Public Address | Cafe | Muse: Indecision 2011: Writing Policy on The Back of a Cocktail Napkin

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:18:55 +1300

Hi, folks. First, once again many thanks to the awesome PAS Massive for keeping the signal-to-noise ratio pleasingly high. Just warning that I’ll be (temporarily) closing off comments on this thread from lunchtime tomorrow (Friday) until I can be arsed on Sunday morning. -Ish.

DCBCauchi

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 13:18:02 +1300

The other problem with appreciative patrons is that they have an idea of art that revolves around the patron.

One of many reasons you bite the hand that feeds.

linger

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 02:04:43 +1300

So should the job have gone to the other Chris Finlayson?

Keir Leslie

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:05:38 +1300

Mostly the fact that when it comes to it, Attorney General and Minister for Treaty Negotiations are always going to be more important to Finlayson than Culutre & Heritage. The organisational set up is not good.

The other problem with appreciative patrons is that they have an idea of art that…

DCBCauchi

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:53:29 +1300

Why is it grating? What is wrong with appreciative patrons?

DCBCauchi

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:51:38 +1300

Oh totally, that was but one example. More vibrant art forms the better. Totes.

Keir Leslie

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 18:38:23 +1300

Ok, the Frizzell low blow was funny and apt, but this one isn’t.

I have no problem with spending money on elitist art at all. It is just that I do not think Finlayson has any connection with the arts except as a patron and a trustee. Which is no…

Sacha

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:21:55 +1300

for society’s benefit

to work out what's important to us.
to show us to ourselves and others.
to remember.
to dream

Sacha

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:18:50 +1300

Imagine a young kid with a deep abiding love of opera.

or hip-hop. or kapa haka. or Chinese fabric painting. or Italian neorealist cinema

Sacha

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:17:48 +1300

There is a common argument put forward about Lotto funding of such things as ballet, opera, and orchestral music. It’s an outrage that poor people’s pokie money be used for highbrow events for the rich elite, the argument goes.

I think you'll find the argument is the proportion of the…

DCBCauchi

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:09:05 +1300

The Minister is a rich man who likes to go to listen to the orchestra.

Ok, the Frizzell low blow was funny and apt, but this one isn’t.

There is a common argument put forward about Lotto funding of such things as ballet, opera, and orchestral music. It’s an outrage…

DCBCauchi

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 14:34:30 +1300

Two open questions:

1 What is the purpose of publicly funding the arts? That is, what specific goal is funding the arts meant to achieve?

2 What is the best way to achieve that goal?

By way of a preliminary answer to 1:

Public funding of the arts is meant…

Keir Leslie

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:47:27 +1300

It actually matters. I think quite a lot.

I think it matters a lot too. I do not think it matters a lot to politicians,. And I think it should, and if I were on the Labour Arts & Heritage policy committee I would be ashamed to have let such a…

merc

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:42:22 +1300

Friday and all, mildly related,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kc2iLAubras

DCBCauchi

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:38:50 +1300

I think it is probably fair to say that arts policies are not the most heatedly debated policies in the world, and I would be very surprised if most members or MPs could tell you what was in the arts policy. It is a backwater, and so very easily captured.…

DCBCauchi

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:32:11 +1300

I’m reading ya loud and clear DCB. It’s an area (arts funding) I’d love to dive into…but it’s a case of, I could say, but I wont.

As Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston shouted together at the end of one of their songs:

'Long live the independents!'

Keir Leslie

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:29:12 +1300

I don't know. I think there was a conversation on Twitter about the Labour policy --- Cheryl Bernstein & Hamish Keith pretty ho-hum all round. The Barrs have a decent summary.

I think it is probably fair to say that arts policies are not the most heatedly debated policies in the…

merc

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:22:31 +1300

I'm reading ya loud and clear DCB. It's an area (arts funding) I'd love to dive into...but it's a case of, I could say, but I wont.
As for their policies, when I got a fake 100.00 bill in the mail from Labour ( I am next door to Glen…

DCBCauchi

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:03:54 +1300

I’m really surprised. Where are the robust defences of policies people passionately believe in?

Or do their promoters not passionately believe in them? Are they just a hodgepodge of vague phrases designed to appeal to particular interest groups? Which is it? Style or substance?

Where is the defence of public…

Kyle Matthews

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:51:07 +1300

I don't have much to contribute to this specific debate, but I think it would be great if over the next three weeks PAS regular bloggers, and various people via Speaker, drawing on their expertise and the hivemind, could poke at various policies across the parties.

