Out of the 1707 artists and participants involved in the 2021-22 UK/Australia Season program, 78% believe it ‘enabled them to discover new opportunities to work in both the UK and Australia’, the Audience Agency has reported.
The UK/Australia Season was a landmark, cross-discipline cultural exchange led by the British Council and Australia’s DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). The Season’s theme ‘Who Are We Now?’ provided a curatorial framework to interrogate the contemporary UK/Australia relationship and explore new approaches to global challenges.
Delivered bilaterally, the ‘UK in Australia’ program, led by the British Council, was presented from September 2021 to April 2022 and the ‘Australia in the UK’ chapter took place from May to December 2022.
The Audience Agency was commissioned by the British Council and the Australian DFAT to ascertain the impact of the year-long exchange program.
This independent evaluation report found that:
- 78% agreed that the Season had ‘enabled them to discover new opportunities to work in the UK/Australia’
- 96% said that the Season had helped them to ‘develop their existing professional network’
- 81% said that it had enabled their organisation to become ‘part of a wider intercultural/international network’
- 93% had made connections with individuals or organisations they otherwise wouldn’t have
- 99% of participating organisations working on the Season were ‘extremely likely’ or ‘likely’ to return to work in either the UK or Australia
- in total, 9460 people participated in workshops or training through the Season
- 136 projects were delivered, spanning 277 events (including 21 education events)
- there were 775,523 in-person and 80,974 online audience engagements (people watching or experiencing)
- there were 8523 in-person and 937 online participant engagements (people more involved such as in workshops, courses, training etc)
- 78% agreed with the assessment ‘I am/my organisation is more confident in our ability to make connections and build professional relationships/networks with people from cultures different from our own’, and
- 84% ‘were able to find new ways of engaging with participants /audiences’.
Michael Napthali, Season Director of the Australia in the UK Program, said: ‘Already many wonderful, concrete legacies can be identified from the UK/Australia Season as the evaluation report documents. I have every hope and expectation that over time the seeds planted by this vast program of cultural diplomacy shall continue to bear invaluable and lasting fruit for many years to come.’
Helen Salmon, Season Director of the UK in Australia Program and Director of the British Council in Australia, added: ‘This external evaluation demonstrates the vast number of relationships, job opportunities and learning experiences that were created among thousands of arts professionals and academics. We are delighted to have continued substantial investment in the legacy of that work since the Season ended.’
Salmon added that the intention is to continue the program.
More on the exchange
Artists, thought leaders and academics from the UK and Australia collaborated to create a diverse program of panel discussions, workshops, exhibitions, theatre, film, dance, design, architecture, music, literature, higher education and public engagement. Many projects were collaboratively produced between UK and Australian arts, cultural and higher education partners.
Read: Massive cross-culture ‘season’ rethinks UK/Aus connection and histories
Of the report findings and success of the program, Napthali said, ‘The UK/Australia Season was a truly historic occasion for two countries that know each other well to seek a deeper understanding of the contemporary contours of that relationship by asking the simple yet profound question: who are we now?’
He added that the Australian cohort responded to the provocation with ‘inspiring courage, conviction and honesty’.
‘That this colossal and complex exercise in cultural exchange between two countries so geographically distant from one another was delivered, despite the often overwhelming challenges occasioned by the COVID pandemic, stands I believe as a testament to the indefatigable determination, resilience and generosity of the many artists, officials and philanthropists who all contributed in their own vital ways to realise the aspirations held for the Season,’ Napthali concluded.
