Advisory Council Spent £90,200 On Aid To Arts

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30190, 23 July 1963, Page 8

Advisory Council Spent £90,200 On Aid To Arts

Assistance to the arts given on the recommendation of the Arts Advisory Council during the year amounted to £90,000, according to the annual report of the Depart, ment of Internal Affairs. The money was allocated as follows: Professional theatre: opera £15,000; ballet, £12,000; drama, £5OOO. Amateur theatre, £5OOO. Visual arts. £lO,OOO. Music, £3OOO. Training, travel grants, and awards, £33,950. Commissioned works and awards of all types, £4250. Miscellaneous, £2OOO. £10,775. carried forward to next year, is fully committed. Pursuing it® policy of encouraging the attainment of professional standards in the arts, the council again substantially assisted toe New Zeeland Ballet and Opera Companies, says toe report. A viable national professional drama has still failed to develop. The council believes that professional drama is more likely to succeed if it is organised regionally. The £5OOO allocated to assist the amateur theatre, especially rural groups, was intended to help organisations stage worthwhile productions. To develop its full potential, amateur theatre needs substantial assistance towards meeting toe cost of buiidinßs and equipment which is beyond toe financial capacity of toe council.

Being convinced of toe need for better fiacilities for advanced training of musicians in New Zealand, the Arte Advisory Council has advocated to toe Government that a national school of music should be established.

Because the council believes that a dispassionate appraisal of musical achieve-

ment in New Zealand compared with that overseas would be both timely and beneficial, it is considering eponsoring a visit by a prominent oversea® music critic who would report and write on musical- life.

Assistance for training artists in all the arts was increased and now comprises approximately a quarter of toe council's total expenditure. Grants were made to assist training both in New Zealand and overseas.