Multicultural Arts Victoria & The Arts Centre win Melbourne Award for MIX IT UP!
Multicultural Arts Victoria and the Arts Centre won the 2007 Melbourne Award in the Corporation Division, for contribution to community, for our unique and significant MIX IT UP! program.
The Melbourne Awards identify and celebrate significant contributions which shape the future of Melbourne and inspires others. The awards are coordinated by the City of Melbourne. Jill Morgan and Rob Gebert were presented the award by the Lord Mayor John So at the Melbourne Town Hall, Thursday 30 August.
The awards showcase the innovation, dedication and passion that help make Melbourne such a great city. It is a great achievement for our MIX IT UP initiative, which celebrates cultural diversity and our outstanding and inspiring artists and communities.
Now in its second season at the Arts Centre, MIX IT UP has previously won two State Government awards - for Leadership in Public Programs, and Excellence in Multicultural Affairs.
Read about the Melbourne Awards at www.melbourne.vic.gov.au.
MIX IT UP
Arts Centre Executive in charge of Programming, Milos Miladinovic said: "MIX IT UP has been a huge success in helping to bring a whole new group of artists and their creative endeavours to the Arts Centre. We share this award with Multiicultural Arts Victoria (MAV) who have worked closely with us to help make the vital connection we needed to the many diverse communities in Melbourne. The performances have attracted a considerable new audience to our venues and introduced many more people to the performing arts. The program is now firmly established in our annual calendar."
The inaugural MIX IT UP season included presentations of major international performing arts companies featuring music, dance, contemporary ballet, physical theatre and circus. Over a six month season, it featured a diverse range of local, national and international artists (800 in total) from 23 nationalities over 96 events. It attracted 160,000 visitors to the Arts Centre - 47,000 to major events, plus a further 113,000 to a free exhibition Meeting Place Keeping Place. Working with MAV and other grassroots organisations the Arts Centre will continue to develop new connections with local artists and communities, government and Arts Centre stakeholders.
Speaking of the Award, Jill Morgan, Executive Officer from MAV said: "Receiving the Melbourne Award for MIX IT UP acknowledges the extraordinary contribution of our local artists and communities and the significant leadership role both organisations play in the cultural life of Melbourne. Acknowledgement of our partnership program with the Arts Centre will inspire other organisations to embrace multiculturalism."
Read about the MIX IT UP program between The Arts Centre and Multicultural Arts Victoria here.
MORE INFORMATION
www.melbourne.vic.gov.au www.multiculturalarts.com.au www.theartscentre.net.au
