Comments on: The National Cultural Policy – So what do you want?

By: Liam O'Murche

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:21:40 +0000

Nice that the two things that pop up in the google alert on the same day are your reminder of life as an artist – and the Tele’s report that two of the people you name – Keele and Harley – are paid more than the prime minister. Sometimes justice isn’t blindfolded, she’s just asleep.

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By: Ngaire O'Leary

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:19:09 +0000

I think that’s what I mean, Gus. By journeyman, I mean artists who are developing their practice. There needs to be a transitory place that allows artists to develop and become masters of their trade, and this middle layer seems to be rather void-esque at the moment.

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By: Augusta Supple

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:49:21 +0000

Thanks for your response Ngaire,
I am very happy for us to disagree on this point –
I don’t think Independent artists need to be forever be considered to be Journeymen.
I don’t think that people who chose to make work outside of a major company or institutional context shoudl be at a disadvantage in their level of support and access to support.
Interestingly Ngaire I agree that we wouldn’t give a graduate a CEO position straight out of Uni and ask them to run a company – but it DOES happen int eh arts. In fact I beleive that was the case with Neil Armfield becoming the AD of Belvoir – he was in his 2nd year out of Uni.
It goes back to my fundamental belief that practice makes perfect – and we need to re-think the funding structures so we can ensure that there is quantity that will eventually turn into quality.

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By: Ngaire O'Leary

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:04:16 +0000

Nice rant, Gus. All of these things would, of course, make artist’s lives much easier. Always a bonus.
However, to my mind, the problem sits in the great chasm between the independent arts sector and the professional. I think we need what I like to think of as ‘journeyman’ development.
Some governmental supported mid-level, where those who have cut their teeth on the independent sector, can develop their skills in a place where their ability to eat and pay rent is not dependent on their resistance to sleep deprivation or their work achieving major international recognition.
We would not run the business sector, by taking promising graduates from University, making them the CEO of Westfield, then demanding to know why profit hasn’t doubled in the last 2 years. Why do we do this to the arts sector?

That’s my uneducated vent.

Ngaire

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