Counting and Cracking, Belvoir St Theatre. Image Brett Boardman
At the height of Persian culture it was the artists and scholars who were the most respected and well paid in the community as they created the vision for the world. The so-called manual labourers, such as doctors, engineers and lawyers followed this vision and built that world.
This Persian concept of the artist as valued, respected and visionary, goes to the heart of the concern of who we are losing and why. It questions what positive measures we are engaging in to prevent further loss, greater respect, a welcoming-in and intrinsic valuing of the artist, and how we can stop this exodus from the sector.
Dr Sally Blackwood is arts leader with a passion for connecting and supporting individuals and organisations, forging innovation, and enriching communities through engagement in the arts and culture. Sally is a leading advocate for gender equity, inclusivity and diversity in education and industry. Sally believes that the arts, education and the creative industries play a vital role in the evolution and sustainability of the greater cultural ecology of regional and urban Australia. Sally advocates for the role of arts and culture to tell our contemporary stories, facilitate discussion about current social and political issues, provide a platform for social cohesion, wellbeing, community enrichment, cultural change and economic sustainability.
