Unpopular Self Promotion
by Jane
The Festival of Unpopular Culture – the latest fringe festival venture to have popped up in Adelaide, because god knows we don’t have enough festivals (Adelaide count currently stands at 1,348,987-odd festivals per quarter) – has launched its first program to run alongside the Festival of Ideas.
I will be talking on the event entitled Rip It Up and Start Again: A Hypothetical New Beginning for Arts and Cultural Funding
You know how everyone complains about how the Australia Council devotes most of its energies to major flagships and opera? And everyone else gets, well, chicken feed? And when you try to debate that you get this whole series of arguments about how opera’s a great art form and needs funding and whatever? Gee, wouldn’t it be nice to have a conversation about what things could look like, rather than a defensive argument about what they’re like now?
Well, let’s pose a hypothetical. Let’s assume every Arts funding body in the nation got shut down, all the money got put into a big pot, we were rebuilding the entire funding system from scratch and every body had to reapply from one big cultural slush fund. What would we do?
On the panel, I will be joining Esther Anatolitis (CEO Melbourne Fringe), Sandy Verschoor (Director, Festival of Ideas), Gavin Artz (CEO ANAT) and Chloe Langford (other young ring-in to balance out the fancy people who actually know stuff / visual artist). We’ll be speaking on 15th October at 1pm at AC Arts. I’ve been compiling links of issues I think are related to the panel on twitter under the official hashtag for that event: #FUCfunding, please join in the conversation either there or on the day. It should be exciting. I should get in trouble.
Along with the other youth-complainer of Adelaide, Will McRostie, I have also been involved in the on-going curation of a panel about the “real” youth of Adelaide in Child Exploitation.
Conversations about Adelaide’s youth always focus on Gen Y, those aged 18 – 30. On their lack of engagement with Adelaide, on Adelaide’s lack of engagement with them. But what about the real youth of this city?
How do tweens and teens interact with this city? How do they see the place they live in; where does it sit in relation to the world? Are there things here for them to do? Do they spend time in the city, in their suburbs, or at Marion? How long do they plan to stick around?
What are they worried about? What are they looking forward to?
This panel tries to answer the age-old question: is this city only worth living in as long as Justin Bieber comes to visit, or is it actually a great place to grow up?
Bringing together four kids from around Adelaide aged eleven to thirteen, the panel will discuss who they are , where they live, and what it really means to be youth in this city.
You can come listen to the kids talk on 8th October 2pm, also at AC Arts.
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Despite my resignation letter, I am still powering ahead in an excel-sheeted-madness of theatrical statistics. The State Theatre Company of South Australia launched their 2012 program today, it seems they paid some attention to the woman-in-theatre debate and their performance in that regard in 2011, with 4/7 2012 main-stage writers female, and 1.5 of the four pieces in the education staging crediting female playwrights. They have 54.7% female playwrights next year, which is nigh on unheard of, so good on them.
I’m thinking, however, the statistics will be more of a focus on georgraphics and year of premiere: these were actually some of the statistics I found the most interesting last year, so this year I’ll try and give them some more weight. The current trend (spoiler alert!) is a lack of Shakespeare: has Bill had his day?
On this regard: if there are any young designers/theatre geeks who would maybe be interested in talking to me about creating an info graphic of some stats work, I’d love if you could get in contact.
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For those lovely commenters from the “and what have you ever made?” camp: I’ve signed on to production manage my first play, which will be a new work by Emily Steel who wrote the award-winning Rocket Town for last years Fringe. Like Rocket Town, it will be playing at RiAus during the 2012 Adelaide Fringe. I’m sure I’ll be bombarding you with more information as we get stuck in.
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And for a final unpopular promotion of another Jane: my dear friend Jane Gronow, who has in many ways made me the writer I am today with her amazing support through the incredibly sadly now defunct Lowdown Magazine and her friendship over the last year, has taken over Directions Magazine: the national guide to tertiary education in Australia. For all you budding artists/arts workers who want to study at a tertiary level, you should check it out.
No Plain Jane 
‘other young ring-in’? Treading the line between self-deprecating and too-real!
One thing that has always bugged me is that grassroots, non professional sport gets government funding but rarely grassroots arts. ArtsSA only fund ‘professional’ theatre, just because I chose to do theatre as a ‘hobby’ and not get paid doesn’t mean it isn’t art and isn’t worth supporting. And the Dept of Recreation and Sport only fund sport, apparently theatre and the arts aren’t recreation.
There are more people who participate in the arts for the love of it (just as in sport), and they know they will never make a living from it but the funding doesn’t reflect this.
I would recommend trying to find avenues through local councils for that kind of funding. I’m not an expert on it, but I’d say that would be your best bet!
