1. WHERE ARE YOU FROM…
AND WHY ARE YOU HERE?
Securing RADF funding & delivering the project
Suzanne Gibson & Dr Jo Wills
Dr Joanna Wills & Suzanne Gibson

2. Presentation overview
• Imagining the project
• Applying for RADF
Breakdown of the different sections to demonstrate how
application was approached
• Realising the project
Did we do what we said we would? Why/why not/what did
this mean?
• Reflecting on the outcomes
• Acquitting the project
Fulfilling the objectives of the grant

3. Imagining the project
• Investigate changing migration experiences in Cairns
over the last 30 years
• Promote museum work and use contemporary
museum practices
• Identify a key research question and project theme
(“Where are you from?”)
• Encourage participants to bring objects to workshops
to stimulate discussion
• Use these objects as a basis for further research
• Find a suitable funding stream

4. Applying for RADF funding
• Get the RADF Guidelines and read them
• RADF funds arts workers to practice in their regional
communities. Are you an arts worker? RADF defines
what this is with a 12 point criteria ‐ do you meet
three of the 12 criteria?
• Where does your project fit in terms of RADF
programs?

5. Concept Development
• Objective — to develop arts and cultural research ideas and
project proposals to the implementation stage and identify
funding sources outside of RADF to implement project
proposals.
• RADF grants will support individuals and groups who wish to
engage in professional research and the development of ideas
and project proposals to the implementation stage. No specific
artform product is required, however, the project should
demonstrate how it will contribute to future arts and cultural
development.
• Potential funding sources for the implementation of the
project do not need to be identified prior to making the
application.

6. Describing the Project
• 2.3 Brief description of the project
• Please use this section to describe the rationale and
objectives of your project. Refer to the relevant
category objective.
• In our case: see Attachment 1

7. WRUF Objectives
• Develop a conversation between older and newer
residents, using material culture as a starting point.
• Identify and engage key stakeholders in the
development of the project.
• Provide the research component for two museum
practitioners to develop concept plans for museum
exhibition.
• In addition: WRUF will have a number of practical
outcomes for the museum and cultural sector in FNQ
including: an outreach kit, workshops.

8. Cultural sector benefits
• Collaboration with potential communities of interest
– libraries, historical societies, neighbourhood
centres.
• Raise awareness of museum methodology
• Develop contemporary collections research
• Provide information to CRC about the experiences of
new arrivals and the concerns of older residents

9. Project Benefits
• 2.4 How will this project benefit you, your
community or artists/cultural workers?
• Give a brief description about the results you expect
from the project. Examples could be: skill
development, community access, media coverage for
your artform, professional development, innovation,
new work, quality of life for the community.
• See Attachment 2.

10. Community Interest
• Read your Council’s Cultural Plan – where does your
project fit?
• Talk with people you want to involve in the project
as you are developing the idea.
– Cairns Libraries; Arts Nexus; Trinity Bay High
School; CARMA; Migrant Settlement Service.
• Get letters of support as part of your submission

11. Realising the project: stakeholder engagement
Aims
• To promote the ideas behind the project
• To identify project stakeholders and use the local network
• To not activate groups that could not be sustained after
the project
Realities
• Stakeholders required longer time to activate projects
• Trying to run a longer term project within a grants
timeframe
• Identified one major stakeholder for venues but not
activating the community per se

12. Realising the project: outreach kit
Aims
• To use the Cairns Museum collection to develop a
migration focused outreach kit
• Conceived an outreach kit based on migration character
types
Realities
• Examined the collection and found… lots of gaps and few
objects
• Realised that the question we were asking was really… why
are you here?

13. Getting side tracked: a display at Cairns Library
• Developed a mini exhibition
for Cairns Library windows
based on generic character
types
• Worked with museum
volunteers to curate stories
• Identified local graphic
designer sympathetic to
museum projects
• Sourced additional funding to
pay for design and printing

14. Realising the project: workshops
• Organising venues
• Identifying a local champion
• Advertising the workshops
• Media
• Total 9 workshops across the
region – 78 participants
• 1 school program

15. Realising the project: workshops
• Aims
• To get participants to bring objects and discuss meaning
• To get new and old residents talking to each other
• Realities
• Only a few people brought along objects
• We had to use collection objects to stimulate conversation
• Problem of keeping people focused on topic
• Venues were geographically based and reflected either
pockets of long or short term communities, not a mix
• Best when participants initiated interaction

16. Workshop participants

17. Grant Acquittal
• Take time to do the acquittal properly
• Work from you original proposal
• Be positive – highlight the project’s achievements
• Provide feedback on the process
• Keep a good record of spending and inkind support
• Good documentation of your project promotes your
capacity to fulfil grant obligations in the future

18. Workshop findings – could we fulfill our aims?
• Identified a range of potential subjects for oral
history project
• Identified a range of potential subjects for a
contemporary version of the mini display in the
library
• Rich source of potential audience with schools
network and newly arrived migrants
• Desire for conversations about place and identity,
and to document local stories

19. Project conclusions
• Be realistic about the time and budget required for project
• Be mindful of how the project has to fit around other work
schedules and programs
Project specific:
• Highlighted the significant gaps within the museum collection
for telling the Cairns’ migration story of
• Provided museum with ideas for future collecting
• Activated volunteer interest in new museum work, producing
exhibitions and understanding of the collection
• Identified a new space for small social history exhibitions but
this was a significant & time consuming diversion from the
original proposal