Comments on: 2020 Summit call up. Any ideas?

By: Creative Australia and Ministerial Impersonators

Creative Australia and Ministerial Impersonators — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 22:32:18 +0000

[...] policy and as with the period leading up to the 2020 summit (you can see various posts about it here, here and here) I would strongly encourage input from you [...]

By: brodie murray

brodie murray — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:36:00 +0000

To Marcus Westbury and ANY ONE WHO CAN ASSIT WOULD BE VERY APPRECIATED!
Hey there, my name’s Brodie, I’m a HSC student and I’m currently conducting a research project (pip) as a component of the subject society and culture. When I watched your series of not quite art it was really the food for thought that inspired the area of interest my investigation delves into
To give you an overview I’m exploring the nature of 3 AUSSIE contemporary forms of youth culture, focusing on: graffiti, hip hop and skateboarding .My objective aims to evaluate how these individual outlets have changed over time (is their a connection between them), and further so the different perspectives each outlet has received over time.(1960 Stretching through to the present.)
To give you more of an insight in the direction I’m heading, I’m trying to evaluate the process these mediums of expression have gone or are still going through to be validated in society .Alternately I’m seeking to identify the opposing agents (including authority etc) of change that may have initially impeded/rejected these forms of culture or in contrast have encouraged, supported and accepted the growth of these activities overtime.
I REALLY NEED YOUR AND ANYONES HELP in obtaining contacts who don’t mind participating even if I send you some questions that you can fill in… informed by your own opinion .So whether your involved or not in the above mentioned activities your assistance would be greatly appreciated.
….To give you more of an insight, I want to question the mechanisms you may perceive are driving youth counter culture and how have the above genres place become accommodated in society? etc the rest shouldn’t be to challenging.

By: What’s the big idea? Start with the small ones.

What’s the big idea? Start with the small ones. — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:40:00 +0000

[...] not a joke. It’s the question that I have been mulling over since my last minute call up to the “Towards a creative Australia” stream of the 2020 summit next weekend. The [...]

By: Zero summit games

Zero summit games — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:39:39 +0000

[...] have to thank Ben Eltham and the comments over at Larvatus Prodeo and Christian McCrea for drawing this to my attention. Despite the fact that one of the agenda items for next [...]

By: Alison Young

Alison Young — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:21:21 +0000

Hi Marcus, good luck at the summit and thanks for the opportunity to comment. I’d like to see the summiters acknowledge that the way ‘Creative Australia’ gets defined leads to exclusions and inclusions, and that a lot of creative, valuable activity gets left out. For example, will there be anyone at the summit who thinks that street art or graffiti is an example of creativity? My worry is that there will not, apart from yourself. I’d love it if you could raise the issue of how law, social policy, and social conservativism combine to have an effect on the very definition of creativity itself – sometimes with the effect that artists get placed outside the law and at risk of prosecution (as has happened with the State Govt of Victoria’s new laws on graffiti and street art). What’s the point of developing new cultural policies if government won’t acknowledge that it sometimes actively delegitimates artistic practices? I think it would be great to try to get people to think outside the square on what constitutes creative activity, as a kind of prior question to the problem of how to promote and support it. And to acknowledge that those who fall outside the ‘official’ definition of legitimate creativity get left to struggle with no resources or – even worse – left to face the risk of legal consequences.
Cheers, and good luck!

By: Polash Larsen

Polash Larsen — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:40:10 +0000

Hi Marcus,

I had a listen to you guys on RN tonight. They’re wacky things those talk-back forums… EVERYONE wants to get their two cents in – a bit like here. Pity you need at least five cents these days…

Even if you do ask people not to dwell on needing more money, it won’t work. It’s a bit like asking people not to mention the war, or talk about the elephant in the room.

Maybe there’s a different way of talking about money?

I kind of cringed when Paul brought up the dreaded funding “pie”. You can’t do anything with a pie except eat it. People get defensive about the size of their slice (or their appetite!) and if you don’t eat it all at once the chef won’t let you save a bit for later. Worst of all – no matter how you cut it up – SOME PEOPLE WILL GO HUNGRY.

Please! No more pies!

What about a different round shape? How about a wheel? A wheel is dynamic, load-bearing and moves the societal cart forward. It’s easier to accept that some bits of the wheel HAVE to be solid like the hub and the spokes – but maybe the rim varies in thickness, yeah? Maybe, as the wheel turns you can accept that you might not have a thick bit of the rim and the ride’s a bit bumpy, but you can see the thicker bits approaching and plan for them accordingly?

