Economic value of the arts and creative industries
In conversation with the Australia Council - Session 1
Topic: Economic value of the arts and creative industries
Date: Monday 7 December 2020
Time: 8pm AEDT
Guest panellists:
- George Megalogenis, author and journalist: George Megalogenis is one of Australia’s leading political and economic thinkers. He is an author and journalist with three decades’ experience in the media. His book, The Australian Moment, won the 2013 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Non-fiction and the 2012 Walkley Award for Non-fiction, and formed the basis for his ABC documentary series Making Australia Great.
- Dr Wendy Were, Executive Director Advocacy and Development, Australia Council for the Arts: Dr Wendy Were is Executive Director, Advocacy and Development at the Australia Council. Wendy has held many creative leadership roles over the last two decades, including Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Sydney Writers’ Festival, CEO of West Australian Music, Business Advisor with the Creative Industries Innovation Centre, and Producer at the Perth Festival. Wendy also holds a PhD in Literature, awarded with Distinction.
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About this Episode
Research repeatedly identifies creative skills as essential to workforces of the future. Creativity is essential to the 21st century professional skillset, enabling adaptability, experimentation and innovative thinking. In an ever more uncertain world, challenges will become increasingly complex. It follows that the jobs of the future will require an agile, empathetic and creative-thinking workforce with high level technical and equally high-capacity imaginative thinking skills to best make use of their knowledge. Join George Megalogenis and Dr Wendy Were to discuss the place of creative skills, the professional artist and the arts as we create our future.
About the series
Discussing the importance and impact of good public policy to ensure a healthy Australia following the recent year of devastation, join subject matter experts to explore the economic, social and cultural value of creativity for all Australians.
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George Megalogenis, author and journalist
George Megalogenis is one of Australia’s leading political and economic thinkers. He is an author and journalist with three decades’ experience in the media. His book, The Australian Moment, won the 2013 Prime Minister’s Literary Award for Non-fiction and the 2012 Walkley Award for Non-fiction, and formed the basis for his ABC documentary series Making Australia Great.
George’s other books are Faultlines, The Longest Decade, Australia’s Second Chance, and Balancing Act, which contains his two Quarterly Essays, No. 40: Trivial Pursuit – Leadership and the End of the Reform Era and No. 61: Balancing Act – Australia Between Recession and Renewal. His latest is The Football Solution.
Dr Wendy Were, Executive Director Advocacy and Development
Dr Wendy Were is Executive Director, Advocacy and Development at the Australia Council. Wendy has held many creative leadership roles over the last two decades, including Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Sydney Writers’ Festival, CEO of West Australian Music, Business Advisor with the Creative Industries Innovation Centre, and Producer at the Perth Festival. Wendy also holds a PhD in Literature, awarded with Distinction.
Creating Our Future: Results of the National Arts Participation Survey
Creating Our Future: Results of the National Arts Participation Survey is the fourth study in the landmark research series that explores Australians’ engagement with and attitudes towards the arts.
The National Arts Participation Survey asks how Australians are engaging with arts and creativity in our daily lives. How do Australians feel about arts and creativity? How is our arts engagement changing? Do we recognise the impacts of arts and creativity in our lives and communities? How do Australians feel about public funding for the arts?
