Did anyone else watch the inspirational address by Simon Crean, Federal Minister for the Arts, at the Canberra Press Club a few days ago?
We asked this of a gathering of artists and arts researchers yesterday: puzzlement, no one. So often described as "long awaited", this launch over lunch of the first national cultural policy in twenty year, sparklingly entitled Creative Australia.
We asked this of a gathering of artists and arts researchers yesterday: puzzlement, no one. So often described as "long awaited", this launch over lunch of the first national cultural policy in twenty year, sparklingly entitled Creative Australia.
If you missed it too, our bLOGOS/HA HA arts reporter summarises the Minister's statement thus: Artists are at the centre of this nation, and creativity at its heart. Cheers all round! Many a beret flung into the air!
Back to earth, if you are a visual artist...
This from yesterday's The Age :
Visual arts
Visual artists have been largely ignored in the federal government's national cultural policy, according to a peak lobby group.
The executive director of the National Association for the
Visual Arts, Tamara Winikoff, said the bulk of new funding announced in
the Creative Australia policy had gone to the performing arts.
''I think the disappointing thing is there's no comparable
support to the substantial new money being allocated for the performing
arts,'' she said.
Ms Winikoff said the policy had not taken up a decade-old
finding in the Myer report on contemporary visual arts and craft that
artists be paid when they lend work to a gallery or are commissioned to
create a new work for an exhibition. NAVA estimates it would cost $3
million to pay artists the minimum standards in the industry code.
''We're disappointed that the modest request of $3 million a year has not been addressed,'' she said.
''It's chicken feed, one-tenth of what's given to the
performing arts. Also it's a matter of respect.
There's an understanding
that everyone else will get paid. Why are artists expected to do it for
love?''
Ms Winikoff said she would have liked to have seen reforms to
tax, superannuation and social security to assist artists in setting up
and running viable businesses.
She applauded the policy's support for arts in education, but
said this was undermined by budget cuts to state-funded TAFE colleges
in Victoria and NSW that had led to the cancellation of arts courses.
Andrew Taylor
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