Effectiveness of the Initiatives The initiatives were effective in addressing their stated objectives, and illustrated that the Victorian government responded to the impact of the bushfires in a way that has been seen to renew and benefit communities by protecting and promoting their well being. A number of unintended positive consequences occurred, including some projects attracting additional funding, in-kind support, or attention. Some projects grew or extended beyond their initial vision, some attracted greater numbers of participants and audiences than anticipated, participants experienced personal growth, and money was raised for bushfire recovery activities. Key drivers of success The literature review identified a number of elements that are crucial to the success of disaster recovery projects. The initiatives contained all of as well as some additional successful elements. They were: ! The speed and simplicity of the grant; ! Provision of on-the-ground support; ! The initiatives were community-driven; ! The inclusiveness of the projects; ! Utilisation of existing groups and networks; ! Recognition that people recover at different ! Acknowledgement that strong communities are diverse; ! Opportunities to share stories; ! Providing opportunities for reflection and commemoration and a reason for people to come together; ! Providing research feedback loops to monitor progress; and ! The timing and circumstances of the disaster that created a unifying purpose. Issues and learnings There were some minor issues relating to delivery of the initiatives, however these did not impinge on the success of the projects or their intended outcomes. The main issues were: ! The application process was arduous for some, particularly who had not applied for funding before, but also for one or two experienced grant application writers; ! The Fund did not allow artists to reapply for another grant to enable their project to grow or continue; ! The budget for the Fund did not support the considerable numbers of prospective projects, many of were ready to commence after the program had ended; ! Some artists in areas other than Murrindindi Shire were disappointed to have not had a personal visit from someone representing the funding body; ! The work of the Project Officer was made difficult in Murrindindi as there was no obvious Council contact with whom to form a partnership, and the workload was arguably too great for one person. The value of the arts in disaster recovery There is a growing body of evidence that the arts plays a valuable role in disaster recovery. This was supported in the evaluation. The literature states that it is not appropriate to talk about ‘best practice’ in arts-based disaster recovery responses. This is because every
Impacts Impacts of the Fund in the recovery process This evaluation has found that arts projects contribute something different to community rebuilding compared to other types of projects. The arts provide children and adults with opportunities to symbolise, recount and process their traumatic experience. Similarly to other activities such as sports, gardening or other community activities, the arts gives participants a temporary respite from their daily challenges. However, what makes an art project unique is the abstract nature of the activities and the opportunity for individuals to interpret and assign their own personal meaning or memories to the activity. The arts does not rely entirely on verbal communication. This is a particularly important benefit when dealing with communities that have experienced trauma, as many people do not have the words to describe how they are feeling. Trauma makes you wordless. recipient, Eltham Sport takes you away for a period of time but art creates a mindset of creativity that can be taken back to everyday situations. Bruce Esplin, Emergency Services Commissioner For many artists in this evaluation, the funding enabled them to use a medium that encouraged expression through music, drama, visual art, textiles, performance art, literature, poetry or multi media. For those who had not been directly affected by the fires, the grant gave them the power and opportunity to do something to help their community by using their skills and talents through arts-based projects. This, in turn, was seen to help to galvanise and heal those communities, even indirectly through performance as a means of gathering people together for a show. Impacts of the Project Officer in the recovery process The activities of the Project Officer have demonstrated that working on the ground with individuals and communities makes a valuable contribution to their recovery. Facilitating creative expression and consequent social connection has helped these communities to respond to unexpected change in creative ways. The individual attention the Project Officer has to artists, their families and communities has helped people feel less alone. Because she was not working directly as a government representative the Project Officer was perceived as independent, which was an important aspect to having been so well received. All grant recipients interviewed in the Murrindindi Shire for this evaluation felt that the work of the Project Officer was crucial to the success of their project.
Learnings and implications Appropriateness of the Initiatives This evaluation has shown that the overall response from Arts Victoria and Regional Arts Victoria in offering the Fund was highly appropriate to the needs of bushfire-affected communities across Victoria. The combination of the grants and the work of the Project Officer was a successful model. The combination of these two components contributed to the success of the projects of most of the artists, and provided opportunities for their projects to continue or grow. The modest funding of $2,500 or less per project was appropriate, particularly since the money was offered very quickly. The size of the grant was a manageable amount for most artists, particularly those who had not previously managed budgets or received funding. Distributing a number of small grants was also appropriate in engaging greater numbers of artists to participate, rather than larger sums being allocated to fewer people. However, the overall budget for the program underestimated the of need and interest in the program and the benefits it brokered. There were considerably more prospective grant recipients than grants available, illustrating the interest and need in the community for arts- funded projects to help with disaster recovery efforts. As a result, the application process became fiercely competitive, which is arguably inappropriate given the circumstances of the bushfires and the immense need for support, although understandable, given the speed with which the crisis response was designed and implemented. Where the Project Officer worked, there was additional value extracted through her role and personal effectiveness. We believe it would have been appropriate to place greater emphasis on the Project Officer position. More on-the-ground support was necessary at key stages of the project, including in the planning stage, and also during the project, as a show of support, interest and encouragement. The application process was perceived by some as inappropriate and inconsistent with the nature of the grants. The process was not well tailored to individuals who had not applied for funding before or for who were still dealing with personal trauma. The acquittal process was appropriate, particularly given the support, encouragement and flexibility offered to artists by Regional Arts Victoria in submitting them. Given the long-term nature of community rebuilding following a disaster, the inability to reapply for funding was inappropriate, as artists with longer term ambitions for their projects felt abandoned and misunderstood. Successful funding models designed for disaster recovery work best when they have an inbuilt flexibility to be scaled up or down in response to the recipients’ changing needs, particularly when there are long term recovery objectives.
