Shellharbour City Council, New South Wales, has found new ways to support and showcase its local creative community following the COVID-19 lockdown period.
In July, Council launched a new program called ‘Enliven’, a series of diverse art programs, live music and immersive creative experiences developed to uplift the city.
‘Enliven’ is a rolling program of creative activities and events, deliberately designed with the flexibility to respond to the changing regulatory and social environment.
A programmatic twist on Council’s annual Live n Local event, ‘Enliven’ brings together local businesses and the creative community to create a vibrant community atmosphere.
The COVID-safe event series was initially programmed for three months from July to September but was so successful it will continue until the end of the year.
So far, ‘Enliven’ has presented over 60 live music gigs, engaging over 80 local musicians. There have been over 40 workshops with the vast majority sold out or near capacity.
New public art commissions have been celebrated, new creative experiences developed and the program has helped to ‘Enliven’ over 16 local businesses and venues.
Each program is delivered at capacities within current Government guidelines.
Live music, exhibitions, site-specific performance, creative learning experiences – the weird, the wonderful, the tried and the experimental – the diverse programming series includes three curatorial themes:
Live n Look – a creative arts-based event to encourage exploration of Shellharbour’s art scene and provide a unique way for friends and families to connect and experience art.
Live n Learn – a series of interactive arts learning experiences incorporating local venues including cafes, restaurants and businesses.
Live n Local – engages local business and musicians in a series of pop up, acoustic-style gigs across the city’s cafes, restaurants, venues, shops and bars.
