Community arts: Moviegoers at the St Kilda Film Festival held at the Cobram Cinema in November 2021, an event organised by MAC Inc.
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Moira Arts and Culture Inc is facing the prospect of closing due to difficulty obtaining grants and changes in Moira Shire’s latest Arts and Culture Strategy.
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An email released by MAC Inc on January 14 stated council released a strategy that “no longer supports or sponsors MAC inc and made (them) redundant.”
It also stated that the organisation plans to continue providing arts and culture events in Moira shire until funds from ticket sales and existing grants are exhausted.
MAC Inc chair Kerrie Murrell said they approached council’s community development department and asked if the organisation should be involved.
“We felt that we had a bit of knowledge as far as what the community wanted ... they’d already written the strategy, we were consulted as community members,” she said.
“We had a meeting with them after the hub’s proposal, we thought there were some challenges to be had, we were just really disappointed.
“I can understand them going ahead with the hubs and that’s fine, but we felt like we had our legs cut out from underneath us.”
Moira shire general manager community Sally Rice said the Arts and Culture Strategy was developed through “extensive consultation” with the community and organisations including MAC Inc.
“A central element of the strategy ... was progressed through a public process seeking expression of interest to form a Creative Hub in each of the shire’s four main towns and surrounding districts,” she said.
“Council is grateful to, and has publically acknowledged, MAC Inc in progressing the arts agenda in Moira shire.“
“Council is excited to be working with our four Creative Hubs, and all groups and community members engaged with these.“
Supporting the arts: MAC Inc members (back) Kerrie-Anne Rappell. Karyn Day, Lou Hamon, Rob Elliot, (front) Estelle Chalker, Marj Coulter, Kerrie Murrell and Alex Monk.
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Ms Murrell explained they would honour contractual obligations relating to cancelled performances from 2020 and 2021 using available funds from ticket sales and grants.
"We have money still, but not from the shire ... we have tried getting funding from other sources,“ she said.
“Writing applications for those things is time consuming and difficult so we’ve given up on that.”
"We’ve got enough funds to put on another few performances ... and then that will be it, we will be disbanding.“
Ms Murrell said the community could continue to support MAC Inc by coming to remaining events and performances until they stopped.
“Just come to our events when they’re on and just let it be known to the shire that these things are important,” she said.
“its such a lovely experience ... we’re just hoping everything goes nicely.”
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