The following letter is being sent to candidates for the Seat of Gosford, Marie Andrews and Chris Holstein. Other Central Coast candidates and Upper House hopefuls may also be invited to present their policies and objectives.
NSW March Election Arts Policies – Invitation to Candidates.
You are invited to present your arts and culture policy position on our contemporary art website, backpagefree.blogspot.com
To give electors useful information about your views on, and objectives for, the arts in Gosford and the region, we are sending you and each of the other candidates the same questions. The questions and your responses will be posted on the Back Page site.
Within the arts sector on-line sites are increasingly the main medium for exchange and distribution of information. Consequently presenting your policy on this site will be a useful way to target this constituency of interest.
We would like you to tell us what you understand “the Arts” to be, how the Arts fit into the social context and what, if any, plans you have for the Arts in your electorate should you be elected.
Questions.
What are the priorities in planning the future for the arts in the Gosford region?
What do you consider to be the greatest needs?
Is the Central Coast well resourced now?
What are the strongest and weakest aspects of art culture locally?
What are the benefits to the community of art? How would you rank them in terms of what you would work towards if elected?
How would you rank art in relation to other sectors of community and civic life?
What would be your key priorities for the arts in the Gosford City Plan (what and where)?
What is your attitude to the presentation of controversial and perhaps disturbing contemporary art works?
What funding and infrastructure resources would you seek to secure for sustainable development of the arts in the region?
Thank you for your response. Final date for posting to the site is the 21st of February, but earlier will attract more thoughtful consideration.
Regards
Neil Berecry-Brown
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2 comments:
Neil, your questions are really interesting, for a few reasons. At the moment, I’m doing a modest, comparative research project in Wyong and Balmain Hospitals to lift the level of contemporary art awareness, and to produce a series images that reflect the patients attitudes and preferences in art to ease the stress and anxiety of waiting.
The reason, your questions are significant, is that the patients attitude invariably respond to the diversity of art they have been exposed within their local community. At this stage of my survey, is not a lot. I’m presenting a paper in Paris at the 5th International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities in July, specifically relating to this project. How would the local Councils feel, if there limited view and value of the arts, in a contemporary sense, is presented at an international conference? - especially after the fiasco of ‘Changeling: Childhood and the Uncanny exhibition”. The council’s attitude towards visual arts in the community can directly inform the residents/patients’ opinions of public art, and contemporary visual arts. This can either have a positive or negative effect in trying to filter contemporary works of art into areas where it has the potential to be beneficial.
The art community should be able to ask for complete transparency from the policy makers on the council, as to their intention with promoting a cultural environment on the Central Coast. If contemporary artists know what the council’s position is, what genre of visual arts, the Regional Gallery is promoting, then our choices are easier to make.
In my opinion, if the councils are unable to fund, generate projects, provide facilities for artists to reflect a contemporary culture, than what are we left with? Contemporary local artists with talent, exhibiting works in Sydney and Newcastle. A community of people who are unable to have a choice in art presented on the coast, or make an informed opinion about art in general. Wouldn’t this attitude filter down to our children, only to discover they have no interest or value in contemporary visual arts?
Very relevant opinions and questions are posed here Jillian, a 'Challenging' does need to take place!!!
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