At Burrinja, our mission is to foster the Arts in its many forms through our multi-element vision: Arts, Performance, Education and Community.

Burrinja is a vibrant community cultural centre that encompasses arts activities and events, Indigenous gallery, collection and cultural education, contemporary arts gallery, performing arts, artist studios, live music, workshops and café.

Burrinja is the operational name for the Dandenong Ranges Community Cultural Centre Inc. The cultural centre is a not-for-profit arts organisation, incorporated in 1999. Burrinja is governed by an independent Committee of Management, that includes Yarra Ranges Council representation.

DOWNLOAD: Annual Report 2011-2012 (3.5mb)

Burrinja Vision

“Building Community through Arts”

For Burrinja to be a vibrant community cultural centre offering a total Dandenong Ranges arts, cultural and environmental experience providing for a diverse range of local needs.

Aims

• To promote, develop and present Arts and Culture in the Region
• To support and develop the cultural identity of the Dandenong Ranges
• To promote community ownership & identify community needs
• To deliver services in a manner that both recognises and is sensitive to indigenous peoples, cultures and issues • Implement consultative and cooperative work practices
• Encourage sustainable community, environmental and business practices

Burrinja’s function and purpose are built on a multi-element vision summarised by its 4 key areas of activity: Arts, Performance, Education & Community. The centre encompasses arts activities and events, indigenous gallery, collection and cultural education, contemporary arts gallery, performing arts, arts incubator studios, live music, community cultural development including youth arts and seniors programs, workshops, café and tourism.

Philosophy

All that we do is driven and guided by our vision: ‘Building Community through Arts’. This vision is taken in the most inclusive meanings of ‘all community/ies’ and ‘all culture/s’. Encouraging the widest access for audiences of all socio-economic, geographic and ability backgrounds will be foremost in our planning of the wide diversity of events and activities across our four key areas of community engagement: Arts, Performance, Education and Community.

Burrinja will identify those areas of the community who do not traditionally engage with arts activities and actively seek strategies and programs to engage them. It will establish dialogue and partnerships across a wide range of cross-sector organisations; from indigenous to arts, from health to education. Burrinja’s programs will be predicated wherever possible on active community participation as opposed to the role of passive audience.

Burrinja Awarded Best Small Museum – Victoria 2010

Burrinja Cultural Centre is delighted to have been awarded The Archival Survival Award for Small Museums 2010 by Museums Australia (Victoria), for its Exemplary Public Programs.

Executive Officer Ross Farnell said everyone at Burrinja was totally ‘over the moon’ about the award: “for an independent cultural organisation to win best small museum in Victoria is no small feat. It is a fabulous peer acknowledgement of the hard work and effort that goes into producing a prodigious output of programs, projects, exhibitions and performances from a very small team with limited resources.”

Museums Australia (Victoria) noted: Burrinja, a public gallery and community Arts Centre in the Dandenong Ranges has demonstrated commitment to excellence and best practice involving people and communities across all areas of public programming. Encouraging the widest access for audiences from all socio-economic, geographic and ability backgrounds is foremost in the planning of a wide diversity of events and activities across key areas of community engagement; arts, performance, education and community.