take on a multi-tasking role that is responsible primarily for driving the implementation of key actions contained in the Creative Industries Strategy (‘the Strategy’). This engagement is a role that is highly self-directed but will liaise closely with and report to the Creative Industries Strategy Task Force (‘the Task Force’), which is a collective of diverse arts and culture organisation leaders, practitioners, and sector advocates.

The purpose of the engagement is that the services required to deliver on the strategies priorities will be delivered as ‘fee for service’ and the assessment panel asks applicants to also propose an estimated delivery summary with expected allocation of resources (time and personnel) to the project.

The Consultant will have primary responsibility for the design of a framework and the implementation of processes and mechanisms that will support and encourage innovative and sustainable creative industries practice to complement the 5-year Strategy. Key stakeholders for this role comprise individual artists, cultural institutions, the education sector, federal and state government, regional local governments, private industry, and the corporate and philanthropic sectors.

The Consultant will have key responsibilities which are derived from the Strategy and are as follows:

No. Key Responsibilities

1. Work with the Task Force to design and implement an accountable and influential governance framework that will help realise the goals and actions of the Strategy.

2. Lead establishment of a partnership with the Wadawurrung and Eastern Maar Peoples to give voice to local heritage and cultural opportunity.

3. Monitor relevant local, state, and national policy development and other partnership opportunities.

4. Identify opportunities for collaboration and supporting the region in securing investment and partnerships, including funding applications for further funding.

5. The development of a new partnership model to enable the delivery of innovative programs that showcase the creative process regionally and nationally.

6. Establishment and delivery of an annual calendar of creative experiences and learning across the region based on the capabilities of the Geelong based and regional creative spaces and cultural institutions.

7. Lead communications with all partners and develop relationships in the region, including with Tourism Geelong & the Bellarine, and other regional Tourism Boards, to showcase the diversity of the Creative Industries and activity across the G21 region.

8. Lead administration of the Creative Industries Strategy office, including developing detailed budget projections and forecast expenditure for approval by the Taskforce. Procurement for services as part of the delivery will need to adhere to Geelong Arts Centre’s procurement guidelines.

9. Build on the project mapping work for Creative Hubs in the region and develop an online directory and website to promote the Making Change Strategy and the work of the taskforce.

10. Connect and implement a shared professional development and training program administered by the Creative Industry Sector for artists and community in the region.