Choose Art, Australia’s Accessible Arts Directory Launches
Choose Art, Australia’s new online Accessible Arts Directory has gone live this morning, to coincide with the Meeting of Cultural Ministers in Adelaide today.
Everybody has a right to take part in arts and culture and the National Arts and Disability Strategy’s vision is for the artistic ambitions and achievements of people with disability to be a valued and visible part of Australian culture.
How does someone with disability find information on art making opportunities, learning new creative and artistic skills and discovering accessible arts and cultural events to attend? Until today it has been very ad hoc but Choose Art will change that.
Users of Choose Art can search for inclusive and accessible arts programs, opportunities and events by location, art form, access and more. Plus, Choose Art provides a platform for arts and cultural organisations offering accessible activities a method to market directly to people with disability.
The Hon Paul Fletcher MP, Federal Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts said, “The new Choose Art directory is an innovative service which delivers greater engagement in Australia’s vibrant arts and culture scene by providing easily searchable listings of inclusive and accessible arts programs and events. It is important for our arts and culture bodies to be inclusive when designing programs and events so everyone can take part.”
An initiative of Arts Access Victoria (AAV), Choose Art builds on the successful pilot ARTfinder Victoria. AAV has partnered with its counterpart organisations in every state and territory on the initiative, which was funded by the Meeting of Cultural Ministers. All stakeholders have worked collaboratively throughout the process of developing the website.
Choose Art will also support the arts and cultural sector to establish benchmarks in terms of accessibility and demonstrate where accessible art is clustered around the country.
Choose Art is supported by the Meeting Cultural Ministers through Arts ACT; Arts Tasmania; Create NSW; Creative Victoria; Culture and Arts WA; Arts South Australia; Arts Queensland; Department of Tourism and Culture, NT and the Australian Government Department of Communications and the Arts.
Arts Access Victoria has created Choose Art in partnership with Arts Access Australia, Access2Arts, Access Arts, Accessible Arts, Arts Access Darwin, Belconnen Arts Centre, DADAA and InCite Arts.
Arts Access Victoria also acknowledges the financial support of the Department of Health and Human Services VIC.