had a reason to come back together and start to connect again, in a positive way. Sharing stories. Art exhibitions in this evaluation provided an opportunity for artists to tell stories and for visitors to reflect on their own experiences and share stories with those around them. These stories, and the documented visual art pieces, start to form part of the new social history of the town and community, and can assist with healing and recovery. Giving. It is important to not underestimate the of giving. People who have not been directly affected by a disaster are often motivated to help those who were personally touched by it. Performing arts projects in this evaluation gave the artists–– most of whom were not directly impacted by the fires–– an opportunity to show their support for their local community through performance. These events were social settings in themselves enabling locals to come together to be entertained and to start to reconnect. At a number of these events money was also raised to support the local bushfire recovery teams. Improving health outcomes. The literature identifies that arts-based interventions have been seen to be effective in reducing adverse psychological and physiological outcomes. A number of Quick Response Fund projects were participatory and involved meeting on a regular basis at a neutral place. These projects proved to be beneficial to the healing of individual participants and in turn their families, communities and social groups. Opportunities for play. Despite the range of urgent and immediate practical rebuilding tasks that are a priority, people need respite. The arts give people a reason to come together to relax, and engage in a leisure activity that enables them to take a break. For many people in this evaluation, coming together to play was an important part of their recovery. Bringing from disorder. Webster (2006) noted that during the Ash Wednesday bushfires in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges in 1993, singing proved to be a successful way of helping the children gain a sense of routine, when everything else around them signified disorder. For Quick Response Fund projects that required participants to meet regularly, this routine was seen to bring some predictability back into their lives.
Recommendations The Arts Recovery Quick Response Fund has made a significant contribution to the recovery of regional Victorians communities impacted by the fires of February 2009. Findings from this evaluation can provide a platform upon which to build and accelerate the potential for similar models to be adopted in the future. The recommendations are presented on two levels: ! Recommendations for the current environment; and ! Recommendations for a government art response to another disaster recovery situation. The current environment Continue role of Project Officer for another 18 months This evaluation revealed that individuals–– and communities–– recovery at their own rate. The recovery process was seen to neither be neat nor predicable, and some artists are only just now ready to come forward to begin their project. Additionally, for many grant recipients, the assistance and support provided by the Project Officer was more valuable to them than the money provided through the Fund. For these two reasons we recommend the Project Officer position be continued for another 18 months after the intended termination of the position in June 2011. This extension will enable assistance to be provided to individuals and communities just emerging to start new projects. Ideally, there should be three people working as Project Officers. They could be set up on Murrindindi Shire Council offices, yet their work should be independent of Council. Provide ongoing financial support With the financial support of Victorian Bushfire Appeal Fund (VBAF) coming to an end, it is important to consider means of funds to support artists recovering in bushfire-affected communities. An ongoing program of support could be either from the government or not-for-profit sector. The model used by the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal is a good example of a model that has been successful in implementing programs for bushfire affected communities. Funding has also been set aside by the Bushfire Recovery Advisory Panel to help meet medium to long term recovery needs in bushfire affected areas, with a new community advisory committee to provide advice to the Panel on recovery priorities. Government may consider implementing a mid- term support mechanism for people just starting to scope relevant arts projects two to three years on from the bushfires. Existing funding models or new approaches should be considered to provide this ongoing financial support.
Appendix 2: The application process The application form and guidelines were designed by Regional Arts Victoria Some diligence was taken to ensure that the forms were accessible to those who may not have completed a funding application before or did not have the resources to complete a detailed application. Applications for the Response Fund were accepted from May 2009 to February 2010. There were nine funding rounds closing on the first of each month from May, except for January 2010. Applications were assessed by a team of six Regional Arts Victoria staff in the Creative Communities Victoria department, which included the Regional Arts Development network and the Arts Recovery Project Officer (ARPO). Potential applicants were asked to contact a Regional Arts Victoria staff or a RADO prior to submitting their application. This allowed Regional Arts Victoria staff to advise the applicant on key considerations in submitting the application, and assess whether a grant through the Fund was the most appropriate avenue to resource the project. This also had the benefit of saving applicants who were unlikely to be successful the time and effort required to submit an application. Many prospective grant recipients living in the Murrindindi or Nillumbik Shires received one support from either Marilyn Gourley, Arts Regional Development Officer, or Irene Pagram, Arts and Cultural Coordinator at Nillumbik Shire Council. This support took the form of telephone conversations and, in many cases, face-to-face meetings and discussions. Applicants in other parts of the state did not tend to receive this one-on-one support during the application process, unless they actively sought the help of a RADO working in their area. Decisions about the success of applicants were made by Regional Arts Victoria, in collaboration with RADOs and advice from the Project Officer. In most cases, grant recipients were notified about the outcome of their application within days of their submission. This was usually done by telephone or email. The acquittal process Successful applicants were required to submit an acquittal report within six weeks of completing their project. Regional Arts Victoria used discretion to exercise flexibility around this deadline, taking into consideration the potentially difficult personal circumstances of individuals following their experience in the bushfires. Those grant recipients living in the Murrindindi Shire had the benefit of the Project Officer supporting them in the completion of their grant acquittal report.