Leadership – Page 2 – LARSEN

Victorian Inquiry into the cultural and creative industries

The Parliament of Victoria’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee has opened an inquiry into (some of the) funding and supports available to Victoria’s cultural and creative industries.

The statements we make

As artists, cultural workers and arts organisations, ours is the business of statement-making.

I was reminded of this recently by the work of Portuguese artist Tiago Casanova, whose installation Every wall is a Statement is currently part of the A liberdade e só a Liberdade exhibition (‘Freedom and only freedom’) at The Art and Culture Center of the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation in Évora.

I was also reminded, less pleasantly, by recent rushed and fumbled public statements made by Australian arts and cultural organisations in response to local and global issues or events like last year’s Voice Referendum (or the need for voice, treaty and truth more broadly) and the ongoing genocide in Palestine — including the statements that many have made with their silence.

Victorian creatives, have your say

The Victorian Government wants your thoughts on what the arts mean to you and what they should do to support the state’s arts, cultural and creative sector.

Have your say on the Creative State consultation by Monday 26 August 2024.

Organisational ethics: walking the talk

We live in polycrisis times. In post Voice referendum “Australia”. In the midst of visible local and international legal and human rights abuses. In a decimated sector impacted by an ongoing pandemic, cost of living, climate and mental health crises, and more.

All of which have raised awareness of and reduced tolerance for things we’ve always known. Things we’ve articulated and have been trying to change – if incrementally – through endless research papers, consultations and planning days.

ABR reviews The Relationship is the Project

Many thanks to Astrid Edwards, whose ‘Difficult questions: an iterative collaboration’ review of The Relationship is the Project was published in the Australian Book Review (ABR) no. 465 in June 2024.

Take on Board podcast on Palestine as a governance issue

Failure is the status quo at the moment when it comes to Australian arts, cultural and non-profit organisation’s response (or lack of response) to Palestine as a governance, risk and crisis management, duty of care and financial issue.

My conversation with Helga Svendsen for the Take on Board podcast is online today with more.

The RITP on The Garret podcast

“If we, as writers, as publishers and literary workers, want rights for ourselves, we have an obligation as individuals and as literary gatekeepers and organisations to insist upon those rights for others too.”

I’m back on The Garret Podcast this month talking about community-engaged practice, duty of care, our monocultural literary sector, the politics of publishing, arts orgs in crisis, and why the relationship is the project.

Palestine governance resources in The Commons

The rushed and fumbled public statements made by Australian arts and cultural organisations in response to the ongoing genocide in Palestine have made failure the status quo on matters of risk and crisis management, financial sustainability and duty of care – including the statements many have made with their silence.

A collection of my provocations on Palestine as a governance issue have been collated and republished The Commons Social Change Library.

The Relationship is the Project is out now

Huge thanks to all who came out (or logged on) for last night’s Naarm/Melbourne launch of The Relationship is the Project. So grateful. So proud. You can now ask for a copy at your local library or bookshop, or order one online.

Dear arts organisations

Amongst everything else, the last several months have been a crash course for boards, leaders and organisations in risk and reputation management, crisis communications and duty of care from the pointy intersection of arts and human rights advocacy.

Inspired by my recent vlog series on why boards need to talk about Palestine (but applicable more broadly), here’s my attempt at framing the sorts of conversations going on amidst the hurt and panic, best and battered intentions, solidarity and silences right now.