Funding the arts - where is the line drawn between true art & a waste of money

[MattNQ]

Ever wonder where your tax dollars go?
I enjoy photography & playing the guitar, and I appreciate the wonderful talent involved in the  theatre, music & dance, and I do think funding the Arts is important to society.....
But, sometimes I wonder at some of the projects our gov’t  sinks money into. Here’s a few examples of state arts funding that make you wonder ..umm why?


Qld
$4000.  Ms xxxxx will be undertaking eight weeks work experience with Thomas Rentmeister in Berlin and eight weeks self-directed research into experimental food happenings in Germany, Paris and Italy.


NSW
$30,000  - to investigate human-impacted landscapes in the USA and respond to these landscapes through the mediums of sculpture and photography. 

Vic
$10,000 - the development of Untitled, a series of abstract photographs that explore memory 
$12,000  - Development of "The last car park", a self-generating sculptural installation using new technology. 


Are we keeping food in the mouths of people who otherwise cannot get a real job?

[muzza01]

I agree with you Matt. I appreciate a good portrait and more so a great landscape pic but I just don't get blobs of paint on canvas that doesn't resemble a picture of anything. More especially tax payers $$ spent on it.

[DaveR]

Once upon a time, I was a Commercial Diver working around Sydney Harbor.
We sent several days on a Job near Mrs Macquarie’s Chair assembling a Sculpture in the water in Woolloomooloo Bay.
It was Red poles with Yellow Triangle things on top and timber floats to move up and down.
I seem to remember a price of $400,000.00 for it.
Then, when we finished that job, we went over the other side of the harbor to dismantle a ferry terminal, as there was not enough funds in the public purse to pay for required repairs and upgrades. This left the locals having to catch a bus, and an extra 45 min to get to the circular key area.
As they had the news crew there and a small protest going, we sort of…. Maybe….ummmm. told them about the new art work in the harbor on the other side.

I don’t remember when it happened, but it was not long for the new ferry terminal to be put in place when they asked why the money was available for the art work etc.

By the way, a sweep stake was in place with the water front repair guys around the harbor for how long the art work would last…
I am not sure what the result was.

[alnjan]

I remember years ago, and a few more, the Australian Taxpayer bought something called Blue Poles.  Not as many years ago we happened to be going through Canberra and decided to give ourselves some culture and went to the Gallery and saw this piece of crap and wonder what kindergarten class did that. 

[Mace]

Matthew 7.6 springs  to mind

I just spent 3 months coordinating this,

http://www.utas.edu.au/off-the-wall

And would do so again in a heartbeat.

Encourage art in any form, or civilization as we know it ain't with a cracker.

[Burnsy]

Matthew 7.6 springs  to mind

I just spent 3 months coordinating this,

http://www.utas.edu.au/off-the-wall

And would do so again in a heartbeat.

Encourage art in any form, or civilization as we know it ain't with a cracker.

Some of that stuff is cool, but seriously some 12 year olds with a line marker on the oval could create a better spiders web. The idea has merit for a bit of a lark and could look good, but about 5 minutes more planning time and $5 on a string line would have helped - "vertice".  I do however hope nobody paid anybody for that.

[Pog]

$1 spent is too much. I really can't stand art, or more to the point - artists!

[terravista]

I must agree, much of the arts is just appreciation from a few on money wasted by very few.......HOWEVER.... in comparison the millions wasted on Sports Institutes training people to run just a little bit faster, jump just a little bit higher, hit a ball with a stick a little bit better, who then go on to make millions and set up in offshore tax havens and not have to pay back for the training like uni students do for their education, I guess a few stupid sculptures or finger paintings is small change.
As for Blue Poles, I thought it was valued recently and ended up a nice little asset that increased in value far more than our expensive ex-politicians ever do.
As for the so called artists, how the hell can some paint splashed on timber or canvas 300 years ago be worth $60 million?? Must make our aboriginal cave art worth a few bucks on EBay.
It seems similar to caviar or champagne, they taste like crap but because they cost a motza people think they must taste delicious and pretend to love them instead of treating them as just being fish eggs and vinegar with bubbles.
Cheers
Ian

[Bird]

$1 spent is too much. I really can't stand art, or more to the point - artists!

x billions.

