Turning boosted interest into long-term history; a look at Canberra’s Arts Identity

Canberra is a city that holds arts and entertainment on a very high pedestal; it is part of the backbone of the city’s culture. With high turnouts for events, a higher than national average take-up of creative arts as a career path, and a local government that is intent on growing our arts industries even further in the coming years, it is easy to say that Canberra’s arts sectors are flourishing.
But it also seems that the city has a label of lacking a real presence, and boasts a history with the arts that is difficult to summarize simply, and is noticeably lacking in well-documented history if you were to search for it online.
UC’s Matt McFarlane went on a deep dive to try and pinpoint where Canberra’s documented history might be and what Canberra, both as a city and a populace, can do to turn increasing figures of engagement into a long-term and sustainable arts identity.