I pretty much know…

DCBCauchi

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:45:12 +1300

Let's take one specific example of how a narrow economic focus on arts funding affects things.

As I understand it, a gallery like the City Gallery in Wellington is funded by various sources, most of it public money from central government and the city council, supplemented by sponsorship. Now, I'd…

Sacha

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:56:24 +1300

regions that meet air and temperature standards

there goes Rotorua then

Keir Leslie

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:39:33 +1300

To be honest, the Labour Party's arts policy is kinda embarrassing. It's a hodge-podge of special interests, and pet desires. (I mean, I fully support a memorial to dead sailors, but that is not a manifesto commitment.) There may be good stuff in there, but it is lost amongst general…

Craig Ranapia

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:34:45 +1300

With all due disrespect, if I was still drinking and took a shot every time "over time and as circumstances allow' bad touched my eye balls I'd be dead of alcohol poisoning.

I'm saying this in a spirit of tough love (and wearing my Auckland Film Soc secretary hat in…

Ben Clark

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 12:14:21 +1300

Places like the fabulous Depot in Devonport will be offering Apprenticeships. Collaborating with new artists can be inspiring and helpful for the old professionals as well as for those learning the techniques – and most Artisans like to give back and see their field thrive. In the case of the…

David Cormack

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:54:42 +1300

I like that National name-dropped Peter Jackson. They've clearly put a lot of thought into their policy. Or into writing buzz-words that people will respond well to.

Steve Barnes

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:34:36 +1300

- so art is not restricted to Wellington.

Splutter, bluster, fart...
Hey, I don't know a lot about Art but I know it doesn't all come from Wellington. Of all the Artists I know not one of them comes from down there, mind you, I do live in Auckland.

DCBCauchi

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:52:09 +1300

Some questions in lieu of wading through a pdf:

If I’m 18 years old and want to be a painter, how would the apprenticeship work? Do I need to go to art school first? Who would I be apprenticed to? Do I need to find someone willing to take me…

Ben Clark

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:38:06 +1300

When we released the policy at the Depot ArtSpace in Devonport today there was considerable excitement for both the Creative Industry Apprenticeships, and the Children's Art Houses.

Shona Hammond Boys is shortly off to visit the White House, because Obama wants to launch Children's Art Houses there, they are such…

3410

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 09:29:36 +1300

Slightly intrigued by National's claim that Labour "[u]sed the arts for political advantage". What's that about?

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:06:33 +1300

It at least had the grace of brevity. Next time out, could Labour form a working group with relevant stakeholders who can reduce twelve pages of opaque persiflage to one duplex sheet of clear, unaffected English prose? I'd take as pure gravy one solid commitment with a timeline and costings…

linger

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:50:11 +1300

Nah, there seriously isn’t any policy there: even the National Party’s aim (“we’re going to keep doing betterer!”) could have been written by a primary schoolkid.

The page space is mostly taken up by a list of “what we did last term”. But even that’s pretty desperate: there’s some (ooh,…

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:28:18 +1300

Chaps (and Chap-ettes):

Can we stipulate that the National Party website isn't exactly user-friendly and move along? Any thoughts on the actual policies, because I'm still struggling to find anything to praise, blame or even snark.

3410

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:21:07 +1300

ht*p://www.national.org.nz/Policies.aspx

It's
http://www.national.org.nz/Policy.aspx
but don't expect to find any Arts policy there.

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:06:33 +1300

Steve:

The links I posted are to PDF format documents which your browser may find indigestible. I will amend the post to note that.

Steve Curtis

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 21:56:44 +1300

Just how did you find nationals napkin, when I drill down to this

http://www.national.org.nz/Policies.aspx

I get this
Error
The page or function you are trying to access is unavailable.

So I choose another tack. Choose from the drop down menu Arts Culture & heritage
and get a self satisfied picture of…

Islander

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:44:33 +1300

Craig, I'm still digesting the Labour one but cant quite work up the stomach for the Nat one yet-
what appears on the Labour site is waffle/sameas/waffle/delicatehintof substanence/waffle (and this is only for my specialist area.)

Craig Ranapia

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:59:57 +1300

I'm sure this doesn't need to be said, but anyone who's thinking about being a twatcock in the comments will get them turned off.

Public Address

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 18:59:57 +1300

Discussion from blog post.