Thursday, 26 February 2009

Up to 4,000 Mid-West households outside the City of Geraldton-Greenough will be the subjects of a study focusing on the impact of the arts on the social wellbeing of regional communities.

Researcher Julia Anwar McHenry, a PhD candidate at The University of Western Australia, has spent the last 18 months interviewing residents in the region and will begin a broader household survey in March.

Ms Anwar McHenry spoke with artists and musicians, shire councillors and staff, community workers and residents, as well as visiting community groups. She said she hoped the survey would provide some statistics to complement her work in the field.

"There's no better way to try to understand social wellbeing and the role of the arts in community than to go and see for yourself. However, to get the attention of funding bodies and policy makers, it helps to have some numbers behind the research. All the interviews and information I picked up while in the region will help give the survey data context and meaning," she said.

"The survey will also help me make judgments as to how much my research can be generalised across different communities. In other words, is the role of the arts and its benefits to a community, the same across the State, nationally, or even internationally?

"So much of the research on the arts and wellbeing to date is based on case studies, which is great. However, case studies don't really allow you as a researcher to make assumptions that the outcomes of one project would be the same for a different project, with a different group of people, or even in a different place.

"It's been a joy to visit the communities of the Mid-West. I would like to thank everyone I've had the pleasure to interview, and to express my gratitude to the Mid-West Development Commission, along with the all the shires and organisations that have helped me get to know the region a little better."

The research is supported by an Australian Research Council Linkage grant in partnership with the Department of Culture and the Arts, Country Arts WA, The University of Western Australia and Curtin University of Technology. For more information, email [email protected] or view Julia's online blog https://artandwellbeinginruraloz.blogspot.com/

Media references

Julia Anwar McHenry (+61 8) 6488 4235 / (+61 4) 22 538 116
Sally-Ann Jones (UWA Public Affairs) (+61 8) 6488 7975 / (+61 4) 20 790 098

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