"I have attached some words from Grant about our arts policies for the Central Coast. Thank you for your patience, I hope this information is useful."
Although not in the Gosford Electorate, Grant McBride was invited to contribute as Minister for the Central Coast.NSW Central Coast, priorities for the arts in Gosford and Wyong region.
1. What are the priorities in planning the future for the arts in the Gosford region?
The draft Central Coast Regional Strategy, Gosford City Council Cultural Plan and Wyong Shire Council Cultural Plan identify several common priorities for the region in particular:
* The need to “work as a region” on cultural development. Wyong's Goal Area 9 in its framework for cultural development recommends a regional cultural strategy;
* The need to develop regional cultural infrastructure particularly in the performing arts.
The approach for cultural development on the Central Coast must reflect what the community wants, the demographics of this region (eg youth, aged) and also the 'spirit of place'. The recent opening of the Youth Arts Warehouse in Gosford is an example of the Iemma Government responding positively to the need for arts resources for particular groups within the community.
2. What do you consider to be the greatest needs?
The region's cultural development should be seen as being not only about building infrastructure but also programs. Gosford Council's cultural plan sensibly identifies the need for new entertainment precincts and outdoor sites such as the highly successful Live Sites model in Newcastle. Arts NSW is keen to pursue this, possibly as part of the role for a cultural broker.
I also see the need for whatever is being pursued in Gosford for cultural development to have the benefit of the State Government's thinking and actions on the development of the creative industries. Arts NSW will work with the council(s) on how this can be achieved.
The demographic features of the region also identify key needs, in particular the high concentration of young people. Regional arts development should build capacity in the community support networks which work with the cultural organisations and facilities to engage young people, particularly in relation to music. Initiatives such as the Youth Arts Warehouse are being encouraged to progress these networks and provide potential employment in the arts in the region.
3. Is the Central Coast well resourced now?
Yes. There are five cultural organisations which receive regular support from Arts NSW:
* The Laycock St Theatre,
* The Gosford Regional Gallery
* The Central Coast Conservatorium
* The Youth Arts Warehouse
* Regional Youth Support Services
* NAISDA, the National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association, re-located to Mt Penang in 2006 with assistance from Arts NSW.
The Youth Arts Warehouse is an example of a recent Iemma Government commitment to the arts on the Central Coast. I lobbied particularly hard for support for this project, which will be of great benefit to our creative young people. I will continue to lobby for greater arts resources on the Central Coast.
4. What are the strongest and weakest aspects of art culture locally?
The strengths and weaknesses of local art culture go, in some ways, hand-in-hand. The arts community on the Central Coast is vibrant and close-knit – which means the challenge still exists to promote involvement in the arts to more people. Through NSW Government programs, we are working hard to see more and more people take part in cultural events. An example of this is a recent grant of $2500 from Arts NSW to Regional Youth Support Services in Gosford, through the Indent Program. This program provides funds for youth music events, organised and patronised by young people. The funding offered to RYSS will allow three live music events to be held in Gosford. Hundreds of young people are expected to attend these events and many young local bands will take part. The events will give young musicians a rare opportunity to show-off their talents and younger music enthusiasts can enjoy a local cultural event.
We have also had a welcome addition to the Coast’s festival scene which I believe can offer more local exposure to the arts - and also promote the arts scene on the Central Coast to a broader audience. The Central Coast International Guitar Festival was very successful in its inaugural year in 2006 and I was proud to support the event. It attracted a very diverse range of musicians all with the common love of the guitar and many enthusiasts both from the Central Coast and other regions attended the event. As Minister for the Central Coast, I look forward to helping this event develop further and become a feature event for the region.
5. What are the benefits to the community of art? How would you rank them?
The arts give communities the opportunity to tell their stories, to build creative skills, and to be active participants in the development of their culture, to create a sense of identity and belonging. The Creative Industries is a growing sector at both local and global levels.
I am especially pleased that opportunities for young people on the Central Coast to express themselves through art have been expanded, via the recent opening of the Youth Arts Warehouse. I see this project as a great chance to nurture our artistic talent and provide a positive outlet for the creative energies of our young people. By providing our young people with worthwhile projects to engage with, we are able to mitigate problems with anti-social behaviour.
