Working in partnership with five Victorian outer metro and regional councils, ‘Poetic Portraits’ promotes poetry as a way to connect with and convey the experiences of Victorians, and also to strengthen community wellbeing. The project aims to recognise and raise awareness of the diversity of issues experienced by the Australian population, including loneliness, isolation and belonging.
By conducting workshops and interviews, and writing poems with members of the community, this project uses poetry as a creative platform through which to connect otherwise disconnected communities to instil a sense of sharing, belonging and catharsis through creativity. By giving people and communities a voice—through art-making and arts practice that is then shared widely in and beyond that community—we hope to use the power of poetry and poetry-making to enact social change.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body. It is also supported by RMIT Culture.