By: kate

kate — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:38:36 +0000

hi – Marcus – If you can get them to acknowledge the existence of an avant garde, that would be useful. there always is one in some way, shape or form and it DOES need support and nurturing in various ways (as noted by heaps of comments here) – incubation, govt at various levels etc. But to some extent the mainstream creative industries should be market driven – why should people who want to see opera be subsidised? if its seen as crucial to be in touch with classic cultural it should be considered an educational imperative. And this brings us back to the necessity to generate markets – govt agencies can focus on generating markets, educating audiences, helping with distribution etc.

By: maureen obrien

maureen obrien — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:00:29 +0000

I’m a singer/songwriter/touring performer based in Newcastle nsw – commonly referred to as the “meat ‘n 3 veg town” ! Similarly to many places in Australia, we have a wealth of talent that rarely gets a chance of exposure. I’ve been driving a number of initiatives over the past couple of years to help local talent get performance opportunities. the biggest problems are [1] finding suitable venues that aren’t pubs and clubs – because there’s a significant number of patrons who won’t go to such places – and the pubs/clubs are only interested in putting on popular music which draws the heavy drinking crowds
[2] councils that are overloaded with people who don’t have a cultural/artistic bone in their blinkered bodies, who only open their eyes and let the light shine on their brains when international “stars” bite them on the arse. They make it too hard, too restrictive or too expensive to hire council facilities. They see no political benefit in providing support or quality performance space for local artists and musicians. Have next to no understanding of art beyond popular/commercial.
[3] federal and state governments seem to have money to support the arts – but applying for it requires that an applicant has an understanding of the land and language of Downtown Bureacracy! For the average musician, for example, the practicality of applying for funding is a nightmare.
[4] it would help enormously if the legal requirements for allowing cafe/dining venues to provide live entertainment for their patrons were a whole lot easier. It would also help if governments provided education for such business owners to understand the value of supporting live entertainment to encourage growth and development for their business. [and contributing to the development of local economies!]
[5] Why can’t the Australian government recognise the value of its artists/musicians and provide income support? Every full time musician I know [and that's an extensive network!] recognises that they can’t make a living at their art in this country and have to supplement the income to survive. [applying for the dole is a waste of time because they're expected to work in fields other than their chosen career]. In other countries, full time artists/musicians receive a stipend to follow their art because it contributes to the culture of their country. The Australian Culture consists of…..SPORT…..finite! There’s always money for new footy stadiums – but build a new performance space ???? huh?!?!?!

good luck at the summit ……most of us working artists on the ground won’t be holding our breath.

regards,
maureen

By: marcus

marcus — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:07:20 +0000

If anyone is interested, we will be talking 2020 summit and the future directions of Australian art and cultural policy type stuff on Radio National’s Australia Talks tonight at 6pm (EST). I’ll apparently be joined by fellow summiteers Robyn Archer, and Trevor Green from the MSO. If people want to be part of the discussion, the talkback number for listener input into the conversation is 1300 22 55 76.

By: Trewlea

Trewlea — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 08:51:02 +0000

You could argue for a minorities stake in digital, cable and/ commercial television like Roger Newell and Ralph Lee Smith partitioned for in the US in the 1970s. They argued that cable was an opportunity for community projects to be publicly informed and operationally involved in creating media content.

In 1972 the Federal Communications Commission issued regulations which required every cable system with 3,500 or more subscribers to originate local programming and to provide one dedicated, noncommercial public access channel, available without charge at all times on a first come, first-served, non- discriminatory basis to carry that programming. This legislation developed public access programming and established equipment and training resource centres all over the country. (There is a lot more to this, but I’m not writing my thesis here, so I’ll get to my point…..)

… If our government made it policy for large commercial broadcasters to pay a percentage of their taxes to develop and maintain Community Media libraries and facilities (urban and rural), and a percentage of on air time to be dedicated to some of the developed content, it would give individuals, regions and small groups a voice in the main stream media.

The Community Media libraries and facilities could run workshops that train individuals and community groups how to use the equipment and create their own media content, when people have qualified for their media “licence”, they could hire out equipment and develop media content. The libraries could also hire out their tapes to the general public and the public could donate content for public access as well.

I know, I’m an eternal optimist! Good luck.