Sorry, Alison, you’re not going to get me agreeing with you there. Firstly, I wouldn’t define amateur theatre as “grassroots”, but rather I would give that definition over to professional independent artists (even if that in some technical sense of the word be “aspiring to be professional”). When people who are aspiring to be professional arts leaders (whether than eventually be in commercial sense, a major company, or maintaining their presence in the independent sector) are struggling so much to make ends meet, why should people who are (hopefully) professionally secure who perform and create on the side be supported? Without having to pay people involved in this work, a much larger proportion of ticket sales goes straight back to the company and subsequent productions. I believe it is a huge sign of respect of artists (and arts workers, and yes, arts writers) to ensure their payment, and is necessary for a thriving arts culture which must exists outside of an unpaid amateur sector which, without the professional drive can not reach the same artistic risks, ideals, and reach.
In saying that, however, I believe in greater support in structures and in space for all levels of the artistic community: from school and arts training organisations for children, to amateur theatre, to professional independents, to large scale organisations. I would like to see this happen in greater subsidy or tax breaks for access to space, because I believe this is one of the greatest issues we face as artists. I would love to see ArtsSA take control of buildings with studios and rehearsal space and open these at low rates for people across the sector – so maybe this is what you’re asking for? But in terms of funding and cash, I see no reason why this should be extended beyond professional artists and organisations.
And there is little I can stand less than a sports vs arts argument. I have no time for it, ever. Surely our society is big enough to support both? Creating a dichotomy only serves to lower the position of art in our society, perpetuating the stereotype of if you like sport, you can’t like art, which is one I absolutely reject.
http://www.adelaidecitycouncil.com/council/programs/grants/arts-and-living-culture-grants.html
There are people who like Opera. There are people who like AFL. There are people who like remounting Gilbert and Sullivan productions who make a choice to do a non-artist job by day and participate in amateur productions by night. They do it because it feels good (or whatever); not because it is their craft which they’ve accumulated a HECS or HELP debt over and chosen to pursue a career in it despite the financial challenges and job insecurity.
I like none of those pass-times, especially the Gilbert and Sullivan.
I like whacky, fucked up art that makes people question themselves and the world we live in. Stuff that maybe will fall on it’s arse because it needed more work, or stuff that is so perfectly polished that it’s just painful because I know it’s only fleeting and only me and maybe 100 other people will see it like this. I like art by people who are TAKING A RISK WITH THE ART, not merely by putting it out there and having a try but by making something that people might hate so much the artist gets death threats or is investigated by the police. ACTUAL RISK TAKING, and not just for the sake of it but because they are compelled by an idea that must be shared.
Innovation is a word which is over-used but that’s what deserves the public funding. People who are advancing art forms and ideas and doing something which makes people think. The amateur scene is safe (by choice) and therefore kind of irrelevant to this blog, I would think.
Re: Sport vs Art.
Roller-derby and hybrid performance art FTW. Break some bones, spill some blood on the track and on the stage.
At the end of the day, I want to see chicks on rollerskates and freaks, geeks and weirdos get the dosh.
Also, if we are talking about funding hobbies. Why should people who choose amateur theatre be any more deserving of public funds than someone collecting stamps, uploading shit on YouTube or fixing up BMX bikes? Hobbies are something people do because they can afford the time and money. If it needs subsidy, do a fundraiser or find new hobby.
Jane, I think your comment about space being the most pressing issue facing arts-creators is spot on. It’s one that comes up all the time here in Brisbane where the independent sector in theatre is currently going through a growth spurt. Tax-breaks yes, or, at a more local level, precinct-development funding grants would be a great idea. Of course, we need forward-thinking local councils for the latter. PS Sorry I did not meet you at the recent BF – I enjoyed your take on the proceedings. Best.
“Why should people who choose amateur theatre be any more deserving of public funds than someone collecting stamps, uploading shit on YouTube or fixing up BMX bikes?”
Generally the kinds of funding that might go to amateur sports or amateur theatre is some form of community well-being funding. The government recognises that participation in these activities is good for people’s mental and physical health and promotes ‘social cohesion’. In particular one would hope it goes towards demographics who could not afford to have a social hobby otherwise. I have no problem with that kind of funding being available to support amateur activities. Funding for professional artists is a completely different matter and comes from different government bodies.
Ultimately there should be more funding for both professional AND amateur arts activities!
Kate: I think performance space is our biggest hindrance in Adelaide towards a growth spurt in the independent sector: we have the artists, and they have the passion, and they constantly come up against walls when they try to actually get the work on. It is endlessly frustrating that we have no venues here that offer support to emerging or independent artists (and no venues where audiences can follow or rely to have a constant flow of independent work). It is at the point now where companies like Slingsby and The Border Project have support from Country Arts SA to tour regionally, and then the show will play Melbourne or Sydney, but it won’t actually play in Adelaide. No space, no support.
Chloe: Ah yes, I’d follow you there – as long as we’re defining those as “community well-being funding” I can at least have the conversation, but that is separate from any debate about arts funding. I would argue though, when amateur theatre companies in Adelaide are charging $120 a seat AND they don’t have to pay anyone for their time, they’re doing a-okay.