Courageous in creativity. Determined in diversity. Enablers in change.
As Queensland’s most dynamic producer of multicultural arts, BEMAC has been successfully staging ground-breaking productions that fuel the diverse practice of artists from a variety of different cultural backgrounds for almost four decades. Established in 1987 by a group of passionate advocates and artists inspired to bring the creative work of a new generation of diverse artists into the spotlight, BEMAC has grown to become the state’s leading multicultural arts producer, presenter and artistic development organisation.
We are renowned for showcasing the innovative work of multicultural artists who are largely missed by institutional radars but whose distinctive and distinguished work has the potential to cross from the margins into the mainstream. Our programming is inspiring, distinctively responsive and examines discourses and perceptions on multiculturalism, migration and identity, leveraging the arts as a platform in which to pose difficult questions, challenge entrenched ideas and enable change.
While BEMAC’s focus is on championing the culturally diverse artists and their artistry, we also recognise and stand by a broader drive toward inclusion that strives for an industry that is gender-balanced and free from any form of discrimination. We strive to welcome people of all abilities and to support artists, arts workers and audiences alike to remove barriers when it comes to the enjoyment of and participation in the arts.
Determined in diversity: The permeable evolution of culture
Culture, overarching amalgam of the human experience, envelopes everything we do, informs our values and motivations, and guides our choices and actions. As people move from place to place, culture also learns and discovers, evolves and shifts. The arts, pinnacle of human expression, reflect these journeys –geographical and internal–, accepting and rejecting influences, absorbing and transforming both expression and the world around it. In the Australian context, the confluence of identities that constitute our social fibre calls for embracing and cherishing the power of diversity. BEMAC’s program aims to ensure that diverse stories, voices and expressions are duly represented, and that they are embraced and welcomed into a platform of creativity, conversation and cross-pollination.
Courageous in creativity: Creativity as fuel, originality as driver
The arts provide a context to explore, comment on and unpack the experiences, conditions and pressures of our time, both at a personal and a collective level. Authentic work yields contemporary relevance. Commitment to the practice of art is understood to be fundamental to the development and delivery of such authentic, relevant work. BEMAC’s program aims to support artists at all career and development stages, whose creative and professional aspirations are solidly grounded on the creation of original work of the highest quality and relevance possible.
Enablers in change: Self-determination and cultural safety
Central to all human rights, the choice of identity (and identifiers) is with that individual and the communities that they choose to be amongst or seek involvement in. Within BEMAC’s programming framework, artists are not bound by any permanent social, political or cultural labels. This includes the individual freedom to operate beyond deterministic qualifiers of migrant status, country of birth, religion, ethnicity, etc. The relevance of an artist –and their relevance to BEMAC’s program– is not dependent on their background but on their intent. Artists have autonomy to define and demarcate their discourse in whatever terms they feel comfortable with and choices they make with self-determination will not be judged or used to judge their work.