Ellenbrook has an increasing variety of arts and cultural activities to offer residents throughout the year. The Ellenbrook Cultural Foundation was formed in 2002 to encourage and support the cultural life of Ellenbrook. The Foundation is quite an innovative concept and it represents the first time a land developer has undertaken such an initiative. Community groups and regular events are a major part of the vibrant Ellenbrook lifestyle. Many residents attend and participate in community cultural events and programs which serve to enhance the community spirit and provide benefits on many different levels. These programs are integral to the development of a progressive and cohesive community, and to a vibrant cultural life in Ellenbrook. The Cultural Foundation’s prime focus is on bringing people together, raising their sphere of experience, energizing residents, and unifying the community through the vehicle of cultural development.

Part of the Cultural Foundation’s role is to consult with the community and start new programs according to interest areas. The areas the Foundation supports have an arts or cultural focus and are for the benefit of residents and Ellenbrook as a whole. Ellenbrook is also graced with many public works of art throughout all the villages and general areas. The innovative idea of using a dedicated artist (Philippa O’Brien) to work with the planning and design team has resulted in beautiful sculptures symbolising the heritage of the region, the villages situated there now, and the future of Ellenbrook as a place. This "art plus landscape" concept is unique to Ellenbrook and the sense of place derived from such an initiative is evident form the moment you drive into Ellenbrook. The booklet ‘Enriching Place’ documents all the works of art in Ellenbrook in a stunning visual display and describes the overarching vision for Ellenbrook and its people in terms of their sense of place and the cultural community they create.

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Objectives

The prime objective of the Foundation is to promote culture and the arts in Ellenbrook as the vehicle towards a healthy, cohesive, and sustainable community. The three major goals stemming from this objective are:

• to instigate new cultural programs in the community

• to encourage and fund new and existing groups

• to develop important cultural facilities for use by Ellenbrook and other arts groups

The ECF is an integral component of the wider Ellenbrook community. It provides leadership, focus, and a daily presence to the disparate elements within the growing new community.

This progressive model of community development through cultural embedding provides for an oscillating synergy between grass roots community driven activity and aspirational leadership. The outcomes of this strategic duality are nourishing the soul of the community, engaging people of all ages and from different backgrounds, and resulting in a very real, dynamic, cohesive, and lasting community spirit in Ellenbrook.

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Guiding Principles

The Foundation is run via a set of guiding principles which are:

1. To provide opportunities for community cultural development for all Ellenbrook residents.

2. To consult with Ellenbrook residents to ensure that arts and cultural projects meet community needs and aspirations.

3. To support arts and cultural projects that:

• reflect community needs and aspirations

• emphasise the creative process

• express community identity

• explore and celebrate cultural diversity

• include an element of training and skills development

• encourage access and participation by community members

• recognise and explore cultural heritage

4. To foster dialogue within Ellenbrook’s arts and cultural community.

5. To facilitate the inclusion of arts and cultural components in the development of general community infrastructure.

6. To invest in spaces, buildings and facilities to promote arts and cultural development in Ellenbrook.

7. To implement a fair and accountable grants process for the funding of arts and cultural projects

8. To achieve sustainable arts and cultural development in the Ellenbrook community through attracting and promoting funding from the three-tiers of Government, the private sector and the community.

 

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