The Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation (KSCA) works with farming communities to create cultural change in response to drought, land degradation, and social and economic disruption.
Communities facing significant economic, social and environmental challenges must adapt to meet changing conditions. It can be difficult for communities facing the stress of change to find the tools to work collaboratively and strategically for their collective wellbeing.
KSCA engages artists to create unique, long term projects that address the challenge of adaptation. These projects involve the exchange of knowledge and skills as well as novel cultural activities that bring people together. KSCA’s inventive work generates surprising results for communities by providing an environment for fresh conversations about solutions to complex problems, and rich experiences that sow the seeds of positive change.
Case Study 1: The Capertee Hydrology Project
For this one year project, KSCA partnered with Capertee Valley Landcare to develop a catchment-wide approach to the challenge of rehydrating the degraded landscapes of the area. This project involved workshops, presentations and farm visits by Tarwyn Park Training, The Mulloon Institute, and scientists with specialist knowledge of the hydrology, geology and salinity of the area. Cultural activities included a Foraged Feast, a Movie Night and discussion, a large, collaborative woven land art sculpture, and a dawn-till-dusk Aboriginal Water Ceremony and music event.
Case Study 2: An Artist, a Farmer and a Scientist walk into a bar…
This three year project involved The Living Classroom in Bingara, NSW - an education site for regenerative agriculture - as its major partner. 9 artists and numerous collaborators devised mini-projects that navigated the cultural, scientific and practical dimensions of caring for agricultural land and tackling the rural-urban divide. This project involved multiple workshops, performances, farm-based events and artistic interventions, and seeded an annual festival of regenerative farming.
Art Can…
Reduce isolation
Celebrate common values and histories
mediate conflict
nURTURE a sense of agency
Act as an intermediary between government and community
Challenge assumptions AND conventions
inspire new perspectives
CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY SELF-reflection
Foster collaborative Problem-solving
test tools and strategies for change