The Role of Universities in Strengthening Regional Arts Sectors: Central Queensland University and the Regional Arts Services Network

Abstract Noting the unique challenges facing arts and culture in rural and regional Australia, this article takes the Central Queensland Regional Arts Services Network (CQRASN) as a case study to examine the role of universities in supporting the regional arts sector. Previous research acknowledges the contributions of universities to the arts sector through evaluation, innovation and knowledge transfer. This case study enables exploration of a different model of university and arts sector interaction. This article discusses the role and limitations of CQRASN in managing a regional cultural network and outlines future considerations for universities in strengthening the regional arts sector.

[1]  Helen Klaebe,et al.  Understanding the value of the creative arts: place-based perspectives from regional Australia , 2021, Cultural Trends.

[2]  Nancy Duxbury.  Cultural and creative work in rural and remote areas: an emerging international conversation , 2020, International Journal of Cultural Policy.

[3]  K. Rutten,et al.  Policy attachment in the arts: the underlying agendas of arts’ social role , 2020 .

[4]  G. Hearn,et al.  Australian Cultural and Creative Activity: A Population and Hotspot Analysis: Cairns , 2020 .

[5]  G. Hearn,et al.  Australian Cultural and Creative Activity: A Population and Hotspot Analysis: Central West Queensland: Blackall-Tambo, Longreach and Winton , 2020 .

[6]  D. Verhoeven,et al.  A ‘natural experiment’ in Australian cultural policy: Australian Government funding cuts disproportionately affect companies that produce more new work and have larger audiences , 2020 .

[7]  B. Bartleet,et al.  Creative Barkly: Sustaining the Arts and Creative Sector in Remote Australia , 2019 .

[8]  Milena Dragičević Šešić.  Contemporary arts in adaptable quality management , 2019, The Routledge Companion to Arts Management.

[9]  A. Brkic.  Roles of cultural networks in the times of quantum reality 1 , 2019, The Routledge Companion to Arts Management.

[10]  Lillis Ó Laoire,et al.  The transformative potential of the arts and culture in sustaining rural futures , 2018, Journal of Rural Studies.

[11]  M. Rimmer.  The art of survival: community-based arts organisations in times of austerity , 2018, Community Development Journal.

[12]  J. McDonald.  Harnessing the Bohemian: artists as innovation partners in rural and remote communities , 2018 .

[13]  Ryan Daniel,et al.  Arts and culture in an era of austerity: key stakeholder views on the current and future Australian context , 2017 .

[14]  R. Johnstone,et al.  Becoming an artist: exploring the motivations of undergraduate students at a regional Australian University , 2017 .

[15]  P. Skippington,et al.  Arts-based community development: rural remote realities and challenges , 2016 .

[16]  R. Comunian,et al.  Beyond the campus: higher education, cultural policy and the creative economy , 2016 .

[17]  R. Comunian,et al.  Beyond the Creative Campus: Reflections on the evolving relationship between higher education and the creative economy , 2015 .

[18]  R. Comunian,et al.  The Role of Universities in the Regional Creative Economies of the UK: Hidden Protagonists and the Challenge of Knowledge Transfer , 2014 .

[19]  K. Johanson,et al.  The Advantage of Proximity: The Distinctive Role of Local Government in Cultural Policy , 2014 .

[20]  J. A. McHenry.  A Place for the Arts in Rural Revitalisation and the Social Wellbeing of Australian Rural Communities , 2009 .

[21]  Eleonora Belfiore,et al.  Determinants of Impact: Towards a Better Understanding of Encounters with the Arts , 2007 .

[22]  Pat Millegan,et al.  The art of collaboration , 2005 .

[23]  J. Warren,et al.  The natural experiment. , 1970, Medical times.

[24]  Helen Klaebe,et al.  The Social Impact of Creative Arts in Australian Communities , 2021 .

[25]  T. Flew,et al.  Universities and regional creative economies , 2019 .

[26]  A. Varga,et al.  Handbook of Universities and Regional Development , 2019 .

[27]  Ruth Williams,et al.  The Regional Role of Universities: Some Answered and Unanswered Questions , 2018 .

[28]  Robyn Mayes.  Doing cultural work : local postcard production and place identity in a rural shire , 2010 .

[29]  N. Chaves.  [The role of the universities]. , 1960, Revista brasileira de medicina.