The Central Otago District Arts Trust (CODAT) is in good heart, trust chair Jan Bean says, and in the next year will facilitate and encourage projects with an arts cultural and heritage component.

Jan and arts coordinator Rebekah de Jong presented a report to the Central Otago District Council (CODC) at its September meeting, at which the trust had requested a district-wide community grant of $50,000. 

Council staff recommended that 40,000 be granted, based on the previous year’s level, but that was adjusted upward to $44,000 when the council decided to give the full fund available in its first round, rather than using staff time and resources holding a second round with only $23,445 available.

Rebekah and Jan sat down with the Central App to talk about the report and what is coming up for the trust. 

Jan had started her report to the council by stating that a year earlier, “we were coming out of a long period of personal and community disruption and stagnation”. 

“One year on, I can safely say that the arts community in Central Otago is looking healthy and bright,” she said. 

Forefront of their mind had been the notion of community, Jan said, and at the end of August, Rebekah and several trustees attended a Collaboration for Stronger Communities workshop.  

“This valuable session explored ways in which we can enhance collaboration, enable the collective impact and support diverse communities to work and innovate together,” Jan said. 

“We like to think that we are already quite good collaborators at CODAT – we work with many different arts and cultural groups from all sub-regions within Central Otago and also with our neighbours in Wanaka and Queenstown; we work with local government and community development officers; we work alongside local cultural and heritage organisations – and in so doing, we build on these connections, we innovate together and together we are stronger.”

The CODC grant for operational expenses allowed Rebekah to be employed as coordinator, and without her the trust would not function, Jan said.

“We are extremely grateful to CODC for their continued financial support, which allows us to employ Rebekah. However, we are also mindful that her project activities are constrained and that all trustees contribute what they can within the range of voluntary manpower and financial capacity.” 

During the coming year, the trust will facilitate and encourage projects with an arts cultural and heritage component, one of which was a collaboration between Clyde and Cromwell Museums.

In early November, following on from the success of the first event, they will host the second Cover to Cover literary event.

A highlight on November 12 will be the unveiling of the Multicultural Mural Project in Cromwell, which was the outcome of a collaboration between a Central Otago-born mural artist, Welcoming Communities, the CODC communication and engagement Officer, and CODAT.

That event will be followed by opening celebrations for the Bislana (Nivan) language week.

“We have long had a desire to introduce monumental public art into the rugged central Otago landscape,” Jan said.

A scoping project for that was on the 2023/24 agenda.

“We, in the arts sector, can be change-makers, working at the intersection of public policy and community development. We can help and encourage members of our arts communities to be innovative, adaptable, ethical and willing to learn – and so provide ample opportunities for our collective wellbeing.”

The trust had welcomed new artists during the past year, many of whom were new residents to Central Otago.   

“We continue to provide governance and support for all these creative people and so ensure that the arts in Central Otago are respected, valued and promoted,” Jan said.

“We will keep trying to raise the awareness and importance of all the arts to the overall enhancement of our community and to continue promoting Central Otago as an arts destination.” 

The trust looked ahead to another year of creative energy, activity and ideas, she said.

“Our trust is in very good heart.”