The Relationship is the Project A guide to working with communities

Community-engaged practice is not an art form. It’ s not an add-on. It’ s a way of working: a deep collaboration. The Relationship is the Project features provocations, tools and practical tips for those who are currently, or are interested in, working with communities. This includes the ethics and logistics of working on community-based projects and contexts: from cultural safety to class, intersectionality to disaster recovery, climate justice to First Nations reworlding and more. This updated and expanded edition features more than 40 thought-leaders across the arts, cultural and community sectors. It is a must-have resource for all community-engaged practice.

Cara Kirkwood is a national advocate and influencer for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, art, culture and creative industries. Currently the Head of Indigenous Engagement and Strategy with the National Gallery of Australia, Cara has previously worked with the Department of Parliamentary Services, Creative Australia, AGSA’ s Tarnanthi Festival and Desart in Mparntwe (Alice Springs). Jade Lillie is a facilitator, cultural leader and specialist in community and stakeholder engagement. She has worked throughout Australia and Southeast Asia in strategy, advocacy, program design, community-engaged practice and industry development. She conceived The Relationship is the Project following her role as Director and CEO at Footscray Community Arts and as a Sidney Myer Creative Fellow. Jax Brown (they/them) is an esteemed disability and LGBTIQA+ rights activist, writer, educator and consultant. Their tireless commitment to LGBTIQA+ disability human rights and advocacy has been recognised with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). Jax utilises their experience as a queer, trans wheelchair user to explore intersectional identities. Jade Lillie is a facilitator, cultural leader and specialist in community and stakeholder engagement. She has worked throughout Australia and Southeast Asia in strategy, advocacy, program design, community-engaged practice and industry development. She conceived The Relationship is the Project following her role as Director and CEO at Footscray Community Arts and as a Sidney Myer Creative Fellow.

Welcome 1. What is community engaged practice? by Jade Lillie 2. First Peoples first by Genevieve Grieves 3. Cultural safety by Ruth De Souza 4. Creatively and culturally safe spaces by Lia Pa’ apa’ a 5. Racial literacy: what is ‘ race’ and why is it so important to understand? by Dianne Jones, Odette Kelada and Lilly Brown 6. Intersectionality by Alia Gabres 7. Ethics and self-determination by Tania Cañ as 8. The art of collaboration by Eleanor Jackson 9. The art of facilitation by Jade Lillie and Kate Larsen 10. Creating communities by Samuel Kanaan-Oringo and Rosie Dennis 11. Disability access and inclusion by Caroline Bowditch 12. Bridging Deaf and hearing worlds by Chelle Destefano and Claire Bridge 13. Why label? by Jeremy Smith 14. Creative lives and contemporary ageing by Tristan Meecham and Bec Reid 15. Collaborating with children and young people by Lenine Bourke 16. Working with queer communities and artists by Daniel Santangeli 17. Gendered spaces by Simona Castricum and CQ Quinan 18. Regional arts practice: place takes time by Alysha Herrmann and Anthony Peluso 19. No-one here talks about class by Nina Ross, Lizzie Sampson and Jessie Scott 20. The role of the institution by Esther Anatolitis 21. The role of festivals by Anna Reece 22. Platforming for community: going beyond surface representation by Adolfo Aranjuez 23. Audiences and cultural diversity by Fotis Kapetopoulos 24. Art and climate justice by Karrina Nolan and Alex Kelly 25. Creative practice in disaster recovery by Scotia Monkivitch 26. Reworlding: adapting to the climate emergency through relationality by Jen Rae and Claire G Coleman 27. Squads and swarms: engaging with communities online by Seb Chan 28. #EpicFail by Jade Lillie 29. A duty of care by Kate Larsen 30. No end date: timeframes and expectations by Paschal Berry 31. Culturally safe evaluation by Timoci O’ Connor 32. The relationship is the project by Jade Lillie