In the arts and community development sector we are on the treadmill, running, and there’s not enough time to pause and come together and share insights. That’s an essential part of creative collaboration.

It’s fantastic that CAN has orchestrated this time for us to come together.

– Making Time panellist Pilar Kasat, CEO of Regional Arts WA

Anyone who works in community arts and cultural development understands the value of creative collaboration – it’s at the heart of what we do. That’s why we chose Stronger Together as the theme of this year’s Making Time conference, to acknowledge and explore the vital role that creative collaboration plays in the arts, particularly for those of us seeking to make change through our work.

The theme is also timely; the world may be increasingly polarised – politically, economically and philosophically – but our ability to collaborate is a form of resistance against that polarity.

Making Time: Stronger Together was the third iteration of this symposium, which – as the name suggests – offers artists, arts workers and CACD workers the opportunity to take time to connect with contemporaries, engage in conversations about the arts and experience the joy of creativity for its own sake.

Held at The Rise in Maylands, Making Time: Stronger Together was supported by the City of Bayswater as part of its Flourish Community Arts Festival. With the festival’s exhibition on display in the building’s foyer, it felt like art and art-making had taken over the building.

In keeping with Making Time tradition, the day began with Nimrod Kazoom’s delicious Middle Eastern savoury and sweet morsels, Turkish coffee and mint tea on The Rise’s balcony. Our spiritual appetites were then nourished by Traditional Owner Josh McGuire, who gave the Welcome to Country with his trademark warmth and generosity. 

Returning inside, attendees discovered that each seat included a craft kit composed of twigs and yarn, but first we were greeted by the Hon. Samantha Rowe MLC, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Culture and the Arts. Next we were treated to a heart-opening poem, written and spoken by Noongar performer Jack Collard in Noongar and English. Jack’s words captured the collaborative and creative spirit of the day and grounded it in Noongar culture and Country.

At Making Time we don’t just have conversations about creativity, we provide opportunities for hands-on engagement in creativity… even during those aforementioned conversations. And so, before the first panel discussion began, artist Sandy McKendrick took us through the process of making a star using the craft kits. The drop in tension, as audience members began to craft, was palpable as always.

Hands occupied and hearts calmed, we listened to the first panel discussion, Competition vs Collaboration. Moderated by Tania Hudson (Chamber of Arts and Culture), Pilar Kasat (Regional Arts WA), Nikki Miller (DLGSC) and Jay Emmanuel (Encounter Theatre) all explored the ways in which we can navigate the fine line between partnership and competition in a climate where we’re all competing for the same limited funding. Frank and practical, the conversation centred around the importance of recognising differences in power and resourcing, and of creating a level playing field in which partnerships can form.

With plenty to think about, attendees split into smaller groups for two creative workshops, interspersed by a delicious lunch from caterer Nimrod Kazoom. Out on the lawn, one group became immersed in the blue tones of cyanotype printing, led by Zali Morgan, while another created bold and vibrant collaborative artworks with Tegan Jenkins and Natalie Scholtz, using mediums like neon paint sticks, charcoal and silhouettes.

Upstairs on the balcony Geri Hayden led another group through the process of creating delicately toned eco-dyed patterns on silk, while a fourth group led by Sultana Shamshi used the organic shapes and textures of gumnuts to create jewellery. Indoors, the Centre for Stories’ Ron Bradfield and Lakshmi Kanchi took the fifth group through the principles of structuring their life-experiences into an evocative and meaningful oral story.

With creative cups filled attendees gathered together again for a second conversation, Collaborate to Disrupt, which saw moderator Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa (The Blue Room Theatre/Independent artist and writer) and panellists Kelli McCluskey (pvi collective), Makaela Rowe-Fox (independent artist) and Colin Walker (Art Gallery of WA) explore how artists and arts workers might work together to effect change. A surprise spoken-word performance by Sukhjit set the tone for this incisive discussion, which was, at times, spicy and salty, with a dash of much-needed optimism.

Jack Collard then returned to the stage, this time to deliver poetry written in response to the day, settling our spirits into unwind mode. Jack reminded us to hold onto the knowledge gained during the day, and bring our communities with us as we consider how to enrich this boodja through the arts.

The resonance of Jack’s gentle but powerful words stayed with us as we moved back to the balcony to enjoy the joyous rhythms of De Cuba Son, as well as a selection of drinks kindly provided by Jadran Wines and the Seasonal Brewing Co, and still more tasty treats from Nimrod Kazoom.

Throughout the day many attendees remarked on the vibrant banksia-based artwork created in pen and watercolours by CAN’s Rebecca Lyon Augustus for Making Time 2024. This design was inspired by CAN’s Place Names Bayswater project, currently rolling out in the City of Baywater. As part of this project, the ancient Noongar placename associated with Bayswater – Beeralain – has been translated as the sparks of the banksia that are located over there, by an advisory group of Elders, Traditional Owners and community members connected with the area, one of whom is Josh McGuire. We used the banksia as the emblem for this year’s edition of Making Time, to ground the conference in the original meaning of this place; to connect it to Country.

Traditionally banksia cones were used by the Noongar people to transport glowing embers across Country, so they could be used to light fire at another destination. At Making Time, the embers that we protect and transport are ideas; sparks that we hope will ignite the imaginations of all who attend.

There’s a really unique thing that happens at Making Time where conversations become very deep, very quickly with people that you have literally never seen before in your life and I just find that magical.

– Making Time attendee Leuca Jane Ziemons, interdisciplinary artist, researcher and slow fashion designer at Melaleuca Rise.