Artists as storytellers can provide a therapeutic, uplifting response to the stressful, emotional trauma experienced post disaster and communities such as Kinglake are testament to the impact of arts in recovery. By re-establishing its identity and culture, the Kinglake Ranges community recognises the vital role arts play in regeneration and as a tool to aid recovery.

By preserving and protecting this historical data which provides overwhelming evidence of the positive outcomes resulting from an arts-led recovery, our hope is that it can have a major influence on the design and implementation of future arts recovery projects in other disaster affected communities and be a source of knowledge and inspiration for future generations.

Michelle Bolmat has collected images and researched the history of arts related events in the Kinglake Ranges post 2009 bushfires. To view the Digital Archive for Arts Recovery – additional images and documentation click the button below.