Peel to showcase the best of WA arts
Regional Arts WA
A vibrant and exciting festival of arts and culture is coming to Peel when Mandurah plays host to the 2017 WA Regional Arts Summit this October.
Highlights include a night of free community performances and activities to mark the opening of the four-day Summit and featuring some of the best and brightest performers from the Peel region as well as wider WA.
Don’t miss the special opening event, Kaya, Party in the Square, a celebration of music, circus, dance, theatre and art, taking place in Mandjar Square outside the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre (MPAC) on Thursday 12 October from 6.30pm to 9pm.
The Mandurah Performing Arts Centre. Photo by Stuart Shepherd
You can catch live music from local Peel performers and circus performances from Pulse Productions, featuring Year 7 to 10 students from Waroona and Coodanup High Schools and Year 5 and 6 students from Halls Head Primary School – all girls!
There will also be performances from Mandurah’s own Riptide Youth Theatre and the Kongal Marawar Ngoons dancers, who are all from the Peel region and combine traditional Noongar and contemporary dance.
On show for the first time will be the HydroDome – a multi-disciplinary community art project which focuses on the Mandurah-Peel community’s connection to its waterways. This innovative art installation combines digital technology with dance and performance to create a 360 degree experience.
Kaya, Party in the Square is a free community event being hosted by Country Arts WA, City of Mandurah and the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre to open the 2017 WA Regional Arts Summit, with support from the Creative Regions program. The Summit, which will be held from 12 to 15 October 2017, will bring together art workers, artists and performers from across WA and Australia.
Delegates will have a chance to experience more of Peel’s outstanding talent during the four days of the Summit with performances from Wearable Art Mandurah and Fearless including the Young Artists Perspective Exhibition, solo exhibition and talk by local artist Trevor Blyth, Pottery Exhibition by Community First, and Tiny Shop on Wheels showcasing local creations.
Country Arts WA Executive Director Paul MacPhail said the Summit would shine a spotlight on Mandurah’s thriving and exciting arts and cultural scene.
“The Peel region, particularly Mandurah, is the perfect location for the Summit due to its growing, vibrant and innovative arts culture and its outstanding cross sector partnerships,” Mr MacPhail said.
“The success of the arts movement in Peel is supported by the close partnership of the City of Mandurah and Mandurah Performing Arts Centre – a leading example of how local government and arts organisations can work together to achieve strong arts and cultural outcomes for their community.
“This impressive and meaningful collaboration is delivering real results and opportunities for Mandurah and the wider Peel region, not only for employment and tourism but social interaction, inclusion and cultural enrichment,” Mr MacPhail said.
City of Mandurah Mayor Marina Vergone said the City of Mandurah was delighted to be partnering with Country Arts WA and the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre to stage the 2017 WA Regional Arts Summit.
“The City embraces the opportunity to welcome delegates from all over WA and showcase its artistic community and the excellent relationship it nurtures with it,” Mayor Vergone said.
“It takes pride in facilitating and supporting artistic endeavours encompassing professional, emerging and amateur groups and individuals as well as those that do not traditionally take part in the arts.
“The City of Mandurah is one of the first local governments to develop an arts, heritage and culture strategy and the quality of the artistic output from the region is world-class, as we will see during the Summit,” she said.
Mandurah Performing Arts Centre’s General Manager, Guy Boyce said the Summit was a key feature in what was MPAC’s milestone 20th anniversary year.
“We are delighted to be hosting this leading arts industry event at the Mandurah Performing Arts Centre and to showcase the immense talent emerging from regional Western Australia and particularly Mandurah and Peel,” Mr Boyce said.
“Mandurah Performing Arts Centre is a transformative hub which seeks through arts and culture to unite the community and to celebrate and share experiences that reflect what an exciting place the Peel region is,” he said.
Kaya, Party in the Square is a free public event. Those interested in attending the 2017 WA Regional Arts Summit can purchase registrations, including day tickets, at www.countryartswa.asn.au. Registrations close 5 October.
Country Arts WA acknowledges the support of the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries and Lotterywest and the Creative Regions Program supported by Royalties for Regions, including support from the Australian Government’s Regional Arts Fund, Regional Development Australia (Peel WA) and the Peel Development Commission.
