I have been an artist most of my life in one way or another. I have worked in arts management for over 20 years. I have written arts policy, conducted community consultations, delivered complex arts projects and events, been on advocacy groups and assessment panels, worked right across the arts sector and been outspoken about the arts for wellbeing and the importance of art in the regions.
Over time I have seen a lot of funding cuts across all levels of govt funding. I have seen organisations come and go, being in favour one moment and out of favour the next.
Having been responsible for development and implementation of arts policy and planning and having studied the changes at a national level with and without a strong policy, the importance of a dedicated strong Arts and Cultural Policy should not be understated.
Good Arts Policy reflects our aspirations, identity and encourages entry points for people to engage with arts and culture. It should be linked to other policies of Government or organisations and should be a guardian for free expression. Strong Arts policy keeps government accountable.
The arts in Australia are undervalued and seen often as something for the elite. In other countries they are a part of everyday life, it’s how cultures express themselves and how heritage and identity is shared.
Seems we still suffer from the cultural cringe so the arts are the easy target for budget cuts. It also feels as though every change in Govt there is a shift in policy that has arts organisations and individuals reliant on funding scrabbling to shift their vision to ensure they continue to get funding.
Through history artists have been important as a voice of change. If the arts are beholden to govt for grants or to sponsors to keep afloat then we remove the capacity to be critical of so many things in our world.
That being said, I love that we see art on our streets and music that protests the things we despise or commemorates the things we value.
For me following on from recent experiences I am more and more inclined to use my creative skills in ways that build community and bring attention to important issues. In the process, I get to embed myself in issues so that I can understand them, I get to meet amazing people, hear wonderful stories and spend lots of time in my studio creating works that I hope will do some good in the world.
Music for change
Recently I asked people on social media what was their favourite protest song. Here is the list and some links to inspire you!
Thinking laterally
What if instead of being reliant on govt arts departments and the will of the govt of the day we had the opportunity to fund arts projects and get a tax deduction for doing so? This approach was taken in the 1970s in Australia and lead to the boom in the Australian Film Industry.
a platform like crowd funding could be developed (with the requisite checks and measures in place to ensure no fraudulent claims ) that listed arts and cultural projects under themes where you could scroll through and find something you supported and make a pledge which would be tax deductible
What if artists were paid a living wage to create as they are in parts Europe? Ireland has just introduced a pilot scheme where 2000 artists receive a living wage of 300 Euros a week for 3 years.
what if all schools had artists in residence for each grade?
what if we promoted youth arts engagement and success as strongly as we promoted engagement with sport? Giving support to local arts clubs to run classes for young children?
what if Indigenous elders were venerated and supported and had residencies in schools and had a formal role in welcoming and instructing new migrants to Australia
what if we ran cultural awareness as a core subject in schools and a qualifying certificates for employment?
what if arts degrees didn’t cost as much as medical degrees
what if you could study arts and culture at TAFE
What if there was a national membership based organization for everyone working in the arts- of all kind and at all levels… that would be pretty powerful
what if artists in residence opportunities were available in the work place
what if we understood the the arts and the power to express
what if we had artists trained in cultural development, cultural awareness and working in hospitals, gaols and other places?
what if arts touring to regional centres and schools was part of the curriculum provided to all Australians
surely if we think laterally we can come up with better more equitable solutions than are currently available
what if we understood that when Covid hit so many artists lost their income and yet it was the arts to which people turned as they binged on netflix and podcasts.
