Research Unit in Public Cultures Faculty of Arts From Ethnic Enclave to Cosmopolitan Cultures: Evaluating the Greek Centre for Contemporary Culture in the City of Melbourne Daniella Trimboli, Tia Di Biase, Barry Burgan and Nikos Papastergiadis 1 2 From Ethnic Enclave to Cosmopolitan Cultures: Evaluating the Greek Centre for Contemporary Culture in the City of Melbourne I EXECUTIVE SUMMARY II Acknowledgements III Research Partners & Evaluation Team 1. Introduction 1.1 Aims 1.2 Research Methodology 1.3 Diaspora Cultures in Globalising Cities 1.3.1 The History of the Greek Community of Melbourne 1.3.2 The Greek Precinct in the City of Melbourne 2. The Greek Centre for Contemporary Culture 2.1 Membership Engagement 2.2 Programming 2.2.1 Education Programme and Language Schools 2.2.2 Seminars 2.2.3 Events – Other 2.3 Entrepreneurship and Social Justice 2.4 Creative Engagement 2.5 Media Engagement 3. Lonsdale Street Greek Festival 3.1 Estimating the Economic Impact of the Lonsdale Street Greek Festival (LSGF) 2017 3.2 Socio-Cultural Impact of the LSGF 2017 3.3 Recommendations for 2018 Festival and Beyond 4. Future Directions for the GCCC 4.1 Socio-Cultural Challenges 4.1.1 Intergenerational Challenges 4.1.2 Sociality and Connection 4.1.3 Cultural Hybridity 4.1.4 Recommendations 4.2 Spatial Challenges 5. Multiculturalism and Melbourne 5.1 Word Cloud Analysis: Policy, Practice, People 6. Conclusion 7. Key Recommendations 8. References 1 2 From Ethnic Enclave to Cosmopolitan Cultures: Evaluating the Greek Centre for Contemporary Culture in the City of Melbourne I Executive Summary The Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) has developed and Positive Economic Impacts consolidated its presence in the City of Melbourne primarily The economic evaluation focuses on the 2017 Lonsdale Street through the establishment of a new building. A central Greek Festival (LSGF), as requested by the GCCC. Much of the part of this building is the Greek Centre for Contemporary data collected for this report was collected at, or in relation to, Culture (GCCC). The GCCC delivers a number of key events, the festival. Some broader observations were made regarding programmes, and projects on an annual basis. The purpose the innovation and entrepreneurship of the GCCC and associated of this report is to evaluate the socio-cultural and economic community. The GCCC represents an innovative economic model, proving that socio-cultural priorities do not foreclose economic effectiveness of these programmes and events. The findings benefit. The revenue generated from the culturally significant demonstrate that across a wide range of activities, the GCCC has annual event, the Lonsdale Street Greek Festival, illustrates this. been extremely successful in attracting diverse communities and consolidating the cultural identity of the GCM. The evaluation carried out on the LSGF illustrates that the festival is a major asset to both the GCM and the City of Melbourne In particular, the Lonsdale Street Greek Festival has been a more broadly. A total of 267 people were surveyed about their showcase event, which has been evaluated in more detail in experiences and their spending patterns at this year’s event, this report. This event attracts over 100,000 people per year and resulting in the following key findings: includes performances from prominent Australian and Greek diaspora groups. The event delivers a significant economic • Attendees spent $6.4 million in total; contribution to the City of Melbourne. • $5 million represented expenditure in the Lonsdale Street area that would not have occurred without the festival; This report elaborates on the socio-cultural and economic • 35 full-time jobs were generated in the Lonsdale Street area benefits generated by the GCCC. It recommends key strategies because of the Festival; that will maximise its own status while also enhancing its • Attendees who come to the festival then went on to spend capacity to provide leadership for other emerging communities. money elsewhere in the State of Victoria. This expenditure Following these directions, the GCCC can become a beacon for the generated: $0.9 million of revenue for the State at large, $1.1 cosmopolitan character of the City of Melbourne. million of Gross State Product, and the equivalent of 8.5 full-time jobs. There is no dispute that institutional racism still plays a role in shaping public life in Melbourne. However, the GCM is actively Positive Socio-Cultural Impacts working with both state agencies and its grass-roots members to produce greater forms of participation and equity in our The GCCC is a leading voice in the articulation of the multicultural everyday lives. The structure of the GCM is defined around heritage and cosmopolitan vision of the City of