Written by the co-ordinator of the past three ARX events which have taken place in Perth Western Australia. Four views on the exchange See also the articles by Vivienne Binns, Anne Kirker and Ian Howard in this issue of Artlink.
The theme in this article is that the recession will have significant implications for the arts community. The argument is that the recession is not just a temporary phenomenon, related to a decline in demand, but is the product of weaknesses in the Australian economy and of the peculiar nature of economic growth in the 1980s....
Our sports stars are successful because they are not burdened by funding programs which dribble a meagre supply to an army of unknown novices....the arts need radical strategies to help them survive the recession and achieve greater audience participation. (this article is responded to by Norm Austin, the Deputy Director of the Art Gallery of NSW).
The Australian Government's decision to participate in Expo 92 in Seville, the biggest Expo this century, has culminated in a presence recently described in a 'Best of Expo Guide' as "high spirited in mood and one of the most distinctive pavilions at Expo."
In Englishwe use the word 'country' in two main senses: to refer to nation states, and to speak about rural lands beyond the big cities and their suburbs. In Australia there is historically a third zone out past the country; the now quickly shrinking Outback.
The arts community of Australia has weathered the recession extremely well. While shopkeepers are shutting their doors, factories are shedding their workers, and the average Australian contemplates life in the same house for the next five years, the average artist continues on pretty much as always.
Book review The Money and the Means: Grants, Scholarships and Opportunities for Professional Development
Art Museums Association of Australia 1992
RRP $8.00