FORM

Craftwest

Craftwest is established as WA’s peak body for craft and design.

Lynda Dorrington

Lynda Dorrington takes over the helm as Executive Director and begins a shift away from one-dimensional practitioner representation and towards addressing the broader conditions for creativity.

Designing Futures

FORM’s Designing Futures cluster development program is launched. It offers designers an alternative education model that aims to advance their professional careers through a unique design development and business development combination.

Shifting Foundations

FORM brokers the massive Designing Futures Forum and subsequently publishes Shifting Foundations which examines the status of the fine wood and furniture industry in WA with a Designing Futures context.

FORM

Craftwest is renamed FORM, solidifying the changing reach and aims of the organisation.

Creative Capital

Creative Capital is launched as a project, aiming to revitalise Perth and render the state more sustainable by building creative capacity and advocating for grater policy and investment in the creative sector.

Richard Florida

FORM brings Richard Florida to Perth as the first Expert Speaker of many international luminaries - and introduces WA to dialogue around ‘creative economies’.

Belongs to Country

Belongs to Country: Jason Tinker Exhibition at the Newman Visitor’s Centre is FORM’s first bilingual exhibition - translated in Martu Wanka by Desmond Taylor and Joshua Booth. A sell-out show for the artist.

Indigenous Development

FORM’s Indigenous Development Program launched. FORM works in partnership with BHP Billiton Iron Ore to deliver exhibitions, public program and publications to local WA communities, as well as establishing profile across national Indigenous Arts Industry. Focus on education and artist’s professional development.

Newman

FORM and BHP Billiton Iron Ore engage in an innovative partnership in WA’s remote Pilbara region with Newman: A Creative Resource. The three-year project is designed to develop social, cultural and creative capacity in the mining town of Newman and surrounding region through creative skills and professional workshops, public programs and events, and the redevelopment of the local visitor centre into a gallery and successful cultural tourism enterprise.

Charles Landry

Charles Landry comes to Perth for the first time, armed with international knowledge on creative city making. FORM connects him with city advisors and leaders; The Perth community warms to his ‘1 big idea, 10 smaller ideas in 100 days’ challenge to Perth.

Regional Development

The success of the FORM/BHP Billiton Iron Ore partnership in Newman leads to a large-scale project implemented in the Pilbara coastal town of Port Hedland. Still running, the Port Hedland Regional Development project encompasses refurbishment of the Courthouse Gallery and Visitor Centre, place activation within the town’s historic ‘west end’, community engagement initiatives and cultural programming.

Designing Futures

Designing Futures cluster development program becomes an official training model, backed by university research.

Creative Capital Magazine

FORM launches the inaugural Creative Capital magazine, an ongoing series designed to express ideas, voices and debate relating to Creative Capital. Five more issues followed in 2007.

Riches of Isolation

Riches of Isolation exhibition is elected to show at the prestigious 2006 Milan International Furniture Fair’s Salone Satellite to an audience of 200,000 people. This collaboration between FORM and Curtin University involved an exhibition, catalogue and professional design development, aimed to promote WA design internationally.

Cultural Strand/Woven Forms

Cultural Strands/Woven Visions, the national public program initiated by FORM, brings together Indigenous and non-Indigenous fibre artists from across Australia to discuss topics including cultural marketing, industry and environmental sustainability. In November FORM publishes the Cultural Strands book.

Al Gore

FORM brings one of the world’s most influential people to town: ex-American Vice-President Al Gore. Gore’s role in the Creative Capital debate redefines the links between environmental sustainability and creative cities.

Charles Landry

Charles Landry returns to Perth, this time as Creative Capital’s inaugural Specialist in Residence. Almost 2,000 people pack His Majesty’s Theatre for his public presentations during his stagnated periods in Perth.

Creative Capital Evolution

Intensive strategic planning sees Creative Capital evolve from one project to the umbrella program guiding all of FORM’s activities. FORM’s program structure is refined to illustrate Creative Capital’s overarching influence and the synergies between each program. Four core programs emerge: Place Activation; Regional Development; Indigenous Development; Industry Development.

Canning Stock Route

The Canning Stock Route Project sees the first Return to Country Aboriginal Artist’s Trip – a 6 week journey with 4 workshops along 1850km of the Canning Stock Route.

Comparative Capitals

Comparative Capitals is published. A research partnership between FORM, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and PricewaterhouseCoopers, it offers WA government and community groundbreaking research into how successful Perth and Australia’s other capitals are in attracting and keeping young, educated and creative workers; fostering innovation; and nurturing liveable cities. Comparative Capitals also offers context for all of FORM’s programs.

Canning Stock Route

Canning Stock Route Project is represented in a boutique exhibition at the IOC Expo during the Beijing Olympics with 19 individual and collaborative works from the 9 Aboriginal art centres. BHP Billiton Iron Ore is the CSR Project’s major sponsor, who chose the Project as the only Australian cultural content at the Expo.

Midland Atelier

FORM launches Midland Atelier, WA’s first creative industries hub. It is the culmination of a development between FORM and the Midland Redevelopment Authority (MRA) and redefines the framework for innovation and creativity investment and strategy modelling.

Canning Stock Route

The Canning Stock Route Project is launched in Canberra at the National Museum.