Melbourne. It principles of access and democratic engagement. The GCM is is an exemplary site of cultural production, particularly strong composed of members from a number of different generations in areas of cultural maintenance, language, education, and and perspectives. There are established members who are first political engagement. The education programme, which occurs generation migrants and their descendants. Since 2009 there throughout the year, is a leading force for cultural knowledge in has also been a new wave of migration from Greece. Within the CBD. It delivers an impressive range of cultural activities that each of these groups there are competing ideas and agendas include: on cultural identity. This report demonstrates that while there is no consensus on this vision, there is a great opportunity and • Delivery of language classes across 14 language schools rich resources for innovation in the wider field of cosmopolitan with more than 1200 enrolled students; thinking. • 35-40 public lectures every year, as well as regular musical and literary events which attract 50-150 attendees each; Key Findings • Many creative events and pursuits, including a venue for the Lonsdale Street Greek Festival, the Melbourne International Core Constitution of the GCM that the GCCC services Comedy Festival, The Antipodes Greek Writers Festival, the Live @ the Greek music series, and provision of space for As it stands, the two most prominent groups of the GCM are screen writing, cabaret rehearsal, and theatre performances. the established migrants and new migrants. Both groups have • The Lonsdale Street Greek Festival (LSGF) is the GCCC’s members with a diversity of cultural outlooks. However, in both flagship annual event and attracts over 100,000 people groups there is an ongoing tension between people who prioritise every year. In 2017: cultural preservation over experimentation with contemporary – One third of the attendees were new participants; forms of culture and integration with mainstream Australian. – Those who had previously attended had done so, on These complexities engender some tensions within the GCM, average, 8 times— indicating an excellent rate of return; but they also present an incredible opportunity for the GCCC – Number of attendees with a Greek background was to activate a truly cosmopolitan operation through enhancing strong, indicating the role of the GCCC and its festival in dialogue. contributing to intergenerational continuity of culture; – A high proportion of attendees were from other cultural backgrounds, indicating the festival’s status as a multicultural attraction for the City of Melbourne 3 – A broadening of the parameters of ‘Greekness’ was As the GCCC steps forward to embrace the complexities of evidenced through the inclusion of Greek diasporic cultural leadership in a cosmopolitan city, it will require careful music and dance acts; economic planning and dedicated financial support from – The highest motivation for attendance was government. It needs to utilise its innovative economic model “atmosphere”, which illustrates the GCCC’s capacity to in such a way that meets the key social-cultural and spatial deliver a positive socio-cultural ‘feeling’ to the City of challenges it is currently presented with, summarised below: Melbourne. Socio-Cultural Challenges The GCCC’s social-cultural activities continue to expand and • Disparate sense of cultural identity between the different are beginning to incorporate a wider array of identity groups, generations among the established members of the GCM varying in age, gender, cultural background, and sexuality. and the ‘new’ Greek migrants; For instance, the first Commissioner for Aboriginal Children • Intergenerational differences in Greek identification; and Young People, Andrew Jackomos, has expressed a strong • Increase in hybrid identities and culturally-mixed families; commitment to explore the interweaving of his Indigenous and • Tensions pertaining to other markers of identity, for Greek heritage. This is paving the way for mediating between example, gender and sexuality; different First Nations’ and Greek communities. The GCCC has • Changing modes of sociality through new media and adopted a willingness to host and collaborate with various Information Communication Technology; creative and cultural practitioners, including: • Aging population. • Dr Misha Myers, Centre for Theatre and Performance, Spatial Challenges Monash University; • Decentralisation and fragmentation of the Greek • Ronny Chieng and Declan Fay, comedy writers for ABC community and associated enterprises; screened television series, The International Student; • Changing rhythms of the central business district (CBD) • Liquid Architecture, sound art organisation; and the