Empowering Communities Program

VPCA’s Empowering Communities Program is an important commitment to our community. Family accessible events, workshops and exhibition opportunities promote inclusivity, increased awareness and participation for individuals and community groups.

The programs we are currently running are:

Create Connect:
Music and visual art workshops for people with disability

Cultural Dinners:
An interactive experience where a local host prepares a meal to share their unique story and heritage – an initiative by Victoria Park Centre for the Arts, in partnership with Victoria Park Community Centre.

Celebrations of Culture:
Helping communities share music, dance, performance and food from different cultures, supported by Hillview Intercultural Community Centre.

These programs are made possible with the support of the Department of Communities.

The Empowering Communities Program also annually supports a Multicultural Exhibition, NAIDOC Exhibition and YODyssey (art award for people with Young Onset Dementia).

Create Connect: Workshops for People with Disability

The Create Connect music and visual art workshops held at Victoria Park Centre for the Arts are designed for artists with acute disabilities. They have been running at the Centre since 2004 and have a long association with Nulsen Disability Group (PeopleKind), As We Are, All Saint’s College and Creative Connections. This is a special program that has nurtured participants’ self-confidence, social connections and creative expression over the years.

Create Connect Music

Our Create Connect Music sessions are open music sessions for people with disability and are an opportunity for people to explore different instruments and play along to live music in a group environment. There is no formal training or experience required. Everybody is welcome.

These sessions are run by two talented and lovely local musicians, Merle and Louis.

Create Connect Art

Our Create Connect Art workshops are open studio sessions that allow the artists to explore different visual art mediums and techniques or pursue self-directed projects. The artists are given the opportunity to participate in public exhibitions throughout the year.

These sessions are run by our amazing facilitators, Rosie and Peter, who have extensive experience in facilitating workshops for people with disability.

Class and enrolment details here.

Cultural Dinners

We invite the community to discover the ways that culture and cuisine are interwoven on a laid-back evening getting to know your neighbours with delicious homemade food.

Cultural Dinners are an interactive experience where a local host prepares a meal to share their unique story and heritage. After introductions, guests join in preparing an element of the dinner before having a homely sit-down meal together. Attendees can see how global migration has shaped the cultures and cuisines in our community.

The Cultural Sharing Dinners Project is an initiative of the Victoria Park Centre for the Arts, in collaboration with Victoria Park Community Centre.

Dinners happen bi-monthly and you can buy tickets through Humanitix when they become available ($15) or sign up to our newsletter to receive news of upcoming events here.

Hosting:

If you would like to host a session, please contact Siobhan at kyc_admin@vicparkarts.org.au or call: (08) 6454 1803. All hosts receive a fee, travel supplement and a budget for ingredients. Support will be provided to imagine and plan your date. Absolutely no experience necessary!

Celebrations of Culture

The Victoria Park Centre for the Arts has partnered with Hillview Intercultural Community Centre to deliver cultural sharing events for the community.

These gatherings are family friendly events celebrating the richness of various cultures, introduced by local cultural groups presenting traditional dancers and musicians, food and a cultural presentation.