Centre of Creative Arts (COCA)
Centre of Creative Arts
Multicap's Centre of Creative Arts (COCA) is an active and functional artistic program that offers people with disability an opportunity to develop their creative abilities and potential, through a variety of visual, tactile and performing arts. For more than 13 years, customers at our Eight Mile Plains Hub, and more recently our Rockhampton Hub, have had access to the unique COCA program.
Artists with a disability are under-represented and under-employed in the creative sector. The COCA program offers creative pathways for people with complex needs from arts training through to social enterprise. The unique perspectives and experiences of artists with disability can transform the way the art is presented and enhance audience connection. This program can create visible success stories, role models and equitable access to employment.
The benefits of this program include a range of physical, emotional and social skill enhancements. The goals allow for the power of personal choice in self-expression, an outlet for feelings and emotions, sensory development, improvement of self-esteem, and opportunities to develop social skills and independent employment.
The program offers students the opportunity to participate in, contribute to and engage hands-on with a range of possibilities and outcomes that the arts promote. COCA students explore artist concepts and capabilities using a range of mediums and techniques, not only to develop and produce meaningful artworks, but to develop their ability to foster their sense of self and their individual abilities.
The COCA program encourages students to work independently, and collaborate with Arts Facilitators and others. Students learn how to conceptualise art projects, develop products and artworks, right through to exhibiting creations and exploring employment and entrepreneurial pathways.
The goal of the program is to set up pathways for customers to learn skills and create products in the first 12 weeks and then promote/showcase and sell their product to a wider audience in the following 12 weeks, with showcases, potential mentorship/grant opportunities at the end of 26 weeks
COCA celebrates and promotes that the great creative work created by artists with complex needs is integral to the artistic and cultural life of Australia.
COCA is coming to a Hub near you!
From October 2020, the COCA program is being progressively rolled out to all Multicap Community Hubs over a 12 month period.
New and existing Multicap customers can choose one or more options offered at their Community Hub for the first 12 weeks. Each art form session will be offered once per week, and may include art forms such as painting, ceramics, choir, public art, performance art and textiles.
The second semester sees students learn and develop skills in exhibiting and promoting their art, and exploring avenues for employment and entrepreneurship.
Options include:
- Organising an exhibition, fashion parade, performance
- Designing and creating product labels
- Creating a web site for the group’s product
- Promotion of a performance/public art
- Event management - organising
- Applying for competitions and grants
- Setting up an artist run-space.
New COCA locations and artform modules being offered from 4 January 2021
- Nudgee/Aspley – Painting and Textiles
- Robina/Tweed – Painting and Choir
- Eight Mile Plains– Public Art, Contemporary Dance, Ceramics, Printing and Painting
- Ipswich – Painting
- Petrie/Pine Rivers - Contemporary Dance
- Capalaba - Painting
- Toowoomba - Choir
- Mackay- Textiles
- Rockhampton - Painting and Choir
Contact us for more information: email coca@multicap.org.au or call us on 1300 135 886.
