FORM: Building a State of Creativity

It is no secret that, even with its immense size, Western Australia is the country’s most isolated state. Among its relatively small population, creatives thrive despite their disconnection from Australia’s eastern arts hubs. Bringing artists and communities together is non-profit cultural organisation, FORM. 

Since the 1960s, FORM has developed and delivered dozens of programmes across Western Australia to build creative skills and improve cultural tourism. Their work benefits  places like schools and remote areas, with dedicated art spaces in the community aimed at showcasing local work. After welcoming new Executive Director, Tabitha McMullan, earlier this year, FORM is looking to continue its work throughout 2021 and beyond. 

Photo by Victor on Unsplash

FORM began as CraftWest in the late 1960s as the state body for WA’s craft practitioners and designers. But during the state’s mining and resources boom, many creatives moved east or overseas to better maintain their practice. In the early 2000s, previous Executive Director, Lynda Dorrington, explored the international ideal of creative industries. To new Executive Director Tabitha McMullen, this idea meant that:

“creativity and the talent of creative professionals could be central to the design of better and more liveable cities, attraction and retention of talent, more efficient bureaucratic systems, more socially equitable communities and generally, better quality of life.” 

Tabitha also discusses that “if Perth were to be an international city, then it needed to be able to offer the services and ambience that other places in the world could offer.” Their numerous programs and events are working to bring together Western Australia’s creatives by joining with other culture and arts-focused organisations throughout the state.

“We do this through public art, exhibitions, collaborating with and supporting the arts practice of Aboriginal artists, professional skills development, and cultural tourism initiatives,” says Tabitha.

“We also work hard to make connections with curators, collectors, thought leaders and practitioners in other parts of the world and of the country, in order to create future opportunities.”

“Value comes in many different forms, not just in public-facing outcomes.”

The collaboration with First Nations artists is an important aspect of FORM’s work. They have worked with Aboriginal artists on projects such as the Canning Stock Route Project (2006 - 2010), a collaboration with ten remote art centres and communities, working with “multiple partners from both the private and public sector on this project. A public outcome was a major exhibition at the National Museum of Australia of artworks, oral histories and artefacts; however, the work―in terms of relationships with the communities, the return to Country trips for the artists and Traditional Owners, the documentation and development of the content for the project―so much of this essential work has to take place behind the scenes.”

FORM fosters these cultural relationships by spending time in the communities and making long term commitments to establish trust and meaningful connections that lead to mutually beneficial partnerships. 

Tabitha says, “These partnerships are determined by a shared vision, respect for each other's skills, and mutual trust; most importantly, a desire to collaborate toward a prosperous future for Western Australia's long-term artistic, cultural and social wellbeing.”

One of the more recent exhibits, held at The Goods Shed (a dedicated space for exhibitions, installations, residencies, commissions, and community activity located in a heritage railway building in Claremont), is Ngardamarri: showcasing over 45 works of artists from the Pilbara town of Ieramagadu. 

These artists range from emerging to senior, and come from Cheeditha Art Group, Juluwarlu Art Group and Yinjaa-Barni Art, as well as independent artist Chenise Cameron. “The exhibition shines a light on the stories, talent and artistic diversity in this dynamic community.”

You only need to take a brief look at the Creative Learning Programs for schools and young people to know how passionate FORM is about nurturing our future leaders. “As the leaders, inventors, thinkers, workers and parents of tomorrow, our children are in the process of learning—right now—how to shape our planet’s environmental, societal, economic and political futures.” 

FORM’s Creative Learning Programs are built from research and the Western Australian Curriculum, and target specific learning areas – collaboration, imagination, discipline, persistence, and inquisitiveness – to encourage the development of creative habits and thinking.

Photo by Alice Dietrich on Unsplash

Also for the young people is the Scribblers Festival, an annual celebration of literature and arts for kids, bringing the best of the Creative Learning Program to the public. 2021’s festival in May earlier this year featured a Golden Feather Hunt, which saw five golden feathers hidden in books across libraries as well as thousands of white feather-shaped bookmarks, and RELICS - Bricks of the New World, an immersive LEGO exhibition by past winners of Channel 9’s LEGO Masters. Children and families heard from authors and illustrators such as Jessica Townsend, James Foley, Cristy Burns, and Meg McKinley.

Despite the success and creativity of WA artists, being so far away from the rest of Australia’s creative hub has its challenges, including funding and exposure. Tabitha explains that, 

“one can argue either way the creative benefits of isolation, because it depends entirely on circumstance, practice, temperament, and the level of economic and social stability in which an artist or creative is situated.” 

However, FORM is helping to bring Western Australia’s creative endeavours to the rest of the country by curating public art, exhibitions, and cultural tourism initiatives, offering professional skills development, and making and maintaining connections with curators, collectors, and practitioners throughout Australia as well as overseas to create opportunities.

Promoting projects of high production quality and standards also assists in bringing WA’s creativity to light. But within WA itself, FORM is making the biggest impact. As well as the aforementioned projects and programs, FORM has assisted in raising the value of arts and culture in Perth, campaigning to make the city more liveable and provide similar services and ambience as other major cities around the world, such as Sunday trading hours. 

They have also encouraged public art, such as murals, and even hold responsibility for the first murals on agricultural grain silos in Australia. These public displays bring tourism and culture to the regions.

Photo by Jamar Cromwell on Unsplash

“...there is a better awareness of what creativity and culture can offer to quality of life, and to livelihoods.”

When asked about the future of FORM, Tabitha says: 

“I’m really interested in understanding with our partners what role FORM could possibly play in that development. The regions also remain top of mind. Perth and the metropolitan area are the gateways to the regions; how do we make sure the health of our city centre is really supporting that gateway to tourism across the whole of Western Australia?”

Like the rest of the world, FORM was not immune to the effects of the COVID19 pandemic, with project and program interruptions, and as they undergo internal transitions, FORM are looking ahead to the future. 

And with Perth rapidly growing every year, an arts and creativity community is crucial to supporting this growth. With plans to pursue further collaborations and relationships, as well as maintaining current ones, FORM is going to continue to build a state of creativity and support Western Australia’s creatives. 

WORDS: BIANCA BREEN
PHOTOGRAPHY: DANNIE JING, VICTOR, JAMAR CROMWELL & ALICE DIETRICH ON UNSPLASH