Australia Council: Community Partnerships Program
The Community Partnerships Program aims to develop and sustain a wide range of partnerships to support culturally vibrant communities through engagement with, and participation in, the arts. Community Partnerships builds on the significant contribution the Australia Council as a whole has made in engaging in, and supporting, community based arts and culture.
Community Partnerships investments aim to:
• support creative and artistic experimentation, innovation and excellence
• enhance recognition and understanding of the key role of the arts in cultural, social and economic development
• increase collaboration, cooperation and partnerships between artists, communities and other sectors to achieve shared goals
Frank Panucci has spent much of his life actively involved in the community; from research roles with a union and a community health centre to consultancy projects on issues affecting people from non-English speaking backgrounds, community cultural development and the arts. He also has experience in arts administration, including senior management roles at the Australia Council in policy, communication and research, the CCD Fund, as General Manager of Carnivale and as CEO of Community Cultural Development NSW. Frank has a Masters in Economics from Sydney University and has published a range of articles on cultural diversity, community cultural development and Italians in Australia.
Lynda Newton joined the Australia Council for the Arts in January 2006 as Manager of Community Partnerships. She is also the Australia Council's representative on the Festivals Australia Committee. Previously Lynda worked in local government as a senior manager for nine years and was responsible for community cultural development, festivals, multicultural, indigenous and youth arts. She has 16 years experience in the education sector as a lecturer in Communications, Education and Literature. Lynda was a founding Board member of the Cultural Development Network and is a past Board member of Arts Management Group,, Arts Industry Council and the Regional Victorian Events Network.