[db]

$1 spent is too much. I really can't stand art, or more to the point - artists!

So, what do you say to your kids when they proudly display the painting they did at school?

[alnjan]

One is art and can be appreciated as art

the other is a drop sheet

[Marschy]

One is art and can be appreciated as art

the other is a drop sheet

Is the first one Tom Roberts?

[alnjan]

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/heysen-exhibition-showcases-iconic-landscapes.htm


Hans Heysen.


I was looking for some of Robert Lovett's work but couldn't find what I was after.  He did a few for the Man From Snowy River.  I have seen one he did of a cattle muster and I swear as the afternoon sun lights up the painting you can see the dust rising.  I appreciate a real Artist, just not some crap that appears you have to be on something to appreciate or understand.

[Marschy]

http://www.australiangeographic.com.au/journal/heysen-exhibition-showcases-iconic-landscapes.htm


Hans Heysen.


I was looking for some of Robert Lovett's work but couldn't find what I was after.  He did a few for the Man From Snowy River.  I have seen one he did of a cattle muster and I swear as the afternoon sun lights up the painting you can see the dust rising.  I appreciate a real Artist, just not some crap that appears you have to be on something to appreciate or understand.

Tom Robert's 'The Break Away' is my favourite piece of Australian 19th century art.



My father has had a print of this picture hanging in his front room for over 40 years. The original is a beautiful piece of work and hangs in the SA Art Museum.

[alnjan]

I love the old paintings and I can appreciate them as art.  Something not any one can do.

But as for something like Blue Poles, as I say it is something a kindergarten class could do, there is no 'Art' in it to appreciate

[Bird]

So, what do you say to your kids when they proudly display the painting they did at school?

Bit different to the "Arts" people paying millions for a 100% black Canvas with a trendy name a few years ago name aint it???

[ozbogwam]

I love the old paintings and I can appreciate them as art.  Something not any one can do.

But as for something like Blue Poles, as I say it is something a kindergarten class could do, there is no 'Art' in it to appreciate

No they couldn't

Being able to paint a picture of a tree, a sunset and a man on a horse is not more art worthy than abstract art, they are different art that's all. Just because you don't like something doesn't mean others don't.

Be a very boring place with no art and everyone liking exactly the same thing and doing the same thing

[muzza01]

Tom Robert's 'The Break Away' is my favourite piece of Australian 19th century art.



My father has had a print of this picture hanging in his front room for over 40 years. The original is a beautiful piece of work and hangs in the SA Art Museum.

Now that certainly looks like art to me

[Pog]

So, what do you say to your kids when they proudly display the painting they did at school?

You said it there, kids... They are kids, not artists.

I will admit that Australia has a number of great artists such as Heysen, Hart & Roberts.

The thing that sh!ts me with most modern artists, is that they are too artsy.... Others will know what I mean!

[Burnsy]

http://www.bluewindfisher.com/nanapurple.htm

The screen does not do this justice, amazing portait to stand in front of.

[Bird]

Very important piece of art...
I think I can see where the artist is coming from with this one.
it says "give me millions suckers"....

[ozbogwam]

You said it there, kids... They are kids, not artists.

I will admit that Australia has a number of great artists such as Heysen, Hart & Roberts.

The thing that sh!ts me with most modern artists, is that they are too artsy.... Others will know what I mean!

how many artists do you know or hang around with?

[Bird]

how many artists do you know or hang around with?

Otto Kuster was my neighbour... He teaches Pallet Knife painting these days. His paintings still bring quite a few sheckles too.
He's done some nice work.
http://www.artrecord.com/index.cfm/artist/5414-kuster-ingo-otto/medium/1-paintings/


The thing is most of *THE ARTS* that get the Gov dollars each year (as listed at the start of this thread), are pure bull**** rubbish.

[ozbogwam]

I see that painting and think meh, nothing special, doesn't appeal to me at all.

Of course some of the grants will not be everyone's cup of tea but then Michelangelo and Da Vinci had their critics back when they were also receiving grants to pursue their art

Art polarises people and it should, as I said earlier, it would be boring if we all liked the same things.

[alnjan]

Ozbogwam,

Do you consider this Art?  worthy of taxpayer funding?

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/picture/2011/dec/13/helen-chadwick-piss-flowers