2019-12-10 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                           10 DECEMBER 2019


2.   Operations under Cooroy Future Group: January 2016 to Current

Under the agreement developed with Council, the CFG has been providing overall management
and operational control of the BFAC and the adjacent pottery workshop space for four years, with
the agreement expiring on 31 December 2019. Their key achievements have included:
   establishing an effective management structure including the Butter Factory Arts Centre
     Management Committee;
   developing a strengthening exhibition program with the booking out of gallery spaces a
     year in advance since 2017 and now booked to the end of 2020;
   developing their website http://www.butterfactoryartscentre.com.au/ that has increased
     traffic by more than 300%;
   establishing the Butter Factory Friends group which now has 92 fee-paying members;
   developing a successful Artisan Store that is managed by the artists displaying and selling
     their wares, thus saving on paid staff wages;
   creating the ‘Artists in Residence’ Kaya Sulc Studio, rented on a weekly basis;
   introducing a ‘Master Class’ program, running workshops across a range of artistic
     disciplines;
   cultivating a strong community following evidenced by 300 people attending the recent
     opening of the exhibition, Illuminate - Contemporary Landscapes of Women Imagined;
   hosting niche national events such as the inaugural Australian Pottery Throwdown, with six
     world class potters competing for prizes, and well over 1,000 visitors on the day; and
   supporting key measures of the Cultural Plan such as hosting a First Nations Exhibition
     during NAIDOC Week that was very well received by the community.

As an example of the day-to-day activities of the BFAC, in the six months to June 2019, 107
artists exhibited in 15 exhibitions, with 9188 visitors. It hosted 106 workshops or venue hire
activities which included 649 attendees. This was made up of 66 sessions in the Ceramic Studio,
4 Masterclasses plus two weeks of hosting QAGOMA’s Kids on Tour program, which saw over
230 attendees.
The following table shows key performance measures under operation by the CFG:

 Performance              Jan–Dec 2016     Jan–Dec 2017     Jan–Dec 2018         Jan–Jun 2019
 Measures                                                                      (6 months only)
 Visitors                        12,808            12,284            19,816              9188
 Volunteer hours                  2,378             2,550           3,353.5              1529
 Volunteer numbers                  180               125               121                81
 Contracted staff               0.8 FTE          1.79 FTE         1.79 FTE           1.79 FTE
 Members                             59                70                80                92
 Media articles                      49                40                91                76
 Facebook followers                 765              1328             1912               2351
 Instagram followers                328              1004             1502               1779
 Website views                       n/a            1,870            31942              39450

Council officers observe that the CFG is committed to the success of the BFAC and they have
worked diligently to build a strong operation. They bring a blend of business, community and arts
skills to managing the facility. While the Group has sought advice from Council when required, it
has generally capably managed the facility independently: generating initiatives and resolving
problems. Where there have been issues, the CFG has communicated with Council officers and
received advice constructively. Overall the CFG has run the BFAC successfully for the past four
years and has built a strong foundation for further success.




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