2022-10-11 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                  11 OCTOBER 2022


                      expression of interest process was undertaken to secure a suitable
                      community organisation to manage the facility.

    January 2016      Council entered into an agreement with the Cooroy Lower Mill Board (now the
                      Cooroy Future Group Inc) to manage and operate the Butter Factory on a
                      twelve-month trial basis to provide a reasonable period for the CFG to
                      establish itself as the management body and to determine if the community
                      managed model was viable. Council provided a twelve-month operating
                      subsidy of $120,279 and $12,600 for transition costs.
    2017-2022         Following a positive first year of operation, which demonstrated healthy
                      exhibition bookings and tight fiscal control in line with original expectations,
                      Council approved a three-year permit to CFG for overall management and
                      operational control of the Cooroy Butter Factory Arts Centre. A further three-
                      year permit was authorised in 2019. Annual subsidies have been provided
                      each year to support operational costs.

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 seven years,
with the current agreement expiring on 31 December 2022. Their key achievements over the
last three years 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 2023;
       developing a new Pottery membership opportunity in January 2020 which now has 196
        current members;
       establishing the Butter Factory Friends group which now has 105 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;
       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;
       Delivering the Mentors and Makers exhibition featuring works from the Cooroy Butter
        Factory All-abilities Ceramic classes and from the Warrnambool’s Factory Arts Inclusive
        Mentoring program, with over 2000 visitors;
       The Bentleys 40 Under 40 Exhibition and Art Prize aimed to promote and showcase art
        from a diverse range of local young and emerging artists (between the age of 18 and 40);
       Holding the Ceramic Arts Qld Siliceous Award for Ceramic Excellence – the BFAC chosen
        as the first location outside of Brisbane to showcase this amazing exhibition
        demonstrating the role the BFAC is playing in the regional arts scene; and
       Conducting the first BFAC’s Christmas Pottery Market in conjunction with the Cooroy
        Chamber of Commerce’s Christmas in Cooroy event.
As an example of the day-to-day activities of the BFAC, in the six months to June 2022, 193
artists exhibited in 10 exhibitions, with 9025 visitors. It hosted 39 workshops or venue hire
activities which included 337 attendees. This was made up of 16 school holiday programs, 15
Pottery classes and 8 Masterclasses.
The following table shows key performance measures under operation by the CFG:
    Performance Measures     Jan–Dec 2019        Jan–Dec 2020        Jan–Dec 2021       Jan-June 2022
    Visitors                  16,819                14,416              19235               9025
    Volunteer hours            3185                  2491                3054              1636.25
    Contracted staff         1.79 FTE              2.09 FTE            3.06 FTE           2.73 FTE

                                                                                         Page 69 of 75