Home News & Events Travel Grant recipients reflect upon Meeting Place 2018

Travel Grant recipients reflect upon Meeting Place 2018

Arts Access Australia was recently honoured to support eight artists and art-workers from around Australia to attend our annual Meeting Place forum, which was this year held in Alice Springs.

The 2018 Meeting Place Travel Grant recipients were each awarded the cost of airfare and accommodation to enable them to attend the three-day arts and disability forum, which was held at the Araluen Arts Centre from 24-26 September and hosted by local organisation Incite Arts. Held annually, Meeting Place seeks to bring together key stakeholders to discuss, debate and celebrate best-practice in inclusive arts.

“Meeting Place was life-changing in all of its colour and richness. I left feeling I was a different person than when I arrived,” said 2018 Travel Grant recipient, Eliza Hull.

A woman plays a piano and sings. She has shoulder length curly hair and wears jeans and a floral blouse.

Melbourne musician and travel grant recipient Eliza Hull was also invited to perform on Day 1 of Meeting Place 2018. Credit: Yvette Tulloch

Ms Hull said the best part of Meeting Place for her was the final workshop day, where she took part in the Transmission workshop – an inclusive theatre workshop produced by Beyond The Social Model: Last Avant Garde Research Project.

“There was something that really altered for me during my time within this space; I let a lot go, and found the movement element really pushed me as an artist,” she said. “The conversations we had left me feeling empowered and inspired. What I felt the most is inclusivity, and belonging. I was able to be me, through feeling connected and accepted.”

Read our Meeting Place 2018 wrap-up for highlights, photos and video of the forum.

A group of at least ten people are taking part in dance movements in a large open indoor space. Several people are stretched out on the floor, some sit in groups, and others stretch their arms to the sky in reflection.

Transmissions workshop at Meeting Place 2018. Credit: Oliver Eclipse Photography

Alstonville Dance Studio owner Suzanne Whiteman, a grant recipient from Northern Rivers in NSW, said Meeting Place was one of the best conferences she had attended.

“It was fantastic to receive information from those with lived experience of many types of disability on current issues,” Ms Whiteman said. “The high percentage of indigenous content [almost 50% of the program] was inspirational, and added a more intimate feeling to the event.”

“Julia Hales did a fantastic job as the key note speaker – a very inspiring presentation that was loved by all,” she continued. “It is not easy to nominate a best speaker … Madeleine Little and Kath Duncan were also brilliant, as was Fiona Tuomy [another grant recipient].”

Three women sit on stage with microphones in front of them. The far woman wears a red lanyard, black top, adn speaks into the microphone while the others listen.

Fiona Tuomy speaks on the Film Futures panel at Meeting Place 2018. Credit: Oliver Eclipse Photography

For Ceilidh Dalton, a metal artist and grant recipient from Canberra, the highlight of the forum was the Leading to the Future panel, featuring Belinda Locke (artist and AAA’s Chair), Jody Holdback (audio description consultant at Access2Arts), Madeleine Little (theatre-maker and travel grant recipient), and Jovana Komnenic and Dirk Sorge (co-founders of Berlinklusion and participants of the Australia-Berlin Arts Exchange).

“The Leading to the Future panel educated me on best-practice models and the concept of being openly disabled with a hidden disability, to encourage others to strive for success,” said Ms Dalton. “Since Meeting Place, I have started asking for my access and inclusion requirements at all the businesses and venues I have to go to including public transport, where previously I would miss out or try and modify myself. I have also been more comfortable disclosing my disability and sharing the challenges I face, with generally positive outcomes.”

Two images, the first showing a box of red, pink and orange rings in different shapes and sizes. The next image shows one of the rings in the palm of a hand. The ring is made up of small balls that glow orange, invoking themes of red dirt of Alice Springs.

Metal artist Ceilidh Dalton was inspired to create these new works following Meeting Place 2018. Credit: Ceilidh Dalton

Arts Access Australia would like to extend a massive thank you to our 2018 Travel Grant recipients: Jeremy Hawkes, Larissa MacFarlane, Eliza Hull, Madeleine Little, Evelyn Dorothy MacKay, Ceildh Dalton, Suzanne Whiteman and Fiona Tumoy. Your contribution to Meeting Place 2018 was incredibly valued, and we were delighted to support you to attend the forum in Alice Springs.

