The power of the arts: Festival’s youth climate mission

A new climate change project for young people will be a major part of the Adelaide Festival. Bushfires, waste and endangered species are some of the issues it will address.

Young people will get to voice their concerns about climate change in South Australia and propose solutions through their own artworks as part of a major, year-long environmental project for next year’s Adelaide Festival.

Create4Adelaide is the initiative of new Festival artistic director Ruth Mackenzie, who will program the 2024-26 events, in partnership with The Advertiser.

“It’s how art can change the world and young people can change the world,” Ms Mackenzie said.

“They can create an artwork that can be offering a solution or a campaign or a thought, or addressing a really local issue.”

Create4Adelaide project launch: Wandana School students Sophie Newbound, 11, Sebastian Ponce, 11 , Douglas McGrady, 11, and Mistique Morris, 10. Picture: Roy Vandervegt

Works can take any form, from visual art such as drawing, painting or photography, to written, musical or even filmed pieces.

“The first stage is that they choose the brief for the open call – so they are choosing what are the most urgent topics for climate change here in SA,” Ms Mackenzie said.

“Then, through this program from April to next March, the young people themselves will decide which of the artworks will represent them at an exhibition in the 2024 Festival program.

“This should be a pilot for the Festival to be working every year in South Australian schools.”

While the project is aimed at youth in SA, its digital platform means that people around the world will also be able to participate.

Create4Adelaide will work with creative partners including Children’s University Adelaide, the Botanic Gardens, SALA Festival, the University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute, Carclew Youth Arts, Country Arts SA and children’s theatre companies Patch and Slingsby to implement the multifaceted project.

Adelaide Festival artistic director Ruth Mackenzie launches the Create4Adelaide project with Deputy Premier Susan Close, Arts Minister Andrea Michaels and Wandana School students Sebastian, Sophie, Dougie and Mistique. Picture: Roy Vandervegt

Deputy Premier Susan Close, whose portfolios include Innovation, Science and the Environment, said Create4Adelaide was preceded by a student workshop held by the State’s Commissioner for Children and Young People.

“Apart from the more obvious concerns like bushfires, floods, drought and endangered species, they identified issues around wasteful consumerism and a widening communication gap between parents and children on these matters,” Ms Close said.

“Now let’s do something about it. Once again, our Festival demonstrates that it’s a cornerstone of the present and future fabric of our State.”

Arts Minister Andrea Michaels said the project would build on the overall event’s slogan of being a “Festival for the Future”.

“Create4Adelaide is harnessing the power of the arts to support students to be creative and express their ideas,” Ms Michaels said.

After attending Cambridge University, Ms Mackenzie began her career by co-founding a theatre company in the UK to serve youth clubs, whose members would choose the topic for each tour.

“I cottoned on to cultural democracy pretty early on in my career,” Ms Mackenzie said.

“Create4Adelaide is very simply that – everyone in South Australia should be getting something out of the Festival.”

Vote in the online survey at create4adelaide.au