6. How would you rank art in relation to other sectors of community and civic life?
Under the NSW State Plan, Environment for Living is identified as one of the five major themes. The arts are ranked as one of the key priorities for Environment and Living.
On the Central Coast, there are numerous examples of the importance of the arts to our community and civic life. For some years now, I have been involved with the Central Coast Festival of the Arts, the region’s longest-running and most prestigious art event. Last year the event was opened by Premier Morris Iemma, and the year before that by NSW Governor Professor Marie Bashir – an example of the NSW Government’s regard for the arts. I believe the festival is one of the best events of its type in NSW. It is always well patronised, and is instrumental in establishing a strong sense of culture and community pride – as well as promoting healthy debate.
7. What are the key priorities for the arts in the Gosford City Plan (what and where)?
The need to develop cultural infrastructure on the Central Coast has been identified in the Gosford City Council’s cultural plan:
* concert hall and performing arts facilities
* rehearsal and studio workshop spaces
* outdoor arts facilities such as an amphitheatre
* arts house cinema
* museum
8. What is your attitude to the presentation of controversial and perhaps disturbing contemporary art works?
The organisations which Arts NSW funds are independent, often with boards that have responsibility to their communities for how contemporary standards are applied and interpreted. While Arts NSW' funding is directed to such organisations to program at the highest professional level, programming decisions are for them to make.
Community and cultural organisations can consult the Arts Law Centre of Australia which is supported by the State and Commonwealth Governments to provide specialised legal and business advice and referral services, professional development resources and advocacy for artists and arts organisations.
9. What funding and infrastructure resources would you seek to secure for sustainable development of the arts in the region?
I want Arts NSW to begin discussions with the councils using their cultural plans as a starting point for a possible regional arts development strategy.
A cultural plan must be backed up by strategic and business plans and a partnership approach with other levels of government. Arts NSW brings substantial experience, skills and knowledge on how regional arts development will be best pursued, and has forged very effective links with the Dept of Planning that will enable the cultural development of the Central Coast to be linked with broader planning issues.
2 comments:
I had the pleasure of meeting Grant at our “Babushka” exhibition at the Rouge Gallery in Long Jetty last August. It was nice to hear his level of interest, and depth of knowledge within contemporary art, while viewing our work. The same can be said about Chris Holstein, (it would be nice to hear his response to the editor’s questions).
Any funding directed towards the arts community on the Central Coast is a positive step in regards to supporting local artists, however, we can’t lose sight of our specific genre of art practice. This is where contemporary visual artists reach a stale mate with the Gosford Regional Gallery. The GRG, are at the mercy of funding agencies and need to exhibit a generic cross section (of varying degrees) of art practice on the coast. So, acknowledging that, where do contemporary artists practice? Grant clarified some cold facts about community art groups funded by independent and government organizations - that’s great to know. He beautifully sidestepped question 8, but overall, he is trying to promote the arts on the Central Coast and explore avenues to showcase this.
Personally, I think contemporary art projects need a higher profile in the community, so the public has an opportunity to understand and interact with a diverse range of aesthetic and conceptual work. Groups like Eo, Fusion, The Space Between artists, are good examples, but how contemporary is their work? how do we define it? My level of expectation is different, and I’m active within the community. The project is bigger than individual artist, and has a better chance of changing the perspective of the public. Access to local project funding would be an enormous help, and the people who organise these activities, out source local talent. Jessica Couglan’s Peats Ridge project is a good example. The “editor”, has pulled together some decent projects as well. If the level of expectation is higher from the public, the greater the chance we have of pushing our artistic boundaries to gain the support of funding agencies.
I think Jillian has raised some critically important points.
Notwithstanding the support for community arts groups and festivals, which is appreciated, contemporary art "the specific genre" I think Jillian points to, is a significant practice locally that seems invisible in most Council planning documents.
Raising the "level of expectation" and awareness of the public, and "pushing the artistic boundaries"
are central to a contemporary art which questions our assumptions and mirrors our society to us.
Grant McBride talks about more active participation of the Ministry for the Arts in developing contemporary art locally. This would seem to be a very useful process.
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