Thank you as well for the valuable feedback provided by our grant recipients following the forum. We will use this information to strengthen our Travel Grant program, which we are excited to announce will be returning in 2019 for Meeting Place in Canberra! Sign up as a member of Arts Access Australia to be the first to know when the travel grant opens for applications.

If you missed out on Meeting Place 2018 in Alice Springs, you can access the live-stream of the event via our YouTube Channel or register your interest for Meeting Place 2019 in Canberra at the forum’s official website.

Thank you to the Department of Social Services’ National Disability Conference Initiative 2017-18 for making the 2018 Meeting Place Travel Grant possible.

A short gallery of photos and reflections from Meeting Place 2018

Eight people stand in front of a pull-up Meeting Place banner. They are all smiling and several have their fists in the air in celebration.

Back row, from left: Larissa MacFarlane, Suzanne Whiteman, Eliza Hull, Fiona Tuomy. Front row, from left: Evelyn Dorothy McKay, Madeleine Little. Not pictured: Jeremey Hawkes, Ceilidh Dalton.

“The grant recipients shared a bond and connections were made. I believe there will be collaborations between us in the future,” – Suzanne Whiteman, 2018 Travel Grant recipient and Owner of Alstonville Dance Studio

A woman in her thirties and a boy in his late teens/early twenties sit together, holding up two books. They are smiling at the camera.

Johanna Bell and Dion Beasley are co-collaboraters on the award-winning Cheeky Dogs chidren’s books. Credit: Yvette Tulloch

“The Johanna Bell and Dion Beasley collaborative ‘Cheeky dog’ book is incredible, and is now my daughter’s favourite to read before bed,” – Eliza Hull, Melbourne musician and grant recipient.

Dirk Sorge speaks on the Leading to the Future panel at Meeting Place 2018. Credit: Oliver Eclipse Photography.

“Dirk Sorge taught me the concept that If I’m running an inclusive workshop, I need to ask the potential participants what their inclusive needs/wants are instead of imposing what I think they might want. He made it clear that for him, independent creativity was very important,” – Ceilidh Dalton, metal artist and grant recipient.

A woman sits on stage with a microphone in front of her. She is laughing, has long brown hair and glasses, and wears all black.

Julia Hales on stage at Meeting Place 2018 for her keynote address. Credit: Oliver Eclipse Photography

“Meeting Place began with opening keynote from Julia Hales, which was one of the highlights for me. It was meaningful, funny, intelligent, and left me wondering, why isn’t Julia’s show You Know We Belong Together touring everywhere?” – Eliza Hull, Melbourne musician and grant recipient.

A boy in his late teens sits at a table filled with comic books and pictures of him meeting Stan Lee. Next to him stands a woman wearing black with long dark hair tied back. He holds two books in his hands, one from Be My Koorda.

Comic book author Cal Young and Evelyn McKay.

“Definitely the highlight for me was Cal Young because of his story with autism, as my son has autism, so I got a lot out of that. I had heard so much about him, but to actually meet him was awesome!” – Evelyn Dorothy McKay, Founder of Be My Koorda and grant recipient.

Four people sit on stage with miicrophones in front of them. In the middle, in focus, is a lady with long red hair pulled back, bright red lipstick. She is in her twenties. She is speaking while the others listen.

Theatre-maker and 2018 travel grant recipient Madeleine Young speaks on the Leading to the Future panel at Meeting Place in Alice Springs. Credit: Oliver Eclipse Photography

“On the Leading to the Future panel on the second day, accessible theatre maker Madeleine Little made an empowering speech about what she dreams for the future. It was inspiring, and reaffirmed one of my biggest hopes for the arts industry and disability sector: more representation.”- Eliza Hull, Melbourne musician and grant recipient.

Clockwise from top left: Larissa MacFarlane speaks on the Pathways panel at Meeting Place 2018. Credit: Oliver Eclipse Photography; Right: Larissa performs a handstand next to one of her handstand artworks in Melbourne. Credit: Ceilidh Dalton; Bottom left: The Disability Pride mural in Melbourne in 2018. Credit: Oliver Eclipse Photography.

“I was particularly inspired by the concept of Disability Pride – so much that I went to see the Pride Wall (and the creator, Larissa MacFarlane) in Footscray the week after Meeting Place.” – Ceildh Dalton, metal artist and 2018 Travel Grant recipient.

You can view more images and video from Meeting Place 2018 via the official website.

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