An Australian Research Council funded project with Flinders University, Ananguku Arts and Culture, Palya Fund, Centre for Remote Health and Poche Centre for Indigenous Health and Wellbing “Iwara kunpu artcentreku” (strong healthy art centres) Mapping the health promoting aspects of art centres on the APY Lands

Introduction Maree Meredith PhD Candidate, Flinders University (South Australia)

How the health in arts story began In 2009, a meeting was held with the Ku arts board at Amata. Palya Fund met and come up with the idea to ask the board and members to think about contributing some money to an Arts in Health Study The board agreed and there was a resolution passed In 2010, Ku Arts, Palya Fund and Flinders University decided to apply for an ARC grant to fund a PhD student to undertake the study In 2011, the ARC grant was successful and Flinders started the recruitment process

Anangu Aims and Background of the art and health story... “We paint to tell the stories of our land, and to get money to buy food for our families” Alyson Milyka Carroll, Aboriginal Art Board Director and Ernabella Art centre Worker

The Research Study

Aims and Background 3000 Anangu on the APY Lands 460 people (15%) engaged in art activities Anecdotal evidence suggests that these centres contribute to community health and wellbeing broadly understood within a social determinants of health framework Engagement in Art Centres potentially provides Anangu artists and their families with enhanced economic security, opportunities for continuing education and training and employment

Objectives: Identify Indigenous understanding of how art is health promoting Investigate how this understanding is related to the social determinants of health Explore to what extent, and in what way organised art generates health and wellbeing Identify essential features of the art centre organisation and function that underpin the success of this model/s in contributing to community health, well-being and capacity building as a blueprint for other remote communities Identify what strategies could be adopted to further enhance the health promoting aspects of this model Provide opportunity for currently employed Anangu Artworkers to learn the principles of, and engage in, art-based health promotion research

Significance and Innovation There is currently a growing interest in the link between arts and health, along with recognition of the difficulties in identifying the specific benefits (Putland 2008). Art is seen to offer a unique contribution to health due to its focus on creativity, expression and identity and as a health promotion tool. Some commentators have suggested that the arts might play a vital role in promoting social well-being in rural and remote Australia (McHenry 2009), helping to build or reinforce the social fabric of a community by engendering a sense of belonging, trust, reciprocity, identity and place. Others point to the contribution to the Indigenous hybrid economy, via opportunities for income generation and employment (Altman 2007)

A staged Approach... Stage 1: Introduction to the field and scoping the field Stage 2: Development of interview and participant observation framework and case studies Stage 3: Training, and delivery of a cross cultural survey Stage 4: Analysis and reporting and thesis write-up

Methodology and Theory Mixed Method Approach Why have I used ethnography? Ethnography through an indigenous lens One of the indigenous ethnography an the survey part of Authority to speak from my own experience as an Indigenous Primary methods used in stage one – participant observation and case studies Intricacies of the ethics process

Study Design Application within the Anangu context. How will Anangu be involved in the study design? The theory behind the Malpa system The use of Anangu Interpreters Discussion around stage two and the survey design. What am I doing to prepare for stage two. For example, building a pool of researchers/ artworkers How will the survey design will be adapted to fit the Anangu context

Where are we now..... STAGE 2 January – December 2013 Consults and meetings with key stakeholders Art Centre visits in April Preliminary Consultations Art centre’s needs Case studies Survey workers Workshops JULY to DECEMBER In the field

Mapping Health promotion aspects of art centres on the APY Lands What is health promotion and how is it applicable to the Anangu context Art centres as ‘health promoting’ institutions (Johnson 2000) Common features of health promoting art centres Institutionalisation theory applied to ACCHS and in this case Art Centres on the APY Lands Mapping the aspects including benefits and non-benefits

Anangu Way...documenting an Indigenous Methodology Recording the process and protocols The role of art and ‘mapping’ as key concepts ‘Telling the story’and the role of storywork. (Rothwell’s articles of senior artists) Anangu research governance

Process and Protocols The title of the project “Iwara kunpu artcentreku” The Malpa System Consultations and the role of the Boards What are the risks to Anangu? What are the benefits for Anangu?

Anangu Way...strong voice, strong decisions, strong healthy artcentres Aboriginal Board of Directors Art Centres Artworkers and Managers

Josephine Mick (Board of Directors for Ananguku Arts and Culture) and artist from Ninuku Art Centre, and Malpa Born in 1955 near Ernabella to Kuntjiriya Mick, Josephine grew up in Fregon, Ernabella and Amata. She moved to Pipalyatjara as a teenager in the homeland movement in the early 1970s. She then moved to Kalka with her children and now she travels between Pipalyatjara and Ernabella

The Board and Governance Report to the Board on a regular basis This includes for 4 times a year Formal feedback on project milestones to be provided at AGMs Major decisions influencing the project will be decided by the Board Main channel of decision making and information dissemination for the project is with the Board.

Emerging Issues for art centres Re-current funding programs Intergenerational Knowledge Transfer and language preservation Art centres and cultural maintenance Art centres and health promotion

Next Steps.... Initial sweep of the art centres and continuing participant observation Building a pool of Anangu researchers – Some of the challenges Profiling the art centres Question Time