This opportunity to join this community of practice program felt like it came at the right time. I didn’t want to apply at first. I had just taken on running our Future Culture pilot program and was aware I was too eager to say ‘yes’ beyond my work limits and boundaries. I said yes because I wasn’t sure when I’d get an opportunity to be a part of training like this again. I said yes because I felt like an imposter.
I got my start in community arts and cultural development as a participant. I learned by following the examples that were set. I didn’t study it, or anything similar. My Masters in PR and Advertising didn’t teach me much about how to hold space or facilitate difficult conversations. I felt like I was constantly out of my depth. I would take short courses on things like working with young people or disability access, but my foundation was built on my lived experiences. It’s what I would say when I talk about working with CuriousWorks: ‘Now I’m trying to give other people the same access and opportunities that CuriousWorks gave me.’
I have always been very proud of that fact; I just wasn’t sure it was enough of a qualification to do the work well. It wasn’t until I joined this program that I realised how much that was holding me back. I spent all this time worrying about whether I was doing a good job instead of reaching out and asking for help. I was trying to run programs where I hold space for others against systems that prize profits over people, and I didn’t realise I was trying to hold everything alone.
Joining this program gave me a language I didn’t know existed. It gave me a deeper understanding that transformed words into ways of working - cultural safety, trauma-informed care. It gave me a depth of history into CACD work in Western Sydney. I knew there was a history, but it felt very different to learn it, to have matriarchs from the sector share it with us.
Most importantly, being a part of this program meant I was entering a community of practice with so many amazing people. Everyone in this program shares their talents and perspectives and time with so much generosity of spirit. I hadn’t realised how badly I wanted to be in the room with everyone until I was there. No singular networking event can replace the depth of trust and care in the room every time we met.
Community arts and cultural development, even with ‘community’ in the name, can feel oddly lonely. We’re building a space for people where systems and structures fail, and often it can feel like we’re doing this alone. It’s no wonder that burn out is so prevalent in community-based sectors. Programs like this are so necessary to support the future of CACD work. How else can we go on if we don’t have each other?
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Hosted by ACE (Arts & Cultural Exchange), ‘Capabilities and Leadership Skills in CACD for Emerging Producers in Western Sydney‘ provided 16 emerging CACD producers with training and upskilling opportunities in 2024-2025.
One of the producers included CuriousWorks’ very own Creative Producer, Miranda Aguilar.
The intensive program was developed in response to a 2023 Creative Australia roundtable with key stakeholders from the Western Sydney arts sector, where industry practitioners identified a shortage of skilled producers in the CACD field.
In 2024, participants studied foundational classes in the TAFE unit Work Effectively in Trauma Informed Care, specifically integrated with CACD principles and practice. In 2025, masterclasses with respected CACD practitioners alternated with autonomous sessions of Critical Conversations.
All 16 participants also undertook work experience placements with community arts projects. Miranda took part in Little Orange Studio at Campbelltown Arts Centre. Claudia Roosen and Esky Escandor participated in CuriousWorks’ Everything is Writing: We’re Still Here program.
Watch the ‘Community of Practice’ documentary film created by Elias Nohra with assistant Tracey Guo below:
Header photo captured by Romel Bahhi: Wednesday 27th August 2025 at ACE, celebrating the launch of the 'Community of Practice' film, with the participants, masterclass facilitators